Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21 Century    by Wanda Pratnicka Order:  USA  Can Centrum, 2004 (2004) Hardcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Martina Bexte Wanda Pratnicka claims that since her birth in Poland in 1948, she has 'seen and sensed things that have gone virtually unnoticed by everyone around her', and that she was born with an 'innate ability to alleviate the daily suffering of thousands of people, without being in the same room'. Pratnicka believes that the root of many psychological and physical problems 'lies with ghosts and their desire to possess the bodies of the living'. Pratnicka has earned a Master's Degree in psychology at the Institute of Economy and Culture in Moscow and received the Specialist in Parapsychology award. For the past 30 years, Pratnicka has been a practicing lay exorcist and psychotherapist and has during that time been 'engaged in helping in the field of the psychology of the soul and freeing people of dependencies between people and ghosts'. In Possessed By Ghosts, she tells us she has been 'given the opportunity to share her knowledge of the toxic associations that arise between people and ghosts'. Pratnicka presents an interesting premise here and her theory about ghosts is impressive and rather fascinating. She discusses many and varied topics including her views on death and why so many of us fear our last moments, why souls choose to linger, what happens the moment a person dies and how their death influences those left behind, haunted houses, phobias, obsessions and fear. Pratnicka also presents many in-depth case studies and discusses how she helped to 'exorcise' the ghosts responsible for her patients' torments, whether physical or psychological. Whether you're the most logical and grounded person on the planet or a fan of the paranormal, Possessed by Ghosts presents interesting theories. If read with an open mind, it offers up hours of lively or even heated debates. Its tone does become overly dramatic and florid at times and some discussions and arguments sound redundant, but even so, this book presents an interesting point of view about ghosts, possession, exorcisms, death and our very existence. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews