The Exorcist Files - Season 3 Premiere: Case #21-"The Wolf and The Wound"

Episode Date: October 5, 2026

A young woman tries hard to escape a troubled past when she meets the man of her dreams. Thank you to our sponsors for making this show possible!Exodus90.com/exfiles- check out the ultimate in men's spiritual formation. Fr. Pine leads a cohort this fall!Ollie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/exfiles and use code exfiles to get 70% off your first box!Babbel.com/exfiles- learn a new language today and get up to 60% off. Runewood Rosaries- Visit RunewoodRosary.com and use code EXFILES for 10% off your order. Check out the new limited edition Exorcist Files rosary!Want the show ad free? Check out the VaultExorcistFiles.TV- to get some of our anointed merchandise. Executive Produced by SaltandWater.tv, Ryan Bethea and Fr. Carlos Martins. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Okay. Bedtime for Jane. Kelsey? Is someone there? Kelsey? Welcome back to the Exorcist Files. The dramatic Exorcist Files. I'm your co-host, Ryan Bethay. Today we introduce you to a young girl who tragically learned from an early age that the only thing in life that truly didn't matter was her.

As life set in, she would have no option but to fortify her heart against the cruel world she called home. But fortresses are built for war, and for our young Kelsey, a spiritual battle was arriving on her doorstep. A battle for the very fate of her soul. As a reminder, this show is not intended for all audiences. This episode deals with several mature themes and listener discretion is advised. And with that, let's bring on our professional. Professor of Exorcism, who wants to avoid more schism. Father Carlos Martens.

One of the most fundamental teachings of Christianity is that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Each of us is wonderfully and fearfully made and utterly unique. We're not merely bodies, nor are we simply minds inhabiting bodies. we're an inseparable unity of body, mind, and spirit. This beautiful interwoven hole sets us apart from the rest of creation. But that very unity also reveals our vulnerability. One of the great myths of spiritual warfare is the assumption that the enemy can attack only

one part of a person at a time, that a problem must either be physical, psychological, or spiritual. Demons recognize no such boundaries. Their objective is not merely to harm one aspect of a person, but to assault the entire image of God, attacking body, mind, and spirit together whenever they can. In most of my case files, we bring you one patient and one disease, a curse, an occult doorway, an unclean spirit that found a thread

and pulled it until an entire life unravel. But this case is different. One patient, two diseases, two conditions living in the same soul. There's one principle that explains everything that happened in this case. When the wound and the wolf live at the same address, you cannot evict one and leave the other. Drive out the wolf and the open wound will invite him back. He'll the wound while leaving the wolf inside and he will tear every single. stitch apart. Both must be treated together or neither treatment succeeds. When I first met Kelsey,

her life appeared to be coming together. She had a devoted boyfriend, a good job, loyal friends, and a growing hunger for God. From the outside, she looked like someone finally finding solid ground. But beneath the surface lay a wound, old, deep, and load-bearing. It had shaped nearly every aspect of her life and had been there for almost 20 years. Get your things. I thought that I was with you tonight, Dad. You know, you're staying with your mom. Let's go. I set out.

Okay. Here it comes. What in the hell, Ray? It's only 4 o'clock. Look, I got a thing tonight. You need to watch her. Not my problem. She's yours until tomorrow.

Oh, yeah. Which one is it tonight, Jess? That low-life guy from the bowling area or that dip shit. painter you can't keep your eyes off of. You know what? You better save it, Ray. I'm not here tonight, so what am I supposed to do with her? I don't know.

You're the one that wanted to keep her. Not me. Just leave it with one of your trashy neighbors. You know, I'm sure one of her nine kids can watch her. You son of a bitch. I'm out. I'm out. Kelsey, all right, Kelsey, go to Roxanne's.

Can I just stay here? Don't, don't. You start with me. Mom, please. I don't like it there. It's really weird, and they hurt me. Enough! I said enough. Tell Roxanne, I'll come get you

and I get back in the morning, all right. Amidst all the yelling, notice the deafening silence of what wasn't said. Nobody said, I want her. Two adults spent 90 seconds negotiating a Saturday with their shared child, and the entire dispute was about who had to take her.

Then they made her walk down a lane to a woman they barely knew, a stranger with one qualification. She'd probably say yes. And one sentence in that driveway did more damage than all the rest combined. You're the one who wanted to keep her. Children may not be able to do algebra friends, but they can do this kind of math instantly. As Kelsey heard her parents speak,

She added up what she was worth. She got zero. Now the setting. Kelsey grew up in that trailer park as, and I'm going to use a phrase very carefully, quote unquote, trailer trash. It's an ugly phrase, and I use it for exactly one reason. She used it. It's how she referred to herself.

Her schoolmates hung that label on her in second grade before she knew what it meant. And by high school, it wasn't an insult anymore. It was a diagnosis. And she accepted it. That friends is how the enemy works. He takes the cruelest sentence ever said about you and plays it back in your own voice until you cannot tell the accusation from your own identity.

And the key sentence in Kelsey's case was not, you're bad at things. It wasn't even your bad. it was, you shouldn't be here at all. Her sin, the sin for which she spent her whole life atoning, was existing. Her father drifted, then vanished. Her mother worked double shifts and ran through boyfriends, none of whom stayed. Kelsey had long lost touch with both.

There's an old quote from Keanu Reeves' character in parenthood. I'm going to paraphrase this to keep a PG, but essentially he reflects that you need a license to fit. and to drive a car, but that any moron can be a father. Beneath the humor is a painful truth. Psychologists teach that children do not discover their identities in isolation. They discover it relationally. A child looks into the faces, voices, moods, and reactions of the people raising them, and slowly forms an internal answer to the question. Am I enough? Am I wanted? Am I worth coming for? Attachment theory calls the parent a secure base, the person from whom a child explores the world and to whom the child returns when afraid.

When that foundation is secure, the child learns profound truth. I matter. The same can be said of the spiritual walk. If a person internalizes that the creator of the universe loves them unconditionally and wants them and is working for their good, it provides a secure base by which they can go out into the world to make their mark. But tragically, many kids have parents who are rejecting, absent, or emotionally unpredictable. This may be just a continuation of. the cycle. The old adage is true. Hurt people, hurt people. But the child usually doesn't have

the capacity to analyze and say, wow, my parents are wounded. Instead, they oftentimes conclude, I must be the problem. That is what makes childhood rejection so devastating. It does not merely hurt a child's feelings. It can become a lens by which they see the world. And as many of us know, for better for worse, the lessons we learn as kids, they stick with us. Trust me, as a child I was told to speak up constantly. Look what happened. As Kelsey grew up, she began engaging in destructive behaviors. She didn't date. She conducted transactions, mostly in bars with strangers, and she didn't pick men who might treat her badly. She picked men she knew who would. But one day a handsome, charming Christian man entered her life, and it disrupted her whole script. Glenn and Kelsey

paths collided at a place where Kelsey had found refuge and comfort over the years, their local humane society. She worked with dogs and was a gifted trainer on staff. Glenn's sister had decided it was time to get a pet for her daughter, and he had been tasked with finding a suitable animal to adopt. Friends, it's a marvel of God's Providence how he'll station one person in your path, like a roadblock built of grace, stomping you in your tracks. Glenn parked and walked towards the front of the shelter. Outside, staff members were taking the dogs for their daily walks

while others worked with them in a large, fenced-in exercise yard. There, sitting on the ground, was Kelsey. Turned slightly sideways, she hadn't noticed him. She was beautiful. A large Siberian husky stood a few feet away. She called the dog over with a quiet gesture, then sat perfectly still. No coaxing, no commands, just patient silence. The husky hesitated, then slowly crossed the distance and rested its head on her knee.

Watching her, Glenn remarked to himself that she possessed a gentleness and patience few people ever do. He stood there, absorbing the scene for a moment longer, before finally walking toward the entrance. Wow, that is a beautiful husky you're petting. Oh, yeah, that's Bella. She was abandoned by her owner. Can you believe that? Man.

We found her a few weeks ago. She'd be living on her own for a month. Poor thing. I'm so sad. Um, I, random question. Why were you sitting sideways like that? It takes the pressure off of her Oh, okay

Oh, girl Yeah She gets to set the terms I just toss out a few treats And when she's ready, she comes over Gotcha We're building trust Right Bella

You're a good girl, aren't you? So cute So what brings you in? Just browsing You know, my niece's birthday is coming up Family's thinking of adopting Just wanted to take a peek Oh, nice

Well, anything in particular? Just a... dog, that won't fit in a purse. Well, that's nice. Instant chemistry. Kelsey felt it too. She showed Glenn around and the two bonded amid the noisy chaos of the kennel. As she walked Glenn out through the main office, he made his move.

You know, I'd really love to introduce you to my St. Bernard Jojo. I think you two would really hit it off. Oh, is that so? Maybe I could introduce you guys when we have coffee. Are we having coffee? Wow, I thought you would never ask. Smooth, dude. Okay, I gotta hand it to you that.

That was pretty smooth. Yeah, but seriously? She has my eyes. The resemblance is uncanny. You'll see. Okay, well, you tell Jojo I'd be happy to meet. Here's my number. Just let me know if you decide to adopt.

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the Holy League won a decisive victory in the famous Battle of Lepanto. Now, you may not be facing a massive naval fleet in your life, but you might have some other battles you're facing, and they probably need some prayer. If you're in the market for a rosary to do some prayer, then check out Runewood Rosary Co. They're handmade by Catholics in Fargo, North Dakota, and they're made by Catholics with great accents from Fargo, North Dakota. Listen to this. Hey, Ryan. How are you doing? Each rosary is constructed with durable paracord, substantial 10-millimeter beads, and Catholic devotional hardware made to be carried, prayed, and used for years to come. Runewood Rosary Co. makes rosaries for Catholics who want

something beautiful, masculine, durable, and deeply rooted in the traditions of their faith. Visit runwood rosary.com. That's ruinwoodrosery.com and use code X-Files. That's X-Files for 10% off your order. Visit runwoodrosary.com and use code X-Files for 10% off or click the link in the show notes. Friends, what Glenn saw in that kennel was even truer than he knew. Kelsey was gentle with broken creatures because she was one herself. She could love the frightened thing in the kennel with her whole heart. It was the frightened thing in the mirror that she couldn't stand. The coffee outing lasted three hours. They started dating. Weeks went by, and they fell hard and fast. In that time, they discovered a shared love of painting. Kelsey had taken it up during the

chaotic years as a way to bleed off pressure from the wound without naming it. But a collision was coming. because Glenn was serious about his faith in God and Kelsey only knew one script for what a man wants. Hey, beautiful. Okay, so I bought some of your favorite flowers. Oh, thank you. Kelsey, this is incredible. Oh, you think so?

I just finished it, actually. I mean, there's art and then, I mean, this is the best painting I have seen from a painter who still has both ears. Oh, well, It's called the waters beneath. Yeah? Come here.

You see the rapids flow down? Yeah. And then the color gets more opaque. There's a depth in the stillness there. Wow. You are so talented. You really think so? Oh, I know so.

Oh. Well, maybe I need to paint you. You want to pose for me? Oh. I might have to. Whoa, keep the hands up here, miss. Oh, come on. I know you want.

Oh, okay. Kelsey, seriously, seriously, stop. What's your deal? Don't you want me? Okay, of course I want you, Kelsey. Then what's your deal? Are you not attracted to me? Okay, that is definitely not the issue here. Okay, it's just, Kelsey, I am so attracted to you. Okay, I just want to do this right.

You know, I want to honor you. Kelsey looked at Glenn as if he had just confessed to being an extraterrestrial. And I want you to understand why. Because it's not the reason you think it is. It wasn't virtue meeting vice. It was fluency meeting a foreign language. For Kelsey, seduction and sex were the only languages in which anyone had ever communicated to her that she had any value whatsoever.

And what you just heard was the only place she knew. Give a man what he wants before he discovers your dirty little secret. That you're not worth his staying around. Kelsey knew how to get ahead of the abandonment,

how to control the ending. She had seen it 100 times before. But then Glenn turned the game upside down. He refused the transaction and instead offered her a relationship. She had no grammar for it. A man was looking straight at her, wanting her, and declining,

because of something he saw in her. Honor, something she had never once seen in herself. What does that mean? Look, I've been meaning to bring this up. What? Look, I think you're amazing. But my faith isn't just something I do on Sundays. It's like the center of my life.

Like, my Christian faith is the most important thing in my life. And I really, really like you. Okay? But if we're going to keep building a relationship, I need to know you're at least open to that. Oh, okay. I know. I'm sorry to, like, drop this on you.

But, okay. Like what? Do you ever think about God? God? Yeah. Honestly, no. And if you knew the shit show I grew up in, I think it's fair to say that he never thought about me either. All right, look, I'm not saying you have to be a nun, but I care.

And I just want to know there's potential here, you know? That's all. Ask, Glenn. I don't know if church. is my thing. I'm not, I'm not what they probably consider a good girl. Well, neither am I. Look, let's just go to church this Sunday. Let me introduce you to my friend group. We can all hang out. You'll love them. Some of them are even normal. You are not normal. I guess. I guess we can do that. I want this to work too. And if it's that important to you,

I guess I'm game. It was a pivotal moment. No man had ever refused Kelsey and stayed. In all her experience, those two things had never once occurred in the same evening. Something in the foundation of her arithmetic developed its first hairline crack. That Sunday, Glenn brought her to church to meet his friends, and later the group gathered at a ranch owned by one of them. It was one of those fall evenings with a fire pit, beverages, and lots of food. It was a fun, casual environment for her to mingle and meet with people important to Glenn.

As soon as they parked and arrived, Glenn's cousin Jane spotted them. Jane had been very close to Glenn since they were young. Okay, you have nothing to worry about. You're going to love Jane. She's like a sister to me. Also, have I told you that you look absolutely. Incredible tonight. You did, but you can keep saying it.

Oh, here she comes. Oh, is this the famous Kelsey? Wow, you were right. She is way out of your league. Ouch. Jane, this is Kelsey. I'm so glad to finally meet you. I don't know how you've put up with Glenn this long, but...

Well done. Oh, wow. You two are related. Yeah, you can say that. How about I get us some beverages, Kels? How about a beer? Jane? Sparkling water with lemon.

Got it. Oh, I can have water. No, no, no. I wish I could have one. I just have an early morning. You're good. Okay. But now, we must commiserate about how awful Glenn is.

I heard that. The two women headed off instantly and shared stories for over an hour. So where are you from exactly? Around here? Depends what you mean by around and here. Sunset Vista It's a mobile home park off Kilkenny Road On the far east end of town

It's very exclusive There's a waiting list to leave Oh And your family? Disaster Dad left when I was young Mom worked all the time Um

Rotating cast of various losers And then I got out And that is the story Wow I had no idea. No, no. It's okay, really. It's my story, you know.

But I've got a great boyfriend and a new friend and you. You do. Cheers to that. Cheers. Jane and Kelsey became fast friends. The real kind. The kind Kelsey had never managed to keep. What unsettled her in the best possible way was that nobody was performing.

Nobody was trying to recruit her. No one had an agenda. They simply enjoyed. being together. It struck a place in her that she hadn't known was still empty. Since childhood, she'd been starving for one simple thing, a table where no one argued over who had to take her. For the first time in her life, Kelsey found herself surrounded by people who loved her without asking her to earn it. She started going to church with Glenn. At first, it was just for him. but week by week it stopped being about Glenn.

She found herself genuinely curious. Christianity made astonishing claims, and because of what she found in Glenn and his friends, she started wondering whether it all might possibly be true. Their faith certainly made Glenn and his friends different from everyone she'd ever known. Good different. He eventually brought her to a story,

small weekly catechism group led by his pastor, Father Thomas, who was also a friend of mine. It turned out to be exactly what she needed. Kelsey asked question after question, especially the hard ones. If God really loved people, how could he have let her childhood happen? How could a loving God seems so absent when she needed them most? Father Thomas never dismissed her questions. He welcomed them. About eight weeks into the class, he closed the evening a little differently. Instead of praying over everyone, he invited each person to pray aloud, to ask God for one grace for himself and one for someone else. One by one they did.

Finally, it was Kelsey's turn. She had never prayed before in her life. Anyone else? We're going once. Beeler? Bueller? I think Kelsey wants some prayer. Oh.

This is the best part. Okay, you get to ask God to bless your friends, and we get to pray for you. It's literally the best. For what can we pray, Kelsey? Aside from asking God to humble your boyfriend. Ha, ha, ha. Every time. Uh, um, well, sure. Why not?

Um, well, I don't know how this works, but can I pray for work? Like, I really want my animals to find a home. Totally. Of course, we can pray for that. Here it goes. Loving God, I pray our animals all find loving homes. And for me, well, I guess. Loving Father.

Kelsey. Kelsey suddenly began to make loud, choking noises. which soon turned to vomiting. Everywhere. Are you okay? Everyone. Please give her space. Darren, get some towels.

It's okay. Lie down. It's okay. I'm here. Kelsey? Kelsey? For over an hour, Kelsey sat in a room, saturated with God talk and prayer, and didn't so much as Twitch.

The same when she prayed for the animals. But notice this, as soon as she began to pray for herself, boom. The enemy will tolerate a great deal. He may even let someone observe religion from the third row all night long. But what he won't tolerate is someone turning toward God. It began with a single sentence, one request for grace, and the word that triggered the chaos was the word father. By the time she finished vomiting, Kelsey was completely unresponsive.

She stared straight ahead, eyes wide open, without blinking or moving. Kelsey. Come on, Kelsey. Someone calling an ambulance? Kelsey. Kelsey. Lord Jesus, behalf of her daughter, Kelsey, he'll hear her set of free from this affliction. Suddenly, Kelsey began twitching and convulsing, like nervous spasms.

Jesus, we need you. You are. Then, after a few moments, as suddenly as it began, it stopped. One moment, Kelsey was convulsing violently, the next she was perfectly still. The ambulance arrived moments later. Kelsey was alert again. She insisted she felt fine, but the paramedics persuaded her to go to the hospital anyway. Doctors ran every test they could think of.

Neurological exams, blood work. imaging, they found nothing. No seizure disorder, no metabolic imbalance, no epilepsy, no medical explanation. She was discharged the next day with little more than a gas that had been some kind of viral illness. To everyone who saw it, though, the incident remained very unsettling. Our regular listeners know, we always try to offer alternative explanations for what could have happened. Despite the eerie timing of Kelsey's attempt to pray and a subsequent sharing of her dinner with everyone, there are natural conditions that could explain her symptoms and not register anything out of the ordinary at a hospital. Functional neurological disorder, psychogenic non-epileptic

seizures, panic attacks with hyperventilation, trauma-trigger disassociation, vasovagal episodes, and some forms of epilepsy can all cause convulsions, vomiting, altered awareness, screaming, or other physical symptoms. It's also in time. entirely possible that a certain word or experience could trigger an episode in an individual, especially if there is a connection to past trauma. What is interesting is that many of these conditions could also easily yield completely normal hospital findings. CT scans, MRIs, blood work, routine neurological exams, and even standard EEGs may all be unremarkable, particularly in cases of PNES or

functional neurological disorder. It is precisely because of these natural explanations, that the church exercises great restraint before jumping to the conclusion that there is something spiritual happening. So, in short, what happened to Kelsey? It might have Father Martin's raising an eyebrow, but it probably wouldn't have him raising a relic just yet. Because Kelsey lived alone, Glenn and Jane persuaded her to stay at Jane's apartment for a few nights, just to be safe. On the final night, before Kelsey returned home, she was staying in the upstairs bedroom and had gone to bed. Jane was downstairs cleaning the dinner dishes, had turned off the lights,

and was heading towards her room to go to sleep. As she walked to her room, she heard it ever so suddenly. A mocking laughter. The kind two men might share when they make an inappropriate joke. Kelsey was supposed to be alone. Jane walked quietly to the bedroom door

and pressed her ear against it. The laughter continued. Certain that, Two men were inside with Kelsey. Jane knocked once and opened the door. Kelsey? Is someone there? The moment Jane opened the door, the laughter stopped.

Instantly. Kelsey lay asleep in her bed. Her phone rested on the nightstand. It screened black. Nothing was plain. Kelsey? Jane convinced herself the voices must have come from a neighbor. She turned to leave. Then, out of the corner of her eyes, something moved.

A shadow moved across the wall as if someone had walked in front of the lamp, except no one did. Jane felt a chill race to her body. Later, she would describe it with only three words. It felt evil. At around 3.30 that morning, Jane woke for a glass of water. When she returned to bed, She couldn't shake what had happened. So she prayed. Touch Kelsey. Please, God, just take away everything that's wrong with her. Kelsey?

Jane leaped out of bed, ran down the hall, and entered Kelsey's room. Kelsey was sitting upright in bed, perfectly still. Eyes open, unblinking. She didn't react to Jane's voice. And for the briefest instant, Jane was certain she wasn't looking at Kelsey. She saw the face of a disfigured man, but only for an instant. Then it was gone.

I'm here, Kelsey. I'm the worst dream. I was being suffocated by this shadow. Oh, God, no. You're good now. I'm here. I'm here. As our regular listeners know, I'm always trying to improve my brain.

Got to keep these dad jokes coming, right? or renewing my mind, as the scripture says. And one surprisingly powerful way to help with that, I found out, is regularly learning and using another language. Did you know that learning a new language can strengthen attention and cognitive control, improve aspects of working memory and exercise, cognitive flexibility? That's the ability to switch between tasks, rules, and competing information. Language learning also produces measurable changes in brain function and connectivity, making it a genuine form of neuroplastic training. kind of cool, right? Look, if that interests you and you're saying, moibian, even though you don't actually speak Spanish,

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million subscriptions and carries a 14-day money-back guarantee. So start learning a new language today with Babel. Right now, listeners can save up to 60% off at babble.com slash X-Files. That's B-A-B-B-B-B-E-L.com slash X-Files for up to 60% off. Like most things in life, rules and restrictions may apply. My friends, Father Martins here. Today's episode is brought to you by Exodus 90, a Catholic Brotherhood built on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity to help men find true freedom from worldly distraction. In the Old Testament, God delivered Israel from Egypt through 10 plagues, a divine combat defeating demonic powers in what was essentially a massive exorcism.

The pillars of Exodus 90 use those same ancient spiritual warfare weapons, prayer to depend on God, asceticism to break bad habits and attachments, and fraternity so you never fight alone. Men, we may not be under Pharaoh, but we face modern bondages like endless distraction, lust, and excessive comfort and pride. You were created for more. Exodus 90 gives you concrete daily disciplines to break free and reclaim your life in Christ. Download the Exodus 90 app today. You can join up for a single challenge or subscribe for daily formation each day of the year.

Exodus 90 starts in January, and there's no better way to start the new year. But right now, the Exodus Brotherhood is observing October, the traditional month of the most holy rosary, guided by the wonderful Dominican priest, Father Gregory Pine. Download Exodus 90 or visit Exodus 90.com slash X-Files. to learn more, or click the link in the show notes. Jane had no category for what she'd witnessed. Kelsey assumed it had been nothing more than a night terror. Jane wasn't so sure. At Jane's and Glenn's urging, Kelsey agreed to meet with Father Thomas to get prayer and a blessing.

Hey, Father, thank you for seeing us. Of course. Kelsey, it's nice to see you again. Are you feeling better? It's quite than that you had. Yeah, I am. But... Some more stuff has happened, Father.

What's going on, Kelsen? Yeah. Well, I've been having these weird dreams. Mm-hmm. And, well, Jane, Glenn's cousin, she said I had some weird things happening to me. I've been doing some strange things in my sleep. Father, I think something is seriously wrong. Well, before we start, whatever it is, I think the first step is we need to pray.

Yeah, okay. That's God what to do. Would that be okay, Kelsey? Sure. It's going to be okay. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, you know Kelsey completely. please surround her with your peace give her whatever healing she needs

grant us wisdom and lead us in the way of truth Kelsey What's wrong Oh baby Jesus please As Father Thomas continued praying Kelsey's face flushed deep red

She began coughing violently Struggling for breath Within seconds She slid from her chair to the floor, writhing, as if every muscle in her body had seized. The more Father Thomas prayed, the more violent her reaction became. Kelsey, Father, what's going on? Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy. St. Michael, pray for us. Thank you. Say Michael. Glenn, we're stopping. Okay. A few minutes after the prayers ended,

Kelsey slowly regained her bearings. She looked exhausted and completely confused. Kelsey, take your time. Glenn? Did you please get her some water? Yeah, yeah, of course. Father Thomas said very little after that, but he had seen enough to know that Kelsey needed more than just a simple blessing.

Hey, Carlos, I'm well, thank you. I've got a young woman who I need to refer you to and, well, she manifests every time someone prays. Father Thomas and I spoke for several minutes and I could hear the concern in his voice. His referral carried weight with me. Still, concern isn't a diagnosis. Before I agreed to meet with Kelsey, I insisted she undergo another complete medical evaluation, including blood work, and that she'd be examined by a psychiatrist with whom I regularly work. This is one of the church's greatest safeguards. We never begin with the assumption

that someone is afflicted by evil spirits, but that disturbing symptoms are rooted in natural causes. Convulsions, altered behavior, memory lapses, and even violent reactions usually have entirely natural explanations. Medicine and psychology must be given every opportunity to explain ordinary phenomena before the church considers an extraordinary spiritual cause. Kelsey agreed. The physicians found nothing.

The psychiatrist could also find nothing that could account for what Father Thomas, Glenn, and Jane had witnessed. Only then did I agree to meet Kelsey for an initial discernment session. What happened that morning convinced me we needed to proceed with exorcism. Hey Kelsey, so before we begin today, I just want you to understand something. Nothing that happens in this room today changes how God sees you. Nothing you've done, nothing that's been done to you. He has loved you from the beginning and he loves you.

you now. Can we just start? Yes, of course. Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for her. St. Michael, the Archangel. Pray for her. I command you, unclean spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ. Tell me your name. The demon wasn't silent because he was absent. It took two men to hold Kelsey's arms. Her mouth opened her head tip back, and she laughed. But no sound came out, just breathy laughter. When demons speak during an exorcism, it's almost always because they want to preach. They lie, they accuse, they deepen despair. This one didn't need to.

His sermon had already been preached. You're worthless, you're unwanted, no one will ever love you. For nearly 20 years, Kelsey had been saying those. words to herself in her own voice. The demon had nothing to add. He was well fed. Nearly two hours passed. There was no breakthrough, no revelation, no dramatic confrontation.

Finally, we brought the session to a close. I commanded the spirit to withdraw and permit Kelsey to return to herself. For several long moments, nothing happened. Then her breathing slowed. The tension left her body, her face softened, and she blinked several times as though she were waking from a deep sleep. She looked around the room, confused. So, Kelsey, before we finish today, I just want to try something, okay? So look at me, you're doing so well.

Okay, so just repeat after me. My parents' rejection of me was not my fault. My parents' rejection of me. Hey, Kelsey, it's okay. You're safe. Take your time. You can say it. You don't understand.

I can't say it because it isn't true. The room fell silent. There was no screaming, no violent manifesting. and no dramatic display. But every experienced exorcist knows there are moments when the true battle suddenly comes into focus. This was one of them. The wolf had revealed himself,

but the wound remained open. Kelsey wasn't being stopped by the demon. She was being stopped by something she had believed about herself for nearly 20 years. Three words, not my fault. She couldn't say them because to her they were a lie. That was the moment I realized what we were really facing.

Kelsey didn't simply have a demonic affliction. She also carried a wound so deep that it had become part of the way she understood herself. The demon had built his house around a wound and had spent years reinforcing its lies. This was exactly what I had warned you about at the beginning of this episode. When the wound and the wolf live at the same address, you cannot evict one and leave the other.

Drive out the wolf and the open wound invites him back. Heal the wound while leaving the wolf in place and he keeps tearing it open. Both have to be treated together or neither treatment succeeds. We ended the session, Kelsey. was calm, exhausted, and grateful. She even thanked each member of the team before leaving. We scheduled another session for a few days later, and then two a week for the next eight weeks. What happened in each session was exactly what occurred in the first.

The demon showed himself and simply gloated with a quiet laugh. One evening, when they didn't have plans, Glenn decided to surprise Kelsey by dropping by her apartment with a bouquet of flowers. When Glenn was just a few feet away from her door, it opened, and out walked a man doing up his belt. Behind him sat Kelsey at her kitchen table, icing her wrist. Guess it's your turn now, huh? Don't worry. That wasn't too rough on her.

What? Who the hell are you? A sinking feeling filled his stomach, as he stepped into the apartment. Kelsey was sitting at her kitchen table, tending to her injured wrist. All he could do was stare at her. What are you doing here?

Kelsey, are you hurt? What did he do, he did? It's not what you think. What do you mean? It's not what I think. Look at those bruises. Gwen, listen to me. I wasn't attacked.

Yes, you were. All right. You know what? I'm calling the police. I wasn't attacked. What? Please. Just go. Kelsey?

I'm not right for you. A normal girl. Wait a minute. You know what? No. I need you. And you know what? Whatever this is? I don't care.

I am not leaving you. I am not like the others. I am the man who's... stays, Kelsey. Kelsey? Glenn didn't condemn her. He didn't ask her why this happened. He simply loved her.

But in that moment, Glenn discovered that Kelsey's dark past was actually the present. He was devastated and heartbroken, but decided to stay. They talked for hours. By the time Glenn left, they had agreed to keep fighting, at least for Kelsey. Chelsea's freedom. She promised she would continue the exorcism sessions. But she never came back. On the evening of her next appointment, Glenn went to pick her up, taped to her apartment

was a single handwritten note. Glenn, you were the best thing that shouldn't have happened to me. She was gone. Not just from Glenn's life, but from all of ours. She stopped answering her phone. she quit her job at the Humane Society without notice. She disappeared from the church. Jane never heard from her again.

The woman who would patiently sit on the floor of a kennel for as long as it took a frightened dog to decide it was safe had vanished without saying goodbye. To anyone. This was the last time any of us ever saw Kelsey. There was no happy ending, no deliverance from evil. She walked away from every hand reaching for her because every one of them was reaching for the wound.

And the wound was the only thing she believed was really hers. A few months later, one of Glenn's friends was having a beer at a dive bar. Across the room, he noticed Kelsey sitting alone with a drink. She didn't recognize him, and he wasn't sure whether to approach her or not. But before he could decide, another man walked to. over and sat beside her. Hi. Yeah, I'm sorry. I'd be mad if I didn't come introduce myself. Is this seat taken? Mind if I buy you a drink?

You seem sweet. You look like the kind of guy that would actually call me tomorrow. Is that a bad thing? Tonight, it is. Okay. Put off by his compliments, she got up, walked to the other side of the bar, and sat next a guy who'd benign her. Well, look what walked over. Fair morning, sweetie.

I don't buy drinks. I don't dance, and I sure as hell ain't cooking your breakfast. Good. And buy my own drinks. I don't dance. And I hate breakfast. You always this easy? That depends on who's asking.

You got a truck? Yeah, I got a truck. And the seats go all the way down. Oh, that's all I need. You know, I'm not taking you with me. them. I wasn't planning on staying. Lead the way, princess. Let's go. Did you notice

who she rejected and who she chose? The first man had some measure of respect for her. The second made it clear he'd treat her like an object. She walked away from one and followed the other. People often

mistake this for low self-esteem. It isn't. This is shame. Shame doesn't merely convince a person that she's done bad things. It convinces her that she is something bad. Once that lie takes root, kindness begins to feel suspicious. Respect feels undeserved. Love becomes frightening. Punishment, on the other hand, feels familiar. Kelsey wasn't prey that night. She was the hunter, and the game was punishment, and she was the one punished.

She was looking for confirmation. Every degrading encounter reinforced the story she had already believed about herself. So let me leave you with two things. I mentioned the wound and the wolf. Kelsey would have gladly handed us the wolf. It was the wound she couldn't surrender. After nearly 20 years, she knew.

no longer knew where the wound ended and where she began. Our Lord is the wound healer. He can heal the wounds that hell has spent decades growing. But he does not force himself upon us. Love never does. As long as we cling to the lies that define us, he patiently waits for permission to heal them. The second thing is that this story is not over.

I don't know where Kelsey is today, but I know who is still looking for her. Glenn still prays for her. His pastor still prays for her. His friends still pray for her. Her exorcist still prays for her. And so does the good shepherd. Do you remember the first time Glenn saw Kelsey? She was sitting on the ground beside a frightened husky,

quietly waiting for it to decide whether it was safe enough to come close. Kelsey never chased it. She never forced it. She simply waited. Though she may not know it, I suspect Kelsey received that patience from someone else. Because God has been sitting on the floor of her kennel all along. Not reaching, not grabbing, not rushing. Simply waiting for the frightened creature he loves to discover that at long last, it's safe enough to come home. With a case like this, I know many will wonder, why did we choose to include something that sounds more like a voyage of the tragic school bus than our usual redemptive fare? Father Martin shared early on that almost half of the people he sees for exorcism ultimately

choose not to get help. They choose to remain in their current state. It's an astounding statistic. Nevertheless, it is the experience of almost every exorcist we've had on the show. As I wrestled through the considerations of this case, it raised again the profound question of why God permitted this. I know about free will. I know Kelsey's parents had their own issues, but it has to be said what happened to Kelsey was wrong. It was not Kelsey's fault. She didn't ask to be born into such an awful situation. It wasn't her fault that as a vulnerable child instead of love, she was shown neglect and taught that the world is an unloving and unsaved place. And yet, her story is still unfolding. I don't know how it ends, but what we do know is if the scripture is true,

if God is pursuing us, then there is hope. There is always hope. We don't know how it'll work out, but we can trust that God does work all things for the good. And that's a promise we can take to the spiritual bank. You've been listening to The Exorcist Files. To keep in touch with us and get some of our new anointed merchandise, you can visit our website at Exorcistfiles.tv. You can also email us that absurd and overly specific criticism, which we do look forward to getting, at Exorcist Files at gmail.com.

All cases are recounted by Father Carlos Martins from his personal archives. Today, our lovely cast includes Cassandra Figueroa as Kelsey, Brandon Collins as Glenn, Lauren Duncan is Jane, Paul Leach as Father Martins, Theo Rosenfeld as Father Thomas, Alexis Moller as the mom, Kevin Dean Anthony as the dad, and some random guy voices provided by Ethan Moldhill and Horacio Abra. All of our post-production, recording, editing, sound design, and mixing was handled by Dan Blesinger, Ethan Mulvill, and Jackson Pack of DB Mix Productions. This case was written by Ryan Bithet and Father Carlos Martins and Ryan Bitha. We also want to give a huge shout-out to Exodus 90 for their support in making Season 3 possible. Check out Exodus 90 today. Stay demon-free, y'all.