Remote Depossession by Irene Hickman, D.O.

Reviewed by Russell Davis, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 13, 1995

 

Although the concept of entity attachment/releasement per se is by no means universally accepted by all past-life therapists, it is becoming a topic of growing interest. Increasingly, when working with clients, past-life therapists are exploring the possibility that a person may be a host to one or more entities that have taken up residence in his or her body. As this concept gathers credibility among therapists, there is a growing desire on the part of therapists to be trained in the techniques appropriate to discovering the existence of entity attachments and releasing them.

This book is Dr. Hickman’s latest publication, and it is sure to stir up controversy, even among those past-life therapists who may already be practicing (or considering practicing) entity releasement. What is so controversial about Dr. Hickman’s proposal as outlined in this book is that releasement, which she terms “dispossession,” may be accomplished without having to work directly with the person in whose body the entity(ies) resides. (This is a concept similar to that of Ireland-Frey (Journal, VIII, 1994) in which Dr. Ireland-Frey describes one case in which she worked with an absent client through a channeller.)

Certainly no stranger to innovation and controversy, Dr. Hickman presents the reader with a synopsis of the concepts she feels support her theories about remote entity releasement (Ed. note: “spirit depossession” and “entity releasement” are two terms that refer to the same process. The Journal prefers the use of the latter although we defer to author’s preferences.) She does so directly, citing examples, and providing clear and detailed information about her techniques and procedures. Chapters are devoted to defining the concept, identifying the requirements necessary to perform a remote depossession, the characteristics of a person that might indicate that s/he might have one or more attachments, a series of case studies, and how Dr. Hickman became involved with the process. One chapter is devoted entirely to questions and answers. In the Introduction, she states, “The material in this present book comprises a new approach to human problems that has proved to be effective when other methods of treatment have failed. It presumes that we each consist of an immortal soul-spirit dwelling in a physical body.”

While this book has many “quotable” passages, near the end she writes, “…we must continue to be aware that some problems are precipitated by the presence of attached entities, whether Earth-bound or “dark.” We can only be the complete hypnotherapist by also developing knowledge and skills required to deal with entities, releasing them, and sending them to the proper place. It is essential also to realize that attached entities may not be the only contributing factor to a person’s illness or problems.”

Even if one does not accept some of the premises upon which this book is based as being unequivocally valid, it is definitely worth reading. To Dr. Hickman’s credit, the book is brief and to the point and covers a great deal of information. At a mere 87 pages, it is not a large book, nor is it intended as a “quick course” in remote depossession. But it gives the reader much valuable information and provides useful examples of how she uses her techniques, which will probably meet the needs of most readers. It also includes a bibliography of additional sources for the interested reader. This reviewer was also struck by the appropriateness of a brief essay included as Appendix B and entitled “What is a Human Being?”