SAN ANTONIO -- Exorcisms have long been a part of Catholicism, yet they are something most Catholics have never experienced.

The religious rite to expel demons from a person’s body is happening in great frequency in Mexico.

An exorcism starts off with prayer and reflection, then one by one, people are strapped and the transformation begins.

The Catholic ritual has been performed at a church in Veracruz, Mexico, where desperate families seek the help of an exorcist to free their loved ones of demonic possession.

Exorcisms can be traced back over 2,000 years. Weapons of holy water and prayer are used to invoke God.

“Exorcisms are something that is very real,” said Father Jesus Aguilar, an exorcist in Mexico City.

Aguilar is one of seven priests designated by church to perform exorcisms in and around Mexico City.

He said there’s no disputing what he has seen and what he has felt.

“It's true in certain cases, you can feel the temperature start to change, and you feel a cold chill in the air,” Aguilar said. “It’s the same way when you walk into a place where there is witchcraft, or where someone was buried, or where somebody may have died.”

Exorcisms are typically performed on people 16 years old to 50 years old. Aguilar said some of the causes include people turning to cults and the recent adoration of La Santa Muerte in Mexico.

“If a person dies in this situation, they could lose their chances of salvation,” Aguilar said.