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exorcism, although current perspectives on such
phenomena are more moderate than traditional
Christian views. For example, the American
psychologist and doctor Carl Wickland felt that
such spirits were more confused than demonic,
and were simply “caught” in the energy of the
person whom they appeared to be afflicting. As a
result of this entrapment, they caused what
appeared to be schizoid symptom, and other types
of aberration. Wickland asserted that simple
persuasion was often enough to effect an “exorcism.”
He described his findings in Thirty Years
Among the Dead (1924).
See also Demons; Satan; Vodoun
For Further Reading:
Bletzer, June G. The Donning International
Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary. Norfolk, VA:
Donning, 1986.
Broderick, R. C. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987.
Cogan, J. F. Demon Possession Handbook for Human
Service Workers.
http://www.gelservices.com/hs.html.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Ghost
and Spirits. New York: Facts on File, 1992.
Page,S.H.Y.Powers of Evil: A Biblical Study of
Satan and Demons. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 1995.
Shepard, Leslie A., ed. Encyclopedia of Occultism and
Parapsychology. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991.
Waterhouse, Steven. Strength for His People: A
Ministry for Families of the Mentally Ill.
Amarillo, TX: Westcliff Bible Church, n.d.
The Process
The Process Church of the Final Judgement—
usually referred to as The Process—was founded
by Robert de Grimston (born Robert Moore)
and Mary Anne Maclean. The two met and fell in
love while members of the Church of
Scientology. In 1963, they left Scientology to
found an independent therapy group,
Compulsions Analysis, in London. The people
who joined the group in the first two and a half
years became the core of what eventually developed
into a religion. The Process established
chapters in Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Munich,
Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, and New
Orleans. In 1968, members were sent out in pairs
to missionize and to collect donations. Two years
later, the group settled in North America.
The Process’s beliefs went through at least two
major phases. Initially, they recognized one
supreme divinity, God. The focus of the group’s
ritual and therapeutic “processes” (hence the
name) was transforming those aspects of human
nature that defied God. Christ was seen as having
been sent into the world to reconcile humanity
with God. In the second phase, in 1967, Robert de
Grimston introduced the notion of four divinities:
Jehovah, Lucifer, Satan, and Christ. Each of
these gods represented a basic personality or
orientation to the world, as well as a paradigmatic
human problem. Every individual was viewed as
being linked to the god with whom they shared
the most traits. The names of the four divinities
were also paired and used as designations for four
different personality types: Luciferian-Christian,
Jehovian-Satanic, Jehovian-Christian, and
Luciferian-Satanic.
As indicated by the longer name of the group—
the Process Church of the Final Judgment—the
Process also taught a form of millennialism in
which the world as we know it would eventually
come to an end. The polarized divinities—Lucifer
and Jehovah; Christ and Satan—will be unified in
this endtime. This notion is reflected in such
passages from Process scripture as: “Through Love,
Christ and Satan have destroyed their enmity and
come together for the End, Christ to judge, Satan
to execute the judgement.... Christ and Satan
joined, the Lamb and the Goat, pure Love
descended from the pinnacle of Heaven, united
with pure Hatred raised from the depths of
Hell . . . The End is now. The New Beginning is to
come” (Bainbridge, 1997, 245).
The Process organized its membership into a
hierarchy of: Acolyte, Initiate, Outside Messenger
(OP), Inside Messenger (IP), Prophets, Priests,
and Masters. The de Grimstons constituted a
distinct status, referred to as the Omega. Some of
the Process’s public rituals were similar to
Christian practices—marriages, baptisms, and a
weekly gathering called the Sabbath Assembly.
Many of the Process’s therapeutic practices were
derived from Scientology practices.
Reflecting their graded hierarchy, baptisms