Dr Richard Gallagher: Evidence for Evil Spirits (2)

Evidence for Evil Spirits

Notable Deadly Departed Quote – Dr Richard Gallagher:

‘I know many psychiatrists around the world who believe exactly the way I do… They probably don't have as much experience as I've had because… I get calls from all over the world and I've seen more of these (demonic possession) cases. I'm also a member of an international Catholic association as a scientific advisor, so, you know, I've seen a tremendous amount of these cases. My former academic chairman who is a Catholic, he's retired now, but he wrote that I've seen more of these cases than anybody, any doctor in the world and probably in history.’

​Deadly Departed - Evidence for Evil Spirits

Premiered December 15, 2025 - Runtime 1 hr

Deadly Departed Podcast guest Dr Richard Gallagher is a professor of psychiatry, psychoanalyst, Catholic scholar, member and scientific advisor to the International Association of Exorcists since the 1990s, and author of Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal. His book deserves a place on the reading list of all mental health study curriculums worldwide.

Key Points: Evidence for Evil Spirits Podcast

• Evil spirits: Belief persists worldwide, historically and today, with anecdotal evidence mounting from credible experts and centuries of reports.
• Materialism vs. spiritual worldview: Science provides tools for investigation, but some phenomena demand approaches that transcend materialist boundaries.
• Discernment is key: Not every evil act is caused by possession; careful investigation and rational analysis prevent over-attribution.
• The conversation continues: Empirical research, open-mindedness, and balanced education are vital as we seek to understand anomalous experiences.

Podcast Discussion Highlights

Certain spiritual phenomena resist conventional investigation

Dr. Richard Gallagher and fellow spirit interventionist Jock Brocas advocate remind us that throughout history and across cultures, the belief in evil spirits has been ubiquitous, and most people in the world, even today, hold some belief in malevolent spiritual entities. Gallagher advocates for a careful distinction between overt spiritual and psychiatric conditions, and wisely points out that mainstream science can only go so far because there are realities that transcend materialist paradigms, and certain spiritual phenomena that resist conventional investigation.

He also clarifies that modern psychiatry recognizes “spiritual or religious problems” in classifications like DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) but stops short of identifying demonic possession as a clinical entity, and expresses caution about over-integrating spiritual phenomena within psychiatric models, suggesting that the field must maintain distinction to avoid controversy.

Why videotaping entities often fails and how skeptics keep malevolent spirits happy

(Image: Canva)

Both Jock Brocas and Dr. Richard Gallagher share that firsthand encounters with anomalous phenomena profoundly shape conviction. Gallagher has consulted on dramatic cases where individuals display bizarre phenomena, such as speaking unknown languages or levitating, linked to spiritual attacks. However, he notes that attempts to capture these events on videotape often fail, hinting at the elusive and intelligent nature of these entities.

Notable Deadly Departed Quote: Dr Richard Gallagher

‘What I've also noticed... is that people who try to capture these things on videotape, often the videotape is interfered with. So they'll say, well, Dr. Gallagher, I tried to videotape it. I had it on videotape. But then the videotape disappeared. So, strange as it may sound, we’re not dealing with creatures who can’t interfere with our study of them, number one. So they make it difficult because… on the one hand, they kind of want to attack and display themselves to certain people, but to other people, they are very happy that people are skeptical. So it's a very hard thing to study. And as I say to people, they're not like Hollywood actors that are, you know, eager to perform for the camera. They're just not going to do that…’

Jock Brocas - Why can’t you catch them on video?

‘You know, and it's interesting, I think people need to realize, is that - and I tend to utilize this term spiritual intelligences or nefarious intelligences, as well as demonic, because they're a lot more intelligent than we are. And I've had this argument with many people where they say, well, you know, you can go in and say prayers and cleanse or do this… why can't you catch them on video? ... The reality is, whatever we try to do to circumnavigate in our own field of understanding, they're always going to be able to go beyond what we could even understand, which is why we need spiritual intervention, which is why we need holy intervention into this...’

Dr Richard Gallagher – I have no doubt that evil spirits exist

‘It's a paradoxical truth that on the one hand... demons do show their colors at times... The cases I write about, the possessions, the severe oppressions, even what we call the infestations, those are the main categories of overt demonic attack. But it's interesting, at the same time, they sometimes do that to punish people, to sadistically torture people, etc. At other times, they want to remain hidden. And it's almost like they have a strategy. You pointed out how very intelligent they are. They are, because… what we Catholics believe is they're fallen angels, and angels also are… very high intelligence.

And it’s interesting, if you think about it, because it's also confusing to people. At times they manifest themselves and obviously… if you're attacked by an evil spirit, you tend to know it, even though there are people who are delusional about it. But on the other hand, especially in the modern Western world, which is one of the few areas of the world in world history where people are skeptical of evil spirits, they think, oh, all these people are just, you know, psychotic and stuff. I mean, yes, it's true that... psychotic people can only imagine from their hallucinations that they're being attacked by spirits but… that's precisely why doctors like myself get involved in helping to discern these cases.

But it's interesting at the same time, that you and I have experienced so many anomalous experiences that we have no doubt that these things exist in the afterlife. And I have no doubt that evil spirits exist. On the other hand, to a lot of other people in our modern society, they actually try to hide themselves. It's a tricky balance.’

The Danger of Over-Sensationalizing

The podcast also discusses the topic of seeing demons behind every odd event, critiquing both Hollywood's exaggeration and some religious leaders’ tendency toward over-interpretation. Jock Brocas stresses the importance of maintaining a balanced educational approach, recognizing the necessity for discernment, and not attributing all evil to spiritual entities. Dr. Richard Gallagher agrees, referencing both psychiatric categories and classic theological estimates. For example, Saint Thomas Aquinas suggested only 10% of human evil is directly influenced by spirits.

Brocas and Gallagher concur that not everyone who commits evil is possessed, but many can be influenced by nefarious intelligences. The various forms of attack include oppression, possession, infestation, and sometimes spiritual influence, rather than outright possession, plays a role in the actions of murderers, sociopaths, or even notorious historical figures like Hitler, who is referenced as an example of someone who dabbled in the occult. Yet, both Brocas and Gallagher warn against blaming all evil on spirits, emphasizing human responsibility.

Notable Deadly Departed Quote: Jock Brocas

‘I use the term knowing, rather than believing, that there are evil spirits. It seems that the only way that you would accept it, is if you experience it. And nobody really wants to experience anything like it because it scars you for life. But there's enough evidence throughout history that there is something else that's nefarious that's out there.

And I always say to people, look, we only know evil because good exists. We only know hot because cold exists, and we only know light because dark exists. So why get to the point of denying the potential? The evil is out there. And I know, I've read a lot of papers in psychiatry and even in psychology and transpersonal psychology where they try to label evil as just some kind of mental construct that really isn't evil in its sense, but yet we know that it exists.’

I would like to add that when new legislation is drafted to deal with cult crimes involving potential demonic influences, there should be no such thing as a ‘demon’s defence’ ie: Your Honour, it wasn’t me. A demon made me do it. No different to the so called ‘drunk’s defence’, which should not be permissible. Alcoholics need to seek treatment to overcome their addictions. Perhaps dark occultists who become literal lost souls because they choose to sell their soul, and become so mentally diseased that they are driven to inflict serious harm upon upon others, need to do the same.

Obsession with Possession, Discernment & The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters. [Fourth Impression.] SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR $US 51,199 (AbeBooks)

As the Deadly Departed podcast draws to a close, Dr. Richard Gallagher reveals plans for a new book that will place demonic phenomena within the broader context of the supernatural and paranormal and agrees with Brocas about the perennial need to bridge science and spirituality, advocating for empirical inquiry alongside rational and faith-based approaches.

Notable Deadly Departed Quote: Jock Brocas

‘I'm not going to mention the book, but there's another book that I read in years past. One of the things that I recognized is that the power of discernment seems to be lacking even, I think, in the Catholic Church and Christianity because there's a danger that you tend to see the demonic everywhere. There's books that I've read that have been written by religious scholars where it was getting to the point that this particular individual would be seeing a demon in a burger… And anybody who hasn't read Demonic Force really should because there is a lot of empirical evidence; anomalous phenomena that's explained from a scientific perspective.

But we also need to keep that education going because there is the problem that people think they're possessed and they're not. And religious pastors, priests tend to also get to the point where they see demons everywhere... Maybe there's a bit more discernment that's needed there.’

Dr Richard Gallagher

‘Well, you know, I actually think, Jock, you're talking more about Christian fundamentalists and Catholics. I mean, you know, I know many Catholic priests.. and most of these priests, they're pretty educated guys… there are a few exceptions, but they're not jumping to seeing demons everywhere... You got to remember Catholic priests do this as a ministry. They don't make money off of it. Once you get people who start to charge for their services, I tell people you should stay away from them. Like the plague...

C.S. Lewis was a very, very educated and knowledgeable Christian, including about the demonic. He had the classic passage from The Screwtape Letters*… which I quote in my book, which is that the demons are very happy when people don't believe in them. Yeah, but they were also happy when people get overly preoccupied and, as you put it, see the devil everywhere or get immersed in, you know, trying to communicate with the devil. He said we have to avoid both extremes. And, you know, Lewis was not a Catholic, but a lot of his beliefs were very, very close to what the Catholic Church teaches.’

Jock Brocas:

‘I think he was ahead of his time, Richard, actually, because I love that book, and if anybody hasn't read it, and you want to understand demonology, definitely The Screwtape Letters. There's a lot of wisdom and there's a lot of knowledge in there.’

Dr Richard Gallagher:

‘Well, you know, it's a paradoxical truth that on the one hand, I mean, demons do show their colors at times. In other words, you know, the cases I write about, the possessions, the severe oppressions, even what we call the infestations, those are the main categories of overt demonic attack. But it's interesting, at the same time, they sometimes do that to... punish people, to sadistically… torture people, etc. At other times, they want to remain hidden, and it's almost like they have a strategy.’

Brocas and Gallagher conclude that ultimately, the mystery persists: the world of evil spirits remains as shadowy and enigmatic as ever, inviting us to ask questions, seek evidence, and stay open to both science and the supernatural.

References

Chuck Swindoll Jr Video Essay (28 March 2020 - 36 mins): Lucifer and Luciferians: Masters of Deception

​*The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (1942) was written in a satirical, epistolary style as a series of 31 letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, and explores the subtle ways demons attempt to lead humans away from God, using psychological manipulation and spiritual deception.

1. World Council for Health forum: Trauma-based Mind Control and Organized Ritual Abuse - A Healing Exploration.

​Recommended Viewing

​Redacted Report (13 Feb 2026 - 39 mins) : The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Epstein CONNECTION is Dark and Disturbing

Man in America with Max Lowen (21 Feb 2026 - 24 mins) Is the World Run by a Satanic Cult?

50 Voices of Ritual Abuse (August 23, 2023 - 8 mins) - Max Lowen Testimony

​Almost False (March 25, 2025 - 1 hr 15 mins): Former 33rd Degree Mason Reveals the Darkest Secrets of Freemasonry

Almost False (April 22, 2025 - 1 hr 05 mins) The True Life Story of a Former Satanic Vampire​

Dr Richard Gallagher: Evidence for Evil Spirits (1)

​Who believed in magic when they were a child? I did. Even before I learned to read. My first favourite book was Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree and I couldn’t put it down because it filled me with joy and wonder. I was also blessed to have scant awareness of ‘evil spirits’ and so called ‘dark forces’ and even avoided our illustrated children’s bible because the scary images freaked me out too much. I had a similar experience much later in life when I connected with Jock Brocas and began writing and editing articles for his Afterlife Magazine, but it took me awhile to warm to his Paranormal Daily News publication primarily because of the predominantly dark imagery that accompanied most of the articles. I was the ultimate scaredy cat.

That was around 2016 but my timely, parallel shamanic healing art and energy medicine studies gradually helped me create a more balanced perspective about the ‘dark side’. I also learned that healing our wounds and traumas serves to strengthen, expand and protect our innate light and frequency, so much so that the lower, pesky, daemonic entities don’t have a hope in hell of getting anywhere near us no matter how hard they may try. Only then was I able to start editing PDN articles and contributing a few of my own. And ironically, my subsequent and unexpected research travels into horrific hidden realms of the death/blood cult world, served to dissolve all of my fears.

The parallel death/blood cult world has existed for thousands of years but has largely remained conveniently out of sight because historically, the majority of men and women the world over, never allowed the horrific sex and sacrifice rituals involving babies and children to be ‘normalized’. And nor should they be. That said, the word cult has also been extremely muddied and misconstrued in the western world in particularly, probably because of the socially engineered mass ignorance about the occult in general. For the record:

(Etymonline)

Abundant eyewitness evidence for evil spirits

​Given that the overarching theme of this article revolves around ‘evidence for evil spirits’, sensitive readers may find the following revelations extremely disturbing. But the wider community must be made aware of the fact that millions of babies and children are suffering beyond belief on our planet, 24/7, and that the government enabled child/human trafficking ‘industry’ is now alleged to being the trillions, rather than billions. Only then will we be able to link arms and demand full exposure, change and legislation to stop these and other horrific death cult crimes from continuing.

When generational cult survivor testimonials began to cross my path in 2020, I was horrified to my core by the amount of child sacrifice that goes on in the names of Moloch, Satan, Lucifer and other dark entities that I previously thought were mere myths; the violent ‘sex majik’ rituals involving babies and children that allegedly enable their equally violated abusers to access portals and supernatural powers; the male sorcerers who believe they can access other dimensions of galaxies and commune with ‘older and stronger entities than god’ through sex with young boys.

Former Freemason turned educator Dr Selwyn Stevens will tell you that Freemasons make energetic connections with dark entities when they take their oaths, and dark entities 'attach' to the energetic signature/DNA of the host via the chakra portal which the oath relates to. This is how curse energy can be passed down through generations within families. Ex freemason Dr. William (Bill) Schnoebelen will tell you about the little known masonic ‘Royal Secret’ belief that you can live forever by sexually vampirising children; and when he swore his oath to Satan and signed his name in blood, he was obligated to finding seven people to sell their souls to the devil, sort of like multi-level marketing, but for the devil.

Masonic abuse survivor and award winning investigative journalist Phoenix Caspian mirrors the growing ‘ponzi scheme’ claims of other masonic whistleblowers: “Most Freemasons think they are being given occult knowledge and power. In fact, they are being initiated into a giant ponzi scheme. In return for providing the 'higher' Freemasons with 'kompromat' (self-incriminating blackmail material) the initiate is advanced up the 'degrees' of the Freemasonic hierarchy. As a Freemason attains more 'power' they are installed in 'higher' positions of authority by those at the top of the ranks... It is for this reason that many court judges, politicians, business 'leaders', and police officers are Freemasons.” (The Cloud Pyramids)

Innocent children should not be forced to witness the reality of evil spirits

After many hours of listening to cult survivor testimonials, and reading comprehensive military intelligence reports, books and articles penned by esoteric/metaphysical scholars, researchers and cult whistleblowers, I developed a sense of deep empathy for anyone trapped in the chronically sad death cult realm. I am also of the view that no child should born into such extreme and traumatizing darkness where witnessing children and animals being murdered and evil spirits manifesting in front of them in frenzied rituals, becomes their ‘normal’. No child should be so brutally deprived of their sacred innocence; of ever experiencing the wonders of childhood - the joy, love, laughter, fun and adventure.

Equally concerning is the danger that generational cult children pose to themselves and others as adults if there is no intervention. Tragically, deliberately breaking the mother-child bond at birth is key to controlling generational cult children - and all children - well into adulthood, and many children die at the hands of cult predators in ‘privileged’ aristocratic bloodlines, some of whom are so psychopathic that they ‘kill for fun.’ And get away with it. Then there are the men and women who are recruited into the various cult groups and don’t understand what they are getting themselves into until it’s too late. Another reason why basic occult and cult awareness and education is so important, especially during these crazy times when a minority of generational cult bloodlines that have lost their way so severely, are desperately trying to force the general population into accepting their horrifically wicked practices and subjecting all children to submit to extreme practices that inflict extreme trauma and suffering.

More recently, I received first hand information about an illuminati-driven baby/child murder and ‘soul stealing’ crisis in Adelaide, South Australia, during a brief online interaction with a woman who is a survivor of the illuminati’s cruel and damaging Monarch program. She made a public plea to the Police Commissioner to intervene because things were so out of control. Our comments were swiftly deleted but I found out more about her via her seemingly crazy podcast. The conveniently hidden horror show she speaks of appears to be largely driven by mentally diseased death cult diehards, illicit drugs and frenzied cult rituals that turn into murderfests and violent cannibalism of babies and young children. Adults are also killed and eaten during ‘spirit cooking rituals, and there is also no shortage of testimonials about evil entities manifesting in our earthly realm from the fourth dimension during rituals.

The CIA & Project Monarch Report

Author Ron Patton encapsulates the Monarch Project in his comprehensive Monarch Report - Full History, which all moral legislators and law enforcement men and women should read:

​'... A form of structured dissociation and occultic integration, in order to compartmentalize the mind into multiple personalities within a systematic framework. During this process, a Satanic ritual, usually including Cabalistic mysticism, is performed with the purpose of attaching a particular demon or group of demons to the corresponding alter(s). Of course, most skeptics would view this as simply a means to enhance trauma within the victim. negating any irrational belief that demonic possession actually occurs.'

Another common thread I discovered in my dark occult travels was a cult dependency on instructions and rituals from old books written by prominent, long dead occultists whose heavy hearts and minds were filled with old beliefs and uncontrollable addictions to violent sexual and sacrificial blood rituals. Some cult bloodlines have family members who are so far gone that they can’t live without daily blood baths. Then there is the belief that ingesting ‘young blood’ known as adrenochrome will keep you young and many people with money to burn are severely addicted. The lucrative adrenochrome ‘young blood’ black market is also booming, with elitist addicts from a broad range of professions having no regard for the extreme suffering of babies and children that provide them with their vanity drug. Withdrawal is allegedly worse than heroin.

Death/Blood Cult definitions

One of the most succinct definitions of the death/blood cult that I came across in my research travels was provided in a newsletter written by GAB CEO Andrew Torba:

At its core, this ideology venerates death. It champions the right to end innocent life in the womb, rebranding the slaughter of the unborn as “healthcare” and a sacred right. It encourages the chemical and surgical mutilation of healthy young bodies, a grotesque parody of medicine that severs the individual from their own biological reality. It pushes policies that dissolve the fundamental bonds of family and community, leaving isolated, atomized individuals adrift in a meaningless sea of consumer choices and state dependency.’

Another astute death cult educator and survivor is Max Lowen, whose latest article poses a wise question: Epstein Disclosure: How do we move forward? Lowen was sex trafficked through elitist circles and major institutions as a child, witnessed terrifying entities manifest at VIP rituals involving child rape and murder that still haunt her today, and eventually found her way out of the darkness and onto her healing path. She is now a trauma counsellor, podcaster, writer and contributor to various health and healing forums including the World Council for Health (1)

​Writes Max Lowen: ‘The sacrifice of children is nothing new. In ancient cultures babies were sacrificed to Moloch by being burnt alive as offerings. This cult ritual simply went underground in more modern times, literally under the ground at the Vatican, under the UN and other global organizations, in DUMBS, tunnels and other locations. I myself witnessed these sacrifices in the subterranean levels of the Vatican and at Elite events. The sacrifice of children also occurs above ground via the medical-pharmaceutical companies through vaccines, medications and transgender surgeries.’

With regard to Lowen’s question of how do we move forward, I would recommend the establishment of a global Truth and Restorative Justice Commission to assist cult survivors and victims of cult crimes be heard, acknowledged and compensated for decades of government and law enforcement negligence, and their perpetrators investigated and dealt with. Only then will they be able to focus on their healing journey and creating the life that they wish to live that is free from cult harassment and revenge attacks. Government run inquiries tend to provide recommendations for reform, but more often than not, they are not acted upon. Time for a new and independent strategy.

‘Dark to Light’ Translates to ‘Satan to Lucifer’

After five years of researching the many facets of this parallel death/blood cult world, I have concluded that power, politics, wealth and frenzied, bloodied, dark occult rituals have become far more intertwined than they should be, and the current state of mentally diseased play at the highest levels is detrimental to the mental and spiritual health of the world at large. This includes both innocent, unaware people and practicing dark occultists who are commonly known as sorcerers, queen mothers of darkness, warlocks, witches, high priestesses and various other labels. I have also concluded that the seemingly ‘privileged’ luciferian and satanic bloodlines are behaving like arrogant, power-abusing racketeers and can’t realistically expect the world to comply with their brazen attempts to the normalize demonic worshipping which includes adult sex with children and child sacrifice. And in their world, Dark to Light translates to Satan to Lucifer.

Should you be interested in learning more, I highly recommend this video essay by author, religious scholar and broadcaster Charles Swindoll Jr – Lucifer and the Luciferians: Masters of Deception.

Writes Chuck Swindoll Jr:

‘Luciferians have run the world since organized human history began. They have been steering and shaping the planetary cultural vector since long before the United States, Rome, or even the Egyptians. The cult goes way back. It is also known as ‘The Old Religion’.

They have maintained direct contact with a fourth dimensional being known as Lucifer for thousands of years. Luciferians communicate directly with Lucifer through the ritual practice of child sacrifice. This practice to evoke and convene with Leviathan originated in the cult of Baal. Baal is just a name for Leviathan or Lucifer or Moloch, which all reference the same energy - the cult of Baal... the ancient precursor to luciferianism which I personally consider to be simply a formalized and highly organized cult of Baal...’

‘Luciferianism is both a religion and a bloodline. Satanism is a lower echelon of luciferianism for those outside the bloodline, and wealth prerequisites to qualify as a true luciferian. Money can buy you into the luciferian cult but only bloodline accesses leadership. The highest ranks in the luciferian cult are not voted in, they are bestowed rank through female genetic lineage carefully steered by the cult through select breeding within the blue blood family lines like a king's executive rulership is stowed to his firstborn son.

Luciferians involve thirteen bloodline families plus one hidden royal bloodline, instead of just one family ruling like an imperial kingly monarchy. Luciferians have many at the top so it's a bit more complicated and integrates many more ranking members. There is much disagreement and infighting and personal agenda between the families but they all follow a singular agenda and that is to control and rule the planet.’

​Names are changed in luciferianism to hide the true identities of the individuals, or virtually every name in US Congress would be one of those 14 families and it would be obvious a coup has been pilfering the USA since its inception.

Wise Advice for Aspiring Dark Occultists

To conclude this part of my article, here is a timely quote from Leo Zagami’s comprehensive and insightful book Invisible Master - The Puppeteers Hidden Power. Zagami was born into a ‘black nobility’, masonic, illuminati bloodline and became hugely unpopular when he decided to blow the whistle on all the corruption and other criminal cult shenanigans that were going on behind the scenes, at great personal cost. This memorable revelation sums up what often happens to the majority of practicing occultists in the long term, so please keep this in mind if you decide to exercise your free will choice and dive head first into the dark side:

Writes Leo Zagami:

‘Aleister Crowley’s teachings influence members through initiation rituals for various degrees of his order, the Ordo Templi Orientis, and other sects. They are believed to gradually and consciously distort the chakra energy, polluting them so badly and sometimes irreversibly, to facilitate the demonic control of their minions.

Unfortunately, they think they are elevating themselves to new levels of consciousness, but they are actually doing the exact opposite, falling most of the time into the abyss that Crowley described as the last impediment before illumination. The risk of being overwhelmed by the abyss is high, even for a high level Initiate, as Crowley pointed out. Hence the famous admonition of Crowley, ‘Babe of the Abyss’ which appeared in his famous work called The Book of Lies, published in 1913…of being literally vampirized by interdimensional alien entities, something that happens to the majority of practicing occultists.’

Are spiritually ignorant mental health professionals detrimental to clients?

‘There are non-material realities that are impossible to adjudicate by what we now know as the modern scientific method.’ Dr Richard Gallagher

​This article was originally inspired by PDN Editor-in-Chief Jock Brocas’s Deadly Departed podcast with Professor of Psychiatry Dr Richard Gallagher. Their compelling, multi-faceted discussion about evidence of evil spirits captured my interest because of a ‘near-death experience’ in my late 20s, caused by a spiritually ignorant and extremely dismissive psychiatrist. I was traumatized by a debilitating assault perpetrated by white collar criminals whilst working in Adelaide’s frenetic media industry, which coincided with my spontaneous and wondrous spiritual awakening (of sorts) that sadly descended into something akin to a ‘crazy’ spiritual crisis. I suffered more damage and distress at the hands of this psychiatrist who completely overlooked my spiritual confusion and also the heinous crimes that were committed against me.

Her knowledge and experience with mental health imbalances and disturbances were severely limited to textbook diagnostics and treatment with antipsychotic drugs. Within weeks, her ‘treatment plan’ almost culminated in my untimely death from a drug overdose, despite having zero suicidal thoughts prior to seeing her. When I told her that her deadly drugs nearly caused me to kill myself, she refused to listen, dismissed my warranted distress and told me that I was ‘highly creative’ and needed lithium. I could not believe what I was hearing and furiously told her to stick her drugs and that I was done with her shocking abuse. I walked out and never saw her again. My mother flushed the remaining deadly pills down the tra-la-la, and I eventually recovered enough to pack my bags and limp out of town. Several years later, I was informed that the psychiatrist suffered a nervous breakdown soon after our sessions ended. In hindsight, it was a dark time for us both, and she did me a huge favor by scaring me away from Australia’s mainstream mental illness system for life.

I don’t blame her for not having any idea about things like ‘spiritual crises,’ ‘psychic attacks,’ and even ‘demonic attacks’ because the Australian mental health curriculum simply didn’t ‘go there’ and probably still doesn’t, which is not only blinkered, but dangerous and backward. While I’m sure there is a place for anti-psychotic medication in certain cases, these days we seem to have an over-prescribing crisis where pill-profits and willful ignorance of the reality of spiritual imbalances, disturbances and crises override the primary goal of mental health practitioners - to help clients regain a balanced mental state and their life. Instead, suffering is often made even worse by the ongoing medication dependency, dysfunction and inevitable poverty which places even more pressure on the buckling welfare system.

Needless to say, listening to the Deadly Departed discussion about evidence of evil spirits with Jock Brocas and Dr Richard Gallagher, was divine music to my ears. Gallagher is also a psychoanalyst, Catholic scholar, member and scientific advisor to the International Association of Exorcists since the 1990s, and author of Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal. His book deserves a place on the reading list of all mental health study curriculums worldwide. And if the psychiatrist that I saw for those few dark months in early 1990 is still alive, she needs to read it too. As do her peers.

Deadly Departed Podcast: The Evidence for Evil Spirits

Premiered December 15, 2025 - Runtime 1 hr

Deadly Departed Podcast Quote – Dr Richard Gallagher:

‘I believe that what I write about is genuine knowledge. It's just that it doesn't fit the paradigm, if you will, of being able to do scientific experiments. In other words... when you're dealing with... evil spirits, you're dealing with creatures that want to confuse people and want to hide people. They're not going to be able to be subject for experimentation in a modern scientific sense. They also are perfectly capable of interfering with the study of them.’

Brocas and Gallagher explore one of humanity’s most enduring questions: Are evil spirits real, or simply the stuff of stories and superstition? Despite the expected level of skepticism in scientific and medical circles, it’s heartening to learn that a significant number of mental health professionals do believe in the existence of evil spirits. But are they adequately equipped with the knowledge and understanding they need to effectively address potential spiritual imbalances or interferences? If more mainstream professionals collaborated with experienced, competent spiritual interventionists to help them determine the root cause of ‘mysterious’ or ‘bizarre’ mental and emotional issues, they are bound to assist more clients return to a balanced state of health and wellbeing; a healthier outcome for the practitioner and client alike.

Evidence for Evil Spirits Podcast Key Points

• Evil spirits: Belief persists worldwide, historically and today, with anecdotal evidence mounting from credible experts and centuries of reports.
• Materialism vs. spiritual worldview: Science provides tools for investigation, but some phenomena demand approaches that transcend materialist boundaries.
• Discernment is key: Not every evil act is caused by possession; careful investigation and rational analysis prevent over-attribution.
• The conversation continues: Empirical research, open-mindedness, and balanced education are vital as we seek to understand anomalous experiences.

---

Part 2 of Deadly Departed: Evidence for Evil Spirits includes notable transcript highlights.

​References

Chuck Swindoll Jr Video Essay (28 March 2020 - 36 mins): Lucifer and Luciferians: Masters of Deception

​*The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (1942) was written in a satirical, epistolary style as a series of 31 letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, and explores the subtle ways demons attempt to lead humans away from God, using psychological manipulation and spiritual deception.

1. World Council for Health forum: Trauma-based Mind Control and Organized Ritual Abuse - A Healing Exploration.

Further Recommended Viewing

​Redacted Report (13 Feb 2026 - 39 mins) : The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Epstein CONNECTION is Dark and Disturbing

Man in America with Max Lowen (21 Feb 2026 - 24 mins) Is the World Run by a Satanic Cult?

50 Voices of Ritual Abuse (August 23, 2023 - 8 mins) - Max Lowen Testimony

​Almost False (March 25, 2025 - 1 hr 15 mins): Former 33rd Degree Mason Reveals the Darkest Secrets of Freemasonry

Almost False (April 22, 2025 - 1 hr 05 mins) The True Life Story of a Former Satanic Vampire

​Ron Patton: CIA and Project Monarch Full History Report

Haunted McNabs Island

Eerie image of McNabs Island, author’s own photo

McNabs Island, located in the Canadian harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is rife with ghost stories, legends of hidden treasure and hanged men. Settle in for a ghost story that will give you chills. The island boasts” “three abandoned military forts, a cholera quarantine in an old potters field, ruins of old family homes... a family burial plot, a former soda pop factory that ran bootleg booze during prohibition, a shipwreck cove, a beach where English redcoats hung navy deserters during the Napoleonic Wars, a forgotten lighthouse, a former Edwardian fairground, and the remnants of a cultivated Victorian botanical garden.” (Atlas Obscura)

​McNabs Island is believed to be haunted. People have reported hearing strange sounds and someone found a hole with five marker stones near Finlay. The nearby Oak Island is famous for possessing buried treasure, and only the truly foolish would risk life and limb to find it.

The Maugher Beach Lighthouse was built in 1941 near the Sherbrooke Tower site. “The other island lighthouse, McNabs Island Rear Range Lighthouse built in 1903, was replaced by skeleton towers in 1979. The waters surrounding the island became the graveyard for many ships. In 1797, HMS Tribune struck Thrumcap Shoal and sank off Herring Cove with the loss of 228 lives. Over the centuries, numerous ships were scuttled around the island. Wrecks in Ives and Wreck coves are still visible.” (Messy Nessy Chic)

Before European colonization, the local Mi’qmaq people used the island to hunt and fish. In 1794, Colonel Edward Cornwallis resided there and began a long-term military presence that would last for two hundred years. Settlers on the island found life challenging. They grew their own food or had to go to the mainland for provisions. There was no electricity except by battery and no nearby stores or services.

The European settlers brought illness with them. In 1746, France sent a fleet of 3,000 men under the command of Doc D’Anville to ally with the M’iqmaq against the British. Typhus broke out on the ship, killing 1200 men at sea. The Frenchmen were never quarantined. They set up camp and suffered through the typhus illness. The last of the fleet were left to die unburied on the rocky coastline. More settlers came from Europe, bringing infectious diseases such as typhus or smallpox with them, which infected the M’iqmaq.

In 1866, a cholera outbreak spread throughout the island. An English steamship, the SS England, was ordered to lay anchor off the island because the ship’s crew and passengers were infected with cholera. Eight hundred infected people lived on the island in tents, and food was sent to them from the mainland. The crew and the passengers were forced to remain there until the disease had run its course. There is a sad energy where the unfortunate victims of the cholera outbreak are buried, and people report a sense of being watched. (Uncomfortably Dark)

Dr. John Slayter reported that the illness was fast and brutal. The strong would survive, and the weak would perish. Two hundred people were buried in two mass graves on the island. The bodies buried at Little Thrum Cere washed out to sea, but the bodies buried at Hugonin Point remain.

McNabs Island shipwrecks and hapless victims

Shipwrecks also surround McNabs Island. Halifax Harbour is often overcast, foggy and dark. Treacherous shoals and thick fog have caused many maritime disasters. Wreck Cove is believed to have the highest number of shipwrecks in Nova Scotia. The loss of HMS Tribune in 1797 claimed two hundred lives. The ship is now in pieces, with “rusted fittings, skeletal hulls and exposed timbers”, eerie remnants of the ship’s history. People believe that the ghosts of sailors still haunt the area, doomed never to find peace. (Ghostwatch)

Peter McNab settled on the island on December 25, 1782 and his descendants lived on the island until 1935. According to Uncomfortably Dark, Peter McNab was alive and well when the gallows were still present on the island. The sound of the clanging chains that supported the dead bodies of the hapless victims of the gallows often kept him awake at night. The sound annoyed him so badly that he gathered his best mates, and they tore down the corpses and gallows with their bare hands.

McNabs Island played an important role in the defense of Halifax from the 1800s to the Cold War of the 1950s. The first fortification was Sherbrooke Tower, a Martello tower constructed in the early 1800s which was later converted to a lighthouse where Abraham Gesner tested his kerosene invention in 1851. In the 1860s, the British built Fort Ives, followed by Fort McNab in the 1880s, and Hugonin Battery in 1899. The Canadian military built Strawberry Battery, which is not accessible to visitors, during the Second World War.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NS-08551_-_Maugher_Beach_Lighthouse_(50079026768).j

McNab’s Island was significant in terms of its strategic location of the defence of Halifax. During the Napoleonic wars and other wars, the island was garrisoned, ready to guard the harbour. The military presence waned after the Second World War, but the relics of gun emplacements, pillboxes and underground stores remain, bestowing an eerie atmosphere to the island.

Peter McNab’s headless ghost

Peter McNab was a man with a good business sense, but bad luck followed him. He bought an aged fairground with hopes of restoring it and earning a fortune. He hoped to attract attendees, but was unsuccessful. He revived the old merry-go-round and added other games, but it still failed. He erected a soda factory in a barn next to his old house, and in 1908, he brewed flavorful beverages in ceramic bottles. He offered bottles to visitors of the fairgrounds, and threw parties at his dance hall. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm for his fair waned, because he stopped in 1915. In 1919, the bottle storage cottage burned to the ground, thereby ending his ill-fated fairground and soda pop business. Hundreds of glass and ceramic bottles were lost to the flames as the building burned. Bootleggers used the old place to operate a moonshine still during the prohibition in the 1920s. Avid bottle collectors still search for vintage bottles. In Halifax, my mother found a few blue glass bottles when she was digging in her garden. She cleaned them up and has kept them to this day. (Uncomfortably Dark)

It’s believed that Peter McNab’s headless ghost still haunts the island searching for something. His old soda bottles? One more spectral ride on a merry-go-round? Only time will tell. McNab’s old family home and graveyard are the focal points for these enduring ghost stories.

Fort McNabs https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NS-08551_-_Maugher_Beach_Lighthouse_(50079026768).jpg

More spooky phenomena have been reported on McNabs Island, including apparitions and unexplained sounds. There were accounts of a ghostly horse and carriage rattling down the old paths, and sightings of an unknown man who has never been identified. It’s hard to identify a man when he’s dead. Dead men tell no tales.

McNabs Island books

​If you are curious to learn more about McNabs Island, then the following books may satisfy your curiosity, such as Bluenose Ghosts written by the celebrated folklore author Helen Creighton, or Steve Vernon’s Haunted Harbours: Ghost Stories from Old Nova Scotia. Both books are sure to give you chills. You will read with the light left on all night! Bruce Scott’s book, The Last Farm on McNabs Island, is a portrait of the island’s spooky history, with anecdotes, photographs and maps. Thomas Raddall’s book Hangman’s Beach portrays the history of McNabs Island.

Here is a short quote from the book Hangman’s Beach: “The other Frenchmen tell me it is hell turned inside out – a torture of cold instead of heat. An eternity of short days and long black nights, with snow to the hips, and an air cold enough to freeze a brass monkey’s double-shot. Why France ever owned or fought for this country I shall never know. It is not for Frenchmen, this, unless one could arrive in April and depart by November. For the rest of the year the Devil can have it - he’s an Englishman, of course.”

Today, the island remains mostly uninhabited, unless you include the dead. The Friends of McNabs Island is a volunteer, nonprofit, registered charity based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and established in 1990, dedicated to preserving McNabs Island. The island is protected as parkland, preserving its natural beauty and eerie history, promoted as a nature park and outdoor classroom. They host various events on the island, nature tours and a beach clean-up, which I once participated in. The society publishes brochures, guidebooks, posters and newsletters. They host events such as a Fall Foliage Tour, a Heritage Tour, Nature Tour, an Adventure Tour, and a Coastal Shoreline Tour. You can find their website at: https://mcnabsisland.ca/activities for more information.

Be brave, respect the island and respect the dead. There is more to McNabs Island than meets the eye.

Links to the books mentioned above

The Last Farm on McNabs – Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press

nimbus.ca

Bluenose Ghosts (2nd Edition): Creighton, Helen, Croft, Clary: 9781551097176: Books - Amazon.ca

Bluenose Ghosts (2nd Edition): Creighton, Helen, Croft, Clary: 9781551097176: Books - Amazon.ca

a.co

Haunted Harbours : Vernon, Steve: Amazon.ca: Books

Haunted Harbours : Vernon, Steve: Amazon.ca: Books

a.co

REFERENCES

McNabs Island in Halifax

This Canadian island is a veritable garden of decay with countless abandoned structures dotting the landscape.

www.atlasobscura.com

Tales of a vanished island community - Saltscapes Magazine

Book review: Exploring the lives of the people who lived on a now uninhabited Halifax Harbour island

www.saltscapes.com

Haunted Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Ghosts of McNab's IslandWelcome back to another weird Wednesday! I’m enjoying researching haunted locations across the world and have some really great stories, legends, and lore on the docket for our time together. As it turns out, there are many spooky stories that originate in my little province of Nova Scotia, so I will be intertwining my local legends throughout my posts. Today’s Haunted Location brings us to McNab’s Island in the mouth of the Halifax Harbour. As a teenager, I worked su

www.uncomfortablydark.com

The Fascinating Abandoned Island You've Never Heard of

On a recent trip to Nova Scotia, Canada to investigate the cemetery where many of the victims of the Titanic were buried, a chance conversation in a bar in Halifax, brought up a fascinating island lying abandoned just in the harbour, called McNabs Island. I was told that this island was home to the

www.messynessychic.com

Halifax’s McNabs Island surprises visitors with its beauty, history and stories

If the ghosts on McNabs island could talk theyd tell tales of Hangmans Beach where criminals were left to rot in gibbets. Theyd talk about dying of cholera and lyin…

www.saltwire.com

McNabs Island - Ghostwatch

McNabs Island, situated at the mouth of Halifax Harbour, is a place where the natural beauty of Nova Scotia is inextricably intertwined with layers of

ghostwatch.com

A Renewed Thirst for Mediumship Standards and Development

In all walks of life, there are frauds and fakes. Wherever there is a buck to be made, these individuals will go to great lengths to extort money from innocent people. From mechanics and carpenters to bankers and lawyers. There are personalities within every niche that have no experience or training and knowledge. But they will try to dupe you with their wisdom. The world of psychics and mediums is no exception. The sad thing is, many suffering people looking for a lifeline will fall for their charms. Some would call this willful stupidity and claim it is their own fault for falling for a scam. However, suffering can make you act in ways that you would not normally succumb to. This, of course, can be detrimental to one’s life.

Spirituality or mediumship, and psychic skills are unregulated niches. They are without established standards, and it is unlikely to ever have real regulation. Therefore, it becomes an easy target for dishonest individuals exploiting people's suffering and grief. But in a unique niche that has no legislative control or definitive standards. It is fair game to the unscrupulous who target the suffering and those who grieve.

Just as one can clean up a house and easily mess it up again through free will. One thing is for certain: we won’t stop frauds and fakes from operating in the paranormal arena. It’s rather like banning guns under the constitution; it won’t stop criminals from getting them.

Horrific examples of unscrupulous psychics and mediumship

You only have to browse the internet to learn about unfortunate individuals who have been duped into psychic scams. These individuals lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. A glaring example of psychic fraud is Priscilla Kelly Delmaro. As reported by the New York Times and other media outlets in 2016. She was charged with defrauding a business executive out of $713,975, and allegedly promised to reunite him with a woman he loved even after he learned she had died. Delmaro pleaded guilty to grand larceny and served jail time. Her unfortunate victim was preyed upon because of his grief and desperation. As a result, he continued to feed and be bled by her.

Curse Removal

In another case; a woman in Scotland was taken in by a psychic and lost thousands of pounds when the individual claimed she was under a dangerous curse. She claimed the only way to remove it would be a particular spell that would cost an exorbitant amount of money. Or what about the family who lost money with the promise of having wealth beyond their wildest dreams? Stories like this are far too commonplace, even more so with the rise of the internet’s over-serviced ‘psychic industry.’

Whilst we will never stamp out unscrupulous psychic frauds from exercising their free will to cash in on vulnerable, unaware people. We can help to minimize the chances of being duped and ripped off. Should we decide to seek spiritual support and guidance. This can be achieved through a combination of basic education and learning how to differentiate between genuine, ethical practitioners. Being able to discern inadequately developed practitioners and fraudsters. Improving education and protection. We are then working to raise standards and ethics in mediumship and psychic practices. Thus ensuring that mediumship standards and psychic standards and ethics are raised sufficiently to provide more education and protection.

A psychic does not the medium make

One of the greatest tragedies is when a psychic considers themselves a medium but does not understand the difference between a psychic reading and evidential messages from spirit. Nor do they understand how this can actually cause damage to an individual seeking comfort from losing a loved one. The psychic may believe that information received is coming from a discarnate, and whilst many could argue the point. It is the lack of supporting evidence of the original statement or link that will give it away.

The unscrupulous person posing as a psychic can also cause tremendous damage to the grieving. They are the worst of all because they can tap into a general statement and create a seed of fear in the vulnerable sitter who may be none the wiser. A person with some degree of real psychism within them can hit on some helpful things, but one who knowingly deceives their ‘clients’ and does it just to extract money, is worse than the lowest forms of spirit.

Not all mediums are mediums

Image: Canva

Some individuals consider themselves mediums without adequate knowledge and experience, with only a workshop or two under their belt and perhaps a few hits here and there. Then they go out into the world with a drive to heal people who are suffering from grief, which is a fallacy, in actual fact.

Grief is a necessary part of life that we all experience at some point in our lives, but the only person who can heal you through grief is yourself. In fact, grief is something that must be integrated and accepted. A medium is a conduit for spirit and can help you on your journey for a short time by providing real evidence of loved ones around you. Being able to give a reading is only a small part of the mediumship process, and becoming a medium is not like choosing a bike or new car. It is a lifestyle choice with many challenges along the path.

Professional practices

One of the best ways to protect the public and ensure the integrity of those who take up the path of mediumship, is to develop professional practices and standards that extend far beyond the basic ability to give an accurate reading. It is the whole package, being able to go beyond the limits. Walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. Of vital importance in mediumship is how a message is delivered; a delicate balance between helping and hindering. Moreover, the experience of learning the language of the soul and decoding what spirit is trying to say is a fundamental skill that can’t be learned just from a book, course or video.

There was a time when a development group and circle enabled fledgling mediums to patiently grow from mere seeds under the guidance of experienced, caring mentors, but that seems to have been lost and replaced with an ‘add water and mix’ attitude. Whether it is a drive to gain more money to make a living or some other ambition, such as the trappings of fame, there are now more untrained and undisciplined individuals labeling themselves as mediums who pose a danger to those who grieve. Some of them may not even realize that because they are unaware of traditional development groups and circles.

It is, therefore, important that mediumship standards are raised and we return our focus to development to ensure that we mirror real ambassadors of the spirit and not ambassadors of ourselves. The greatest gift we can give to those who grieve is the knowledge that our loved ones live on in spirit and that death is a mere transition.

ISSMPI - The International Society for Scientific Mediumship and Parapsychological Investigation

The ASSMPI (American Society for Scientific Mediumship and Parapsychological Investigation), now known as the ISSMPI, is a nonprofit organization that developed standards for mediumship practices many years ago. The ISSMPI developed these standards much earlier than other organizations in the US. Many individuals adopted these standards globally, which helped to ensure integrity and care within the practice of mediumship and grief. The organization continues to use and develop these standards today. However, an academic balance between mystical experiences, scientific measurements, and the intersection of lived experience remains absent. This is one new direction the organization will be taking from 2026 onward—bringing more evidence to the mystical experiences and lived experience.

Further Recommended Reading

Are Mediums and Channels Ready For Professionalization? by Craig Weiler

Helen Duncan: The Medium Who Shook a Nation by Jock Brocas

Are All ‘Professional’ Mediums the Real Deal? by Mary-Anne Kennedy

Qualities of the Best Psychic Practitioners - Observations of a Parapsychologist/Psychic Entertainer by Loyd Auerbach

Note: A Renewed Thirst for Mediumship Standards and Development by Jock Brocas was originally published the The Afterlife Magazine which has since merged with the PDN group.