A video of actor Julianne Hough undergoing an ‘energy-cleansing exercise’ has left viewers completely baffled, with many thinking she was actually possessed by some sort of demon.
The former Dancing with the Stars champion, 31, appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, where she was joined on stage by holistic health guru Dr. John Amaral.
Amaral is known for his energy-healing treatments, but Hough’s experience made people more confused than convinced as she started to shake under the doctor’s touch.
While lying face-down on a table, Hough screamed and started to writhe as Amaral traced his hand down her spine.
The health guru didn’t appear to do anything particularly groundbreaking in terms of healing Hough’s body, but the actor’s reaction continued for a good few moments following her initial outburst, with the 31-year-old twisting her body in strange, uncomfortable-looking positions.
In an effort to explain the bizarre scene, Amaral said:
Expression of emotion may happen… when energy that was stored and wound up in the muscles begins to dissipate.
We’ve made it easier for that energy to be liberated.
Take a look at Hough’s reaction here:
Jackie Schimmel Haas, host of podcast The Bitch Bible, shared a video of the strange experience on Instagram and joked she was going to tell her children it was a scene from The Exorcist.
A number of viewers also commented on the display, with one questioning whether Hough was actually expelling a demon ‘out of her butthole’.
thought i'd seen it all until i saw julianne hough being exorcised pic.twitter.com/2w6zKH1CAW
— trey taylor (@treytylor) January 23, 2020
it’s been a full 6 hours since I’ve seen the Julianne Hough video and I’m still haunted by it pic.twitter.com/mQ008RYDzP
— POP 🎄 (@popculturebuzz) January 24, 2020
I would like to unsee that video of Julianne Hough looking like she’s being exorcised
— Jackie Fernandez (@jfern1) January 24, 2020
Us Weekly reports Hough spoke before the demonstration about how she perceives the connection between her energy and her body, saying:
I feel so much more liberated on the inside that I can speak my truth clearly, stand in my power and not feel overtaken by emotion, my mind, and I feel free inside myself to just be.
Our body is our vessel to hold our energy, and that is the most prominent thing that we can take care of.
A later video showed Hough on stage ‘taking’ and ‘throwing’ away the negative energy while stomping her feet and thrusting her hips. Though it was less disturbing than the ‘Exorcist’ video, viewers were still pretty baffled.
can’t believe we’re all just watching julianne hough become a cult leader in real time and no one can be bothered enough to do anything about it pic.twitter.com/8d62JU5dzb
— keaton kilde (@keatonkildebell) January 24, 2020
After the event, the actor took to Instagram to say she’d had the ‘best time’ sharing her journey and ‘discussing the power of movement’, so at least we know Hough had fun, even if a demon really did escape her body.
I’m not sure many people will be keen on trying Amaral’s techniques after seeing Hough’s display, but it certainly got people talking!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.