Now that we've heard the shocking details of Ronnie Hunkeler's
exorcism, we're once again left to wonder at what point does a
logical, scientific explanation become inadequate in accounting
for all the extreme events that occurred? Looking
objectively at Ronnie's behavior before, during, and after the
exorcisms, those who favor a psychiatric or medical diagnosis
could explain them as the result of an ailment like
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dissociative identity disorder, or
perhaps Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis along with
comorbidities. For those who believe in supernatural
possibilities, then a spiritual force of possession could explain
the incredible actions, or maybe one in conjunction with a
medical condition; for them, the two are not mutually
exclusive. Yet mental illness or a brain abnormality only
goes so far in explaining Ronnie's lifetime of conduct.
While he may have had a difficult childhood with an overbearing
mother and grandmother, there are no indications that he suffered
any ongoing abuse severe enough to bring about PTSD that is often
the gateway to the mental illnesses mentioned above. After
Ronnie's time with the priests and the rites, it seems he went on
to lead a disorder-free life with a successful career. Our
current understanding of psychology states that these conditions
don't go away on their own and are only manageable by the patient
through ongoing behavioral therapy and medication. And if
the eye-witness testimony is correct, then psychological
diagnoses can't begin to account for the poltergeist activity
experienced leading up to and during the exorcisms. In the
end, whatever horrors that terrorized Ronnie and those around him
in 1949 seemed to leave him once and for all, but they may not
have left every place he experienced them. In our final
chapter on this series, we'll hear from our friend, popular St.
Louis radio talk show host Dave Glover. In 2008, Dave and
his crew staged a contest for one of their Halloween
Specials. Three listeners won the chance to see if they
could sit alone for an hour in the bedroom where Ronnie's
exorcism began, in the former home of Ronnie's aunt and uncle,
Doris and Leonard Hunkeler, on Roanoke Drive in Bel Nor,
Missouri. None of them made it past a few minutes.
Whether from overactive imaginations or a lingering presence of
evil, either explanation for the primal fear and torment one
feels matters as little to the person at that moment as it does
to the Devil himself. Neither he nor your senses care what
you believe.
Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.
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