Like “Groundhog Day”—but with hiccups

March 22, 2019

Dear Lucy: I am an 18-year-old female who has a history of asthma. So — and this may sound crazy —I have had this super weird case of the hiccups for the past seven months or so, and they don’t go away. Every day since about September, I have hiccupped more than once; and even before then, I still got hiccups, just not as frequently. Sometimes, I seem to hiccup every hour at the same time or, just about every five minutes, like a clock. I did some online research to see what this may mean, but pretty much all my search results ended with alcohol addiction or cancer. I don’t drink, and I kind of doubt I have cancer. Do you have any ideas about what it might be? —Déjà vu All Over Again

Dear Déjà: Lucy commends you for calmly seeking an answer and not allowing your online search results to induce panic. But she can certainly appreciate how annoying this problem must be and would like to help you find an answer. To that end, she brought your question to MIT Medical gastroenterologist Richard Gardner.

“Hiccups are inappropriate, uncontrollable spasms or contractions of the muscular diaphragm separating the lung cavity and the abdominal cavity,” Gardner explains. But, while he notes that asthma has been associated with increased frequency of hiccups, he would consider your daily hiccups to be cause for some concern. “When hiccups are present daily for more than one month, they are referred to as ‘intractable,’” he says, “and one should be seen by a physician for evaluation and possible treatment.”

As you undoubtedly discovered through your web searches, many different ailments may cause intractable hiccups. According to Gardner, these include conditions that result in irritation or stimulation of the vagus nerve, which innervates the upper GI tract, and phrenic nerve, which innervates the diaphragm. “Anything that creates pressure on the diaphragm can also result in hiccups,” he notes. Hiccups may be caused by conditions ranging from acid reflux or lung inflammations to chronic kidney failure (uremia), low blood electrolytes, or low blood carbon dioxide (alkalosis).

Additionally, Gardner tells Lucy that a colleague once mentioned that the presence of a foreign body in the ear canal, such as hair or other debris, might sometimes be associated with intractable hiccups. For that reason, he recommends an otoscopic exam of the ear canals if no other cause is found.

There are a variety of treatments for hiccups. Depending on the likely cause, a clinician might tell you to breathe into a bag (which increases carbon dioxide in the blood), hold your breath entirely, perform the Valsalva maneuver (which involves trying to exhale as if blowing up a balloon while closing your mouth and pinching your nose shut), sip or gargle cold water, or lean forward to decrease pressure on the diaphragm. You might also be prescribed certain medications, such as gabapentin, baclofen, or metoclopramide.

But the first step to getting rid of those annoying hiccups for good is to find out what’s causing them in the first place. And to do that, both Gardner and Lucy recommend making an appointment with your primary care provider (PCP) straightaway. It might take more than one visit or clinician or test to get to the bottom of things, but after seven months of daily hiccups, it’s way past time to start looking for some answers. —Lucy

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Information contained in Ask Lucy is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended as professional medical advice related to individual situations.
Always obtain the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if you need medical diagnosis, advice, or treatment. Never disregard medical advice you have received, nor delay getting such advice, because of something you read in this column.

How to Get Rid of Hiccups: Causes and Treatment

Jump to:

• What causes hiccups?
• How can you get rid of hiccups?
• When should you see a doctor about hiccups?

Everybody gets hiccups once in a while, and everyone has their own tried and tested ways of how to get rid of hiccups. From jump scares to handstands, people have found many inventive ways that they claim cure their occasional bout of hiccups, but most of us are just looking for something simple and effective we can do to suppress the involuntary jerks.

But before you attempt to treat your hiccups, you should know where they come from! “Hiccups are involuntary spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm and muscles of the rib cage which result in an immediate deep breath and sudden closing of the vocal cords causing the characteristic sound of a hiccup,” says Mark Tanchel, M.D., board-certified gastroenterologist at Gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey. Hiccups are believed to result from activation of a nerve pathway called a reflex arc, he adds.

Although there’s no medical cure for your random burst of hiccups, there are a few popular remedies that doctors suggest that may do the trick. Read on to learn what causes hiccups, how to get rid of them, and when your hiccups are reason enough to get checked out.

What causes hiccups?

Hiccups have been troubling people forever, says Niket Sonpal, M.D., gastroenterologist at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Essentially, when the stomach gets too full too quickly, it puts pressure on the diaphragm and that’s what leads to hiccups…the muscle between your belly and your chest contracts and it forces air and you make that ‘hic’ sound because of it.”

Fortunately, hiccups are usually short-lived and do not represent a serious problem, says Dr. Tanchel, and there are many reasons why you might be experiencing hiccups at any given time.

According to Dr. Sonpal and Dr. Tanchel, here are some of the most common reasons why your hiccups could be happening:

• Eating too much
• Eating too fast
• Drinking alcohol
• Drinking carbonated beverages
• Swallowing too much air when chewing gum

In accordance with the list above, Dr. Sonpal says that the “most common cause of your hiccups is acid reflux or gastric distention.” However, in rare cases, your hiccups could be cause for more concern.

Persistent hiccups lasting more than two days could result from a nervous system cause, or diseases of the chest or gastrointestinal tract, says Dr. Tanchel. “Medications and other drugs, illnesses like kidney disease, and even psychological causes of extreme emotion can also result in prolonged hiccups.”

Hiccups which last more than a month are considered “intractable” and can interfere with eating and drinking, speaking and sleep, adds Dr. Tanchel. “This can cause severe emotional stress.”

Causes involving the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, are less common, explains Dr. Sonpal. “Aneurysms that may be putting pressure on certain areas of the body could also lead to hiccups in rare cases.”

How can you get rid of hiccups?

Everybody has their own way to get rid of hiccups, says Dr. Sonpal. And while there are a variety of remedies for hiccups, none have been scientifically proven, says Dr. Tanchel.

Here are some popular remedies that Dr. Sonpal and Dr. Tanchel say might do the trick:

• Holding your breath (for 5-10 seconds)
• Bearing down (for 5-10 seconds)
• Gargling with cold water
• Swallowing air
• Pulling on the tongue
• Pulling the knees up to the chest for up to a minute in a seated position
• Pressing firmly on closed eyeballs
• Biting into a lemon
• Spoonful of sugar

These maneuvers are all ways you can try to release the pressure, says Dr. Sonpal. However, he notes that these methods are only recommended for people who have hiccups for less than 48 hours.

When should you see a doctor about hiccups?

If you’ve tried all the routine things and you don’t know why you are still having hiccups, go get evaluated, says Dr. Sonpal. “Everyone gets hiccups once in a while, but if you’re getting them regularly after meals and it’s in conjunction with gastric reflux disease or lasting more than 48 hours, then you should be evaluated.”

Dr. Tanchel agrees that you should see a doctor if you have hiccups lasting more than 48 hours. “There are a variety of diagnostic tests which may be performed to try to identify an underlying cause to which treatment may be directed,” he says. “Specific prescription medications are also used to treat the hiccups themselves. Some patients have also benefited from acupuncture or hypnosis.”

Everyones a little bit different, says Dr. Sonpal, but you should pay attention to when your hiccups are happening and if they’re affecting your activities of daily living, and go from there.

Related Stories

• Dax Shepard Revealed He Had Hiccups for 50 Hours
• 10 Signs of Acid Reflux Everyone Should Know

Madeleine Haase

Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms. 

How to stop hiccups: everything will pass in 30 seconds | 06/24/2023

https://novostivl.ru/news/20230624/376459/

How to stop hiccups: everything will pass in 30 seconds

How to stop hiccups: everything will pass in 30 seconds | 06/24/2023 | NVL

How to stop hiccups: everything will pass in 30 seconds

June 24 – NVL. Find out an effective life hack that will help you quickly deal with a hiccup attack. A simple exercise of plugging your fingers into your ears will provide relief and relieve you of discomfort

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20230624T1528

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June 24 – NVL. Find out an effective life hack that will help you quickly deal with a hiccup attack. A simple exercise of plugging your fingers into your ears will provide relief and relieve you of discomfort.
The sudden onset of hiccups often leads to inconvenience and discomfort in people. Not only do people around you pay attention to this with a smile, but the very feeling of hiccups can be unpleasant. In such situations, the manifestation of this reflex spasm can interfere with normal work, communication, and even eating.
However, there is a simple and effective life hack that helps to cope with a hiccup attack. Perhaps this is the easiest way, but many people do not know about it. It consists of putting your fingers in your ears and holding this posture for thirty seconds. After half a minute, the spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm usually stops and relief is felt.
This simple but effective technique is not new and has already helped many cope with hiccups. Blogger Konstantin Nechetov actively promotes this method on his YouTube channel and recommends it to anyone who is faced with the problem of uninvited hiccups. By simply plugging their ears with their fingers for as little as thirty seconds, people can avoid prolonged suffering from hiccups.
Such a simple life hack is worth remembering in order to quickly and effectively get rid of an unpleasant condition in the future. Instead of suffering hours of annoying hiccups, you can use this proven method that gives you quick results. By plugging their ears with their fingers and holding this position for only half a minute, people can return to their daily activities without undue discomfort or interruption.

Russia

NVL

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Alexandra Svyatkevich

Alexandra Svyatkevich

news 02
Health

15:28 06/24/2023

How to stop hiccups, everything will pass in 30 seconds

Photo source: Editorial photo

June 24 – NVL. Find out an effective life hack that will help you quickly deal with a hiccup attack. A simple exercise of plugging your fingers into your ears will provide relief and relieve you of discomfort.

The sudden onset of hiccups often leads to inconvenience and discomfort in people. Not only do people around you pay attention to this with a smile, but the very feeling of hiccups can be unpleasant. In such situations, the manifestation of this reflex spasm can interfere with normal work, communication, and even eating.

Photo source: Editorial photo

However, there is a simple and effective life hack that helps to cope with a hiccup attack. Perhaps this is the easiest way, but many people do not know about it. It consists of putting your fingers in your ears and holding this posture for thirty seconds. After half a minute, the spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm usually stops and relief is felt.

This simple but effective technique is not new and has already helped many people cope with hiccups. Blogger Konstantin Nechetov actively promotes this method on his YouTube channel and recommends it to anyone who is faced with the problem of uninvited hiccups. By simply plugging their ears with their fingers for as little as thirty seconds, people can avoid prolonged suffering from hiccups.

Photo source: Editorial photo

Such a simple life hack is worth remembering in order to quickly and effectively get rid of an unpleasant state in the future. Instead of suffering hours of annoying hiccups, you can use this proven method that gives you quick results. By plugging their ears with their fingers and holding this position for only half a minute, people can return to their daily activities without undue discomfort or interruption.

Writes for you: Alexandra Svyatkevich

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Three Scary Ghost Stories • Arzamas

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• History
• Art
• Literature
• Anthropology

I’m lucky!

November 13, 2020 History, Anthropology

What to do if a spirit enters you and starts swearing? How not to fall under the spell of the ghosts of suicide girls from the Buryat village of Ulei? And is it possible to talk to genies? On the occasion of Halloween, together with the Bookmate platform, we asked anthropologists to tell the most terrible stories from their practice, and now we are publishing three of them in the Journal. All episodes can be listened to in the Radio Arzamas application

Recorded by Kira Tulchinskaya

18+

m Ural village, where mostly Old Believers live , then the very first grandmother, to whom I came to interview, said that an unclean spirit was sitting in her, which is called hiccups, or a mistake. She immediately demonstrated: this voice spoke in her. Very similar to my grandmother’s voice, but it seemed to come from inside the chest. At the same time, she spoke not usually, but on the inhale, as if drawing in the words. This caused her physical difficulties. She said that she had pain in the area of ​​the solar plexus. The voice was so rude: “Well, that’s what you want to know everything! I won’t say anything more!” And he cursed with his mother. Although the grandmother herself was already over ninety years old, she was pious, a participant in a prayer meeting – the so-called Old Believer Cathedral. She went to pray and, in theory, could not swear at all. But the hiccups in her spoke abusive words.

It was, of course, creepy, because I have never encountered anything like it, when some strange voice suddenly speaks in a person. She told how she got hiccups, and this is a very tragic story. She, when she was young, planted this hiccups by a sorcerer. Sorcerers usually either imprison out of malice, or for some kind of misconduct, or simply send out demons. A demon can enter a person when, for example, he walked and swore, did not cross himself in the morning, left the house without prayer – then the demon can settle in you, will live, develop and torment you.

She was a completely innocent girl of seventeen years old, and once at her uncle’s and aunt’s, who were hosting guests, she served drinks to everyone. She was serving mash, but some man refused to drink. This guy says: “Drink yourself! Take a sip! He was apparently afraid that something was mixed in there, because he had a reputation as a sorcerer. And at such events, they usually try to put something on the sorcerer in order to deprive him of the ability to conjure. He did not want to drink and said: “Come on, drink it yourself in front of me!” And she refused, because she was scared: “How am I going to drink ahead of the peasant?! This is not appropriate! A girl shouldn’t do that!” She was standing, blinking her eyes, then her uncle came up and said: “If you don’t want to drink, don’t drink, but she won’t drink.” Then the sorcerer said: “If he doesn’t drink, then he will remember me!” And this, of course, is the classic phrase of the sorcerer: “You will remember me! You will remember me!”

At the sorcerer’s (Village medicine man). Painting by Grigory Myasoedov. 1860 © Saratov Art Museum named after A. N. Radishchev / Diomedia

Soon after that, some strange story happened to her. She was whitewashing canvases on the pond, when she suddenly heard the buzzing of a fly, and she had a seizure. In general, it is believed that hiccups infect a person in the form of a fly or a mosquito, or at least he hears a buzz before this happens to him for the first time. But the fly didn’t hit her. She only saw a fly, and immediately she had a seizure, after which she fell ill. She lay, could not come to her senses for some time. Then her parents took her to the doctor, the doctor said: “I will drown it out for seven years! I will drown the hiccups in her for seven years!” For seven years she lived well, but after seven years the hiccups began to speak in her. She already had small children, she was married. After some time, the sorcerer treated her again, he said: “I will give you the charmed wine, you will have to give birth to her.” It is believed that the sorcerer banishes hiccups in such a way that a woman gives birth to her like a child. After that, you need to take it, put it in a tuesok and burn it in the stove with the prayer “God will Risen!”. It should burn with a blue flame, scream at different voices. Then the ashes must be put in a dry place, because if it gets into a damp place, it will come to life again and enter its mistress.

My interlocutor told me that something like this was born, she wrapped it in a rag and put it under the bench. And the next morning I got up, and there was nothing there – just a rag folded, but as if what was in the rag came out. She thinks the hiccups have taken over her again. And since then, she has been sitting in it, tormenting her and not letting her breathe properly. She makes her suffocate, she talks, and if this mistake does not like some food, then she begins to torment with various pains, walks around the body (arms, legs), as if poking from the inside. And so it was until the death of my interlocutor, she was already over a hundred years old.

People with hiccups are treated in two ways. On the one hand, women, especially middle-aged ones, are afraid of her. They are afraid of getting infected, they are afraid that hiccups will pass on to them, because it is considered that this is more of a female thing. It somehow doesn’t particularly stick to men, but it can go to a woman. Therefore, some interlocutors in these places refused to talk about hiccups. They asked: “What? Why ask? Does someone from relatives have it? Why do you need to know about this at all? I don’t even want to talk about it, so as not to attract various unclean forces!”

On the other hand, young people, teenagers, children try to make fun of such people, provoking their seizures, having fun. And scary at the same time, and creepy, and funny, and somehow exciting. With the help of some key words, with the help of harsh sounds, they tried to cause a pious old woman to have a fit of swearing or strange sounds that hiccups make, and in horror, laughing, ran away.

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With me, one person, even quite middle-aged, my interlocutor’s neighbor, decided to show a trick. When we talked with this grandmother (already another time), he came out of his house and said that the first time he heard that hiccups began to speak in her, he was very frightened. He and his friend were just helping her with something – perhaps they brought potatoes – she treated them, and then a hiccup began to speak in her and began to swear at one of them. They were very scared: “What is this?! What is this?!” And then they were told that it was not the grandmother swearing, but hiccups in her. And this middle-aged neighbor said that there is something supernatural next to us. And literally conducted an experiment. He began to pronounce the word “frog” in my ear, and it is believed that hiccup, or mistake, does not like the words “fish”, “frog” and some others, because it is associated with these animals in its origin. And when he began to say “frog” in his ear, the grandmother suddenly began to swear at him. I think that she just started swearing, because when someone whispers something in your ear in front of you, it is uncomfortable and, naturally, causes a sharp reaction. Especially if this neighbor is unsympathetic to her. Let’s say he’s a drinker, so she doesn’t like him. There are different relations between neighbors. And for him, this is confirmation that this hiccup hears words that are spoken mentally or very quietly.

2A story about hanging girls dancing the dance of death

Alexandra Arkhipova:

Every culture has its own idea of ​​the terrible. Every culture has its scary characters and clear rules to follow so that you don’t get eaten by a demon. And every bearer of culture knows the rules well: what should and can be done, and what should not be done in any case.

The Buryat groups also have such rules, which differ quite a lot from each other. One of them: no need to go to the yard at night. When the sun has set, close the shutters and stay at home. And if you are already in the yard, then make sure that a small black creature with one eye in its forehead, similar to a kitten, does not enter the house after you. This is such a mischievous creature of hell. It then causes a lot of trouble in the household: it makes noise in the underground, scares the children.

If you don’t just go to the yard, but for some reason you walk around the village at night, then be sure to bypass the black two-dimensional swaying shadows without legs. These are the spirits of the recently deceased, they are called boholda. It is not worth crossing their path.

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In the case when you are walking through a Buryat village and you meet a huge pig, you need to quickly go around it and see if it has a tail. If there is a tail, then it’s just a neighbor’s pig that ran away. And if there is no tail, then things are bad. You met a giant werewolf pig that wants to drink your soul, they are called hamha. We urgently need to run away from such werewolves.

If you follow the rules, then you don’t have to be afraid of these creatures. But there is one big exception. In 2010, we came on an expedition outside the village of Bokhan in the Irkutsk region. And there we heard a story that really frightened people.

Long ago, in the village of Ulei, there lived a girl who was married off by her parents against her will. After the wedding, she ran back to her parents and asked to be taken back. Parents answered her: “Issued – it means issued! Live with him now. ” And she went to the barn and hanged herself. After some time, another girl found herself in a similar situation and was terribly worried. And at that moment the first girl from Hive appeared to her and persuaded her to commit suicide. And then together they persuaded another girl to die, another young man, and then another and another.

Seven vices. Despair. Fresco by Giotto di Bondone. 1306 Cappella Scrovegni, Padua

At the moments when you are experiencing strong emotional anguish, you begin to hear the sounds of the Buryat dance Yohora, you see the lights, and then these numerous girls appear, inviting you to dance. And those who agree to go with them disappear forever.

They take away young people who are experiencing very strong emotions. At the moment when the boys and girls are in extreme confusion, contemplating suicide, the Uley girls come to them and drag them into their dance of death. They lure people who are in despair with their joyful round dance, a cheerful Buryat dance, which they perform on any holidays.

At the same time, their behavior is very different from the behavior of other demonic characters. They just interfere in your life and nothing can be done about them. The only way to cope with them is to artificially maintain a cheerful state of mind, imitate fun.

People who talk about Uley girls often say that they are not to blame for their fate. They did not commit any wrongdoing, but simply could not control their feelings. And they take away those who have also weakened their emotional control, succumbed to their emotions. The idea that you need to control your emotions with all your might is typical of the Buryat-Mongolian cultures.

One of our informants told how she worked as a tractor driver in her youth. She worked without sleep and rest for three days in a row. She had almost no strength left, but she could not leave work either. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of a yohor, saw lights in the distance, and realized that the Ulei girls had come for her. Then she abandoned the tractor, ran away to the village and sat with her friends by the light all night.

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On the expedition where we learned about the Uley girls, we ended up in a village where a great tragedy took place. The young man came from the army and after some time committed suicide. And then another young man did the same. When we arrived at this village, it was as if extinct. At noon, all the shutters were closed, there was no one on the street, everyone was madly afraid. We hardly found a physical education teacher, who explained to us that no one would talk to us, everyone was very afraid, because Ulei girls had come to the village. And it is absolutely impossible to deal with them. There is no rule how to get rid of them. If they come, they will take and take away everyone who has dark thoughts. Some went after the shaman, others went after the priest, others sat in large groups and arranged a feast during the plague, trying to have fun, because everyone was seized with monstrous fear. It’s like the movie The Ring. A dead girl is following you, and there is no way to stop her, because a wave of suicides has attracted her. And this is the scariest story that I have seen and heard in my life, because, unlike other stories, this one really affects people’s behavior and is really scary.

3The story of a genie

Dmitry Oparin:

A year ago, my mullah friend and I went to a Tajik family. It was an incomplete family: the women stayed in Tajikistan, while the men worked here at the construction site. They lived on the outskirts of Moscow, in Butovo, in an uncommissioned multi-storey residential building – there even the elevator had not yet been launched, although it was already warm and there was electricity, and they themselves were engaged in finishing. At some point, they called my mullah friend, because they decided that the youngest of them, who was not yet 18 years old (he was 17 something), was possessed, he was possessed by a genie, he needed to be saved.

In general, exorcism and possession by jinn are quite common in different Muslim cultures. In the North Caucasus, for example, we have a Center for Islamic Medicine, where genies are driven out. And there are similar institutions in many other Muslim regions of the world, or even in cities like London, where there are many migrants. There are no such special centers in Moscow, but there are people who exorcise jinn – mullahs. Most often they are Tajiks.

And so we arrived in my car to this Tajik family. It was difficult to enter the construction site: usually outsiders are not allowed there. And this construction site was guarded by Chechens. Mulla got out of the car, talked to them, they immediately understood the seriousness of the situation and let us through.

Exorcism. Painting by Andre Brouillette. 1884 Musée des beaux-arts de Reims

The rite began right in the car. I was sitting in the driver’s seat, the mullah was in the passenger seat, three people were in the back: my uncle, my father, and between them the patient himself, a guy. He said practically nothing, only moaned. And the mullah had to read the Koran. The key way to exorcise the jinn is to recite certain surahs of the Qur’an. Mullah chanted, and the guy kicked, fought in my car, and his father and uncle held him. I saw a lot of exorcisms, but I think this one was one of the most dynamic, the patient resisted very much.

At some point, the mullah got out of the car and went to the snowdrift to get some snow to wash the guy. And then he started shouting to him in Tajik: “You were scared of me! You scared me! You’re afraid of me – get out of here!”

Then everyone realized that it would be very difficult to do anything in the car, and we went to the fourteenth floor, where they all lived. Walking up the dark stairs. And while we were walking, the guy ran away. They couldn’t find him for 30 minutes. He just didn’t want to interact with the mullah. And the mullah said: “While I am here, he will not return.” And he began to read the Koran in an empty room. And he also read the Qur’an on water and olive oil, because the face, hands and feet of the possessed are rubbed with olive oil, and the water is given to him to drink.

Finally the guy came. He was held by four people, he kicked, shouted, and the mullah just read suras. And the guy calmed down. But what surprised me the most was that he seemed to be speechless, he stopped talking. Mulla subsequently explained this by saying that the genie spoke for the guy. He lost the voice of the genie, and his own, human voice had to return to him.

I remember this little story well, because it is quite dynamic and because I felt great empathy for this family – and for my uncle, and for my father, and for this young boy who first came to Russia: in winter, in Butovo, at a construction site, in an unfinished multi-storey residential building. All together it also has some ordinary migrant social dimension.

But let’s get back to the jinn. According to the Quran, God created jinn, humans and angels. Jinn are created from smokeless fire. And they are everywhere. We can say that they are like microbes: we do not see them, but they are there. The world of jinn is parallel to the world of people, there are women and men, adults and children, Russians and Englishmen, Muslims and non-Muslims, sick and healthy, and so on. Jinn inhabit a person under a variety of circumstances. For example, at the moment of fright or if a person went somewhere in the wrong place, stepped in the wrong place – in a garbage heap, in an abandoned building. When I discussed possession with the mullahs, the topic of immorality constantly came up. Genies can wait for a person at discos, bars, places where alcohol, drugs and other indecencies are consumed.

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Having settled into a person, the genie begins to interfere with him. Your hands are shaking, you feel sick, everything falls apart at work, in everyday life, in relationships with loved ones. But the main thing is that the genie prevents you from being a Muslim: it does not allow you to go to the mosque, where you start to vomit and your whole body hurts, it does not allow you to listen to the Koran, it does not allow you to communicate with people with a strong iman (faith). And then people turn to the mullahs, who come and read the Koran, so that the genie leaves the person.

Different mullahs do it in very different ways. But the main thing is that they have completely different ideas about whether it is worth talking to genies. Genies are very smart. They are five thousand years old. They are much smarter and more cunning than us and will always find a way to deceive us. Accordingly, some mullahs believe that talking to them is pointless. Others, on the contrary, admonish them. First, they try to understand who this genie is: what language you need to speak with him, whether he is a Muslim or not. If this is not a Muslim, then the mullah seeks to convert him to Islam. And if this is a Muslim, then he admonishes him and says that a Muslim cannot harm a Muslim: “You must get out of this person! You mustn’t hurt him anymore!”

At the same time, many mullahs told me that the jinn could harm them themselves. For example, this summer, a Tajik mullah in Irkutsk told me that genies have their own FSB, KGB, CIA. It’s a metaphor, of course. They watch the world of people and the mullahs – their opponents: “Aha, this is our enemy!” And, accordingly, each mullah must build his own defense, for example, perform additional prayers, prayers, dhikr, that is, the remembrance of Allah, generally lead a good lifestyle, avoid any haram  Haram – forbidden action, sin. and so on.

Thief, genie and righteous man. Miniature of Basavan from Anvar-i Suhaili. 1570-1571 Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London

And there is one very important point. I talked with many mullahs who are engaged in exorcism – Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, North Caucasian.