26 Facts About Anneliese Michel

Anna Elisabeth "Anneliese" Michel was a German woman who underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death.

Anneliese Michel died of malnutrition, for which her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide.

Anneliese Michel was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis and had a history of psychiatric treatment that proved ineffective.

When Michel was 16, she experienced a seizure and was diagnosed with psychosis caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

Anneliese Michel's condition worsened despite medication, and she became suicidal, displaying other symptoms, for which she took medication as well.

Anneliese Michel stopped eating food and died of malnourishment and dehydration after 67 exorcism sessions.

Anneliese Michel was religious and attended Mass twice a week.

In June 1970, Anneliese Michel had a third seizure at the psychiatric hospital where she had been staying.

Anneliese Michel was prescribed anti-convulsion drugs for the first time, including Dilantin, which did not alleviate the problem.

Anneliese Michel described seeing "devil faces" at various times of the day.

Anneliese Michel became intolerant of Christian sacred places and objects, such as the crucifix.

Anneliese Michel visited San Damiano with a family friend who regularly organized Christian pilgrimages.

Anneliese Michel's escort concluded that she was suffering from demonic possession because she was unable to walk past a crucifix and refused to drink the water of a Christian holy spring.

Anneliese Michel approached it with the greatest hesitation, then said that the soil burned like fire and she simply could not stand it.

Anneliese Michel then walked around the shrine in a wide arc and tried to approach it from the back.

Anneliese Michel looked at the people who were kneeling in the area surrounding the little garden, and it seemed to her that while praying they were gnashing their teeth.

Anneliese Michel got as far as the edge of the little garden, then she had to turn back.

Anneliese Michel made it several times to the garden, but could not get past it.

Anneliese Michel noted that she could no longer look at medals or pictures of saints; they sparkled so immensely that she could not stand it.

Anneliese Michel worsened physically and displayed aggression, injured herself, drank her own urine and ate insects.

In November 1973, Anneliese Michel began treatment with Tegretol, an anti-seizure drug and mood stabilizer.

Anneliese Michel was prescribed antipsychotic drugs during the course of the religious rites and consumed them frequently until some time before her death.

The priest Father Ernst Alt declared that Anneliese Michel "didn't look like an epileptic" and that he did not observe her experiencing seizures.

Toward the end of her life, Anneliese Michel began to refuse food.

Anneliese Michel weighed 30 kilograms, suffered broken knees from continuous genuflections, was unable to move without assistance and was reported to have contracted pneumonia.

Doctors testified that Anneliese Michel was not possessed, stating that the manifestations of demonic possession were a psychological effect of her strict religious upbringing as well as her epilepsy.