A real-life exorcist has issued a chilling warning about possession, saying it rarely begins with dramatic outbursts and instead creeps in quietly, with subtle changes that most people would never suspect until it’s too late.
Ian Lawman, a British exorcist and psychic medium, shared his views during a wide-ranging interview with LADbible, where he discussed his work dealing with what he describes as negative entities, demonic activity, and spiritual attachment.
The ordained exorcist, who has spent years working in paranormal investigation and spiritual cleansing, said possession is rarely sudden or dramatic, despite how it is often portrayed in films.
Speaking at the beginning of the interview, Lawman explained that while there are rare cases where possession appears to happen abruptly, most situations unfold slowly over time.
“If someone is possessed with an entity, it’s very, very slow,” he said. “There is a situation where it’s bang, it’s like a car crash and it’s in there. But for the majority of people, it’s very slow,” the Help My House is Haunted! star explained.
‘Wanting to isolate you’
According to Lawman, the earliest signs can be subtle emotional and behavioral changes rather than extreme physical reactions. He described a typical scenario beginning with shifts in mood and personality, particularly in people who were previously happy or emotionally stable.
“If you’re a really happy person, the first thing that would happen is that you’d feel a little bit low, you’d feel depressed, you’d where like you didn’t want to eat anymore,” he explained.
He said those changes often extend to relationships, gradually affecting how a person interacts with the people closest to them.
“Your friends would start to aggravate you, and you’d start to push your family and loved ones away,” Lawman added.
In his view, this isolation is not accidental but central to how possession develops. “The whole idea is that this entity is wanting to isolate you,” he said.
Emotional impact
Lawman, known as the Yorkshire Exorcist, stressed that this process can take a long time and may go unnoticed for months or even years.
“It could be over months, over years, and it feeds off you,” he explained.
He also acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, saying that in some cases the emotional impact has been so severe that people have “tragically even died by suicide as a result.”
‘Trying to fit in’
Beyond emotional changes, the Yorkshire Exorcist also spoke about what he believes are physical and perceptual clues that suggest something is wrong.
He claimed that entities he identifies as demons are not always separate from everyday life but instead attempt to blend into it.
“People don’t understand that there’s demons amongst us even now, and demons wear clothes like we wear clothes and that is because they’re trying to fit in,” he said.
According to Lawman, these entities deliberately attempt to appear ordinary in order to avoid detection. “They’re trying to be one of us and they’re very good at disguising themselves,” he added.
However, he said there is one physical detail that often gives them away. “When I meet somebody…and I think there’s something strange about them, it’s all about their eyes,” Lawman explained. He claimed that eye contact can reveal discomfort or unease when someone is carrying what he believes to be a negative entity.
The spiritualist also said that his own presence can provoke a reaction. “Because I’m ordained, [demons] will look very uncomfortable with me and want to back off,” he stated during the interview.
Creates emotional vulnerability
Throughout the discussion, Lawman repeatedly emphasized that possession, as he understands it, is rarely theatrical or immediately obvious. Instead, he believes it begins quietly, feeding on emotional vulnerability and gradually creating distance between individuals and their support systems. His account stands in contrast to common portrayals of possession as sudden, violent, or visually extreme.
While his views are not supported by medical or scientific consensus, they have attracted attention for their departure from traditional horror narratives and for focusing on mental and emotional warning signs rather than physical spectacle.
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