It was the early 1990s, and it was a thriving time for Maxwell’s Irvington-based church, where a woman in her 40s sought an absolution from what she believed was the invasion of evil spirits. And no medical doctor had a remedy.

Sitting in the church’s prayer room, the woman spewed vomit, then suddenly fell from her chair, Maxwell recounted to The Times. Like a serpent, she began to hiss. Her body curled in a crooked contortion on the floor, then a growl jeered from her lips.

"Come out of her now, in the name of Jesus," Maxwell said. He repeated this three times. The woman soon afterward recovered.

Maxwell, pastor of The Theatre Church, The Sword of the Spirit Christian Church Ministries, a Bible-based ministry, performs what is known in charismatic Christianity as deliverance ministry, in which people are not possessed, but feel they are oppressed, controlled or influenced by evil spirits or forces.

That makes it different from full-blown exorcism, which is the act of driving demons out of a person believed to be possessed.

Maxwell is not a healer or an exorcist, but he aims to relieve people of their oppressed feelings through rigorous prayer and lead them to God.

"It is one of my passions," said Maxwell. In more than 40 years of ministry, Maxwell said he has cast evil spirits out of more than 250 people, and many more still seek his help.

Drugs, abuse, abortion and molestation are some of the problems that have broken down the spirit, he said, leaving people desperate for spiritual remedy.

Deliverance and exorcisms have seemingly increased during the past 30 years due to the growth of cults, satanic masses and the worship of and interest in witchcraft, said the Rev. John Wassell, a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark. "The lessening of Christian culture and the interest in other spiritual cultures have increased these problems," Wassell said. In the Catholic Church, deliverance ministries are also offered. "The church does everything to rule out possible psychological problems," the priest noted.

Hype about exorcism soared with the 1973 film "The Exorcist," which was inspired by the William Peter Blatty novel. Blatty based it on the 1949 demonic possession of a 13-year-old boy reportedly exorcised in St. Louis, Mo.

While he studied in theological seminary in the 1960s, Maxwell did not have study courses examining demonic possession. He taught himself, through rigorous study, ways to help people who believe evil spirits are controlling their lives. "A lot of it is not taught. It is considered controversial and people don’t want to deal with it," Maxwell said. Though he said he has never confronted a case of demonic possession, Maxwell said it does happen.

While pastoral care is often available for people seeking spiritual guidance, priests at Montclair’s four Roman Catholic Churches told The Times they have not directly dealt with exorcism.

"It’s not the kind of thing we talk about freely … There is a method in the Catholic Church with dealing with it, but the church is careful of identifying other possible causes of phenomenon that disturbs people," said Monsignor Timothy Shugrue of Montclair’s Immaculate Conception Church. The proscribed method, however, is usually handled "very quietly and discreetly," said Shugrue.

"I don’t think it’s common, but we’re prepared to deal with it if the need arises," he said.

"Evil is real, and it moves people to do all kinds of evil things. The question is how evil manifests itself, and the possibility that evil can manifest itself in the physical world," the monsignor added. "The Catholic Church’s conviction is that God is always more powerful than evil."

A bishop can grant permission to perform an exorcism when all possible psychological and mental causes have been ruled out, Wassell said.

While Pope John Paul II reigned over the Vatican, he requested every bishop to authorize an exorcist for each diocese, and it is still in the process, said Wassell. A bishop’s permission is not necessary to perform deliverance ministry, he noted.

Presbyterianism also has its own prescription for dealing with demonic possession, said the Rev. Paul Leggett of Grace Presbyterian Church. A series of investigations are conducted on an individual’s mental and psychological health before conducting an exorcism.

"It’s not something that is done lightly … Anybody who has got a mental problem or condition, like having seizures, can sometimes teeter to be demonic, when in fact, it could just be neurological."

The Rev. Allison Denise Sweatt Fuller, who was raised in Montclair, claimed she was possessed by evil spirits in the early 1990s and that Maxwell cast them out.

When Maxwell "delivered" her from what she said was possession, her life completely changed. Fuller, 46, now pastors her own church in Huntsville, Ala., and leads a deliverance ministry.

"I don’t live in fear," she said. "Not anymore."