Demonized, Cursed, or Mentally Ill?

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Hello,

For the past ten years, I have been struggling like crazy. I worry it has to do with spirituality. It started in 2003 with the Theresa Cross murder case. This is a story of a child abuser who tortured her teenage children to death. She fed them macaroni and cheese until they vomited. She prostituted them. She tied them and beat them until they were unconscious. I felt such such hatred for this woman and such mercy, such sympathy for her children who she tortured. I thought about them all the time. At the time, I worried that there is no spirit world and their lives simply ended in that house. It made me feel so hopeless, so helpless that I didn’t know what to do. But then all of a sudden, listening to the radio, I thought I had my ‘answer’: there was this ‘psychic’ who was doing an interview. He said that 'anyone can become psychic - it’s just like playing the piano. Not everyone can become a concert pianist, but everyone is capable of playing…" At that point, I had a eureka moment: “That’s what I’ll do. I’ll contact them psychically. I know it sounds crazy, but that is the only chance that I have to know that they lived on…”

That was perhaps the point at which my real suffering began. I started ‘listening’ to my subconscious almost obsessively, hoping that I would have some sign from these girls that they made it to the other side. This is not what happened. Instead, I slowly started to hear voices; it was certainly the sound of someone (a little girl: ‘Christine’), but it wasn’t the people I tried to contact! In any event, the voices were incessant and would not leave me alone… I would beg, plead, threaten, tell them anything to stay away, but they would not stop mocking and tormenting me.

Then, in 2005, I had what seemed like a ‘possession.’ ‘Christine’ asked, “Is there room for two in here?” I answered, “Yes.” Then, my body immediately started shaking violently. I felt my hands, arms, and legs being ‘taken over.’ I felt my senses become more acute. I felt my motor movements change. I eventually fought it off, but I was confused: “Am I mentally ill, or being haunted by a ghost?” I decided to resolve the situation by going to a psychiatrist. He immediately put me on 15 mg of Zyprexa. That was when the suffering became extreme. Around the time I was hearing voices, my mind was blanketed by a mild ‘fog’ feeling. At the time of the medication, the fog became extreme! Before this, I was a very gifted person. When the fog set in, my mind was so scrambled that I would feel confused about even the simplest things - my address, my postal code, even simple things like the concept of ‘before’ and ‘after!’ All of this came after being at the top of my class for years - now, my simplest mental functions were enveloped by this fog!

At exactly that point, I considered taking my life (almost constantly). Once again, I wanted to find out what the spirit world was about before I did anything. I turned again to these ‘spiritualists’ - near-death.com. Their message was that our suffering is a ‘lesson’ - God has good reasons for why we suffer. With me thinking of taking my life, and believing that this is an ‘authentic’ message from the spirit world, I began to feel hatred towards God; I would argue, beg, plead, curse Him, - anything to make the ‘lesson’ stop!

Eventually, the fog went away, and I stopped being angry at God, but a host of problems immediately started: my closest friend ran out, my grades ‘magically’ went down the drain, I became incapable of working, I became partial-vegetarian - hating both eating meat (because of animal slaughter) and vegetarian food (because of the taste). Even the simplest things would go awry; from the meals I ordered, to television programs going off the air, to even the basketball team I root for struggling financially - everything! (Two black cats have even crossed my path - I noticed because I almost ran both of them over!) Thankfully, in this time, I have come to terms with ‘Christine’ - the voice in my head, but things have not gotten better. (Tonight, the basketball game I wanted to watch simply went off the air, and then, in order to post this message, I had to search through about 15 Catholic websites to find one that would let me post…)

This leads to my question: are the latest problems because of a curse? Or was the posession real and I am demonized? (Or something else?) How should I proceed to cleanse myself of these problems? I have gone to confession, but it hasn’t worked. I am so frustrated, I don’t know what to do…

Jason
 
Please consult your priest, and I would recommend continuing treatment with your psychiatrist as well.
 
We can’t give medical advice, and it sounds like you need some.
Ask your priest to help you find a good physician.
Prayers offered.
 
Hi Jason

Sorry to hear your troubles. First off don’t panic. God is in control. You are His child and are precious in His eyes. You did a silly thing by inviting “Christine” in. You opened a door. Your motives were good, moved as you were by sympathy and compassion. I am no expert but it sounds to me like demonic oppression. The good news is that this can be successfully tackled. It takes time, patience and faith. It is good that you went to confession. This is what I would do.

(1) Get blessed sacramentals; miraculous medals, St Benedict’s medals, crucifixes, holy water, blessed salt, holy pictures. Place these throughout your home. Sprinkle holy water and blessed salt around your home. Wear a blessed St Benedict medal, miraculous medal, crucifix and scapular.

(2) Ask a priest to bless your home. Ask him to pray some deliverance prayers with you. Pray the Rosary daily. Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet daily. Ask St Michael Archangel to help you; pray his prayer.

(3) Go to confession again, then to Mass. Go to Adoration. Try to go to Mass at least every few days as well as Adoration. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Go to confession at least monthly; it is more powerful than an exorcism.

(4) Don’t give up. Frequenting the sacraments, avoiding sin and staying in a state of grace should gradually lessen the oppression.

Be patient, persevere. Keep up your prayer daily.

You will be fine.👍

May the Lord Bless you.
 
Hey Jason,

I’m sorry to hear that you have been undergoing such terrible suffering. From what you have posted, it seems as though you have opened some doors that now need to be closed. I’m happy to hear that you have gone to Confession, that’s a start. However, when it comes to engaging in such occult practices, you must also renounce your involvement in them to reclaim the ground taken by Satan.

Please see a priest to lead you in prayers of renunciation and deliverance. He may also suggest you make a General Confession, where you confess all the sins of your life and have you renew your Baptismal Promises, where we renounce Satan and his works and promise to serve God in the holy Catholic Church. If after sometime that has not completely alleviated your suffering, it may be necessary to reach out to your diocese’s exorcist for help.

In the meantime, do your best to stay in a state of grace. I would suggest frequent Confession and daily Mass if possible. If you can spend time in Adoration, all the better. Pray the rosary everyday without fail. The rosary is a powerful weapon against evil. If you find it difficult to pray it on your own, pray along with a rosary meditation on YouTube.

Lastly, do not fear and do not despair. Demons can only go as far as God allows. Trust in Jesus. He has the power to protect and deliver you. I do not believe that God is punishing you, I simply think that your suffering is a result of your choices. But take comfort in knowing that your suffering could very well be a means towards your sanctification. Suffering can be redemptive if offered up. Don’t waste it. Pray a morning offering everyday:

“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for all the intentions of my friends, family and relatives, for the Holy Father and his intentions. Amen.”

Also, here’s links to a talk given by exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger on spiritual warfare:
Fr. Chad Ripperger - Spiritual Warfare Part 1
Fr. Chad Ripperger - Spiritual Warfare Part 2
Fr. Chad Ripperger - Spritual Warfare Part 3

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.

God bless,

Josie
 
Hello,

I would like to update you on my situation:

One month after writing this post, I decided to finally contact my parish priest. I’ll admit, I was not going to church regularly, and that might have been the problem, but it took him months to cooperate. Then, we finally met, and his answer was that it’s all in my imagination! He said that I am simply not looking at things in a positive enough light. I’ll admit that I do tend to have a negative outlook on things, but I fail to believe that: my brain being harmed, my best friend running out on me, my grades just suddenly dropping, my career being shattered, and a million other small things going wrong cannot possibly be spiritual - all after I essentially tried to contact the dead, and using even ouija boards to do so! I am so frustrated I simply do not know what to do… Should I go to another priest? What should I do? I am open to hearing any of your opinions on this issue. Thank you.
 
By the way, thank you for the responses to my initial post. I should also add that I don’t feel that he is a bad priest because of this… I just sense that there is something about my situation that he doesn’t want to think about or maybe talk about… and that’s why there is such a long distance in our interactions… Nonetheless, I feel I am in need of some kind of spiritual help… Therefore, if anyone here has any other suggestions, I am willing to listen…

Jason
 
By the way, thank you for the responses to my initial post. I should also add that I don’t feel that he is a bad priest because of this… I just sense that there is something about my situation that he doesn’t want to think about or maybe talk about… and that’s why there is such a long distance in our interactions… Nonetheless, I feel I am in need of some kind of spiritual help… Therefore, if anyone here has any other suggestions, I am willing to listen…

Jason
You describe hearing voices, so is there a chance that it is a disorder?

“Researchers have estimated that up to 90 per cent of people who have schizophrenia and up to 80 per cent of people who have bipolar disorder or psychotic depression hear voices either talking to them, or talking about them.”

mentalhealthcare.org.uk/voices_and_other_hallucinations
 
I’m sorry to hear about how much you’ve gone through. To be honest I don’t really think its just natural. I do think the stuff about black cats etc is more things you notice - be careful not to be superstitious 🙂 but the parts about voices, no I don’t think you were imagining, because stuff like that does happen to people for real. Since you got involved in these things willfully you’d need to renounce them and seek help with a priest to rid yourself of any influence. I’d suggest also really going to the Sacraments regularly and Sunday Mass if not daily Mass - good practice for anyone! 🙂 pray the Rosary, go to Our Lady, use holy water, St Benedict medal etc. Don’t try to ever ‘contact’ anything again.

I understand the meeting with the priest discouraged you. Can I make a suggestion? I attend an FSSP parish (FSSP is a society of priests in union with Rome who say the Latin Mass) - and they are amazing. They take the spiritual things seriously and are very orthodox. I don’t know where you live but see if there’s an FSSP parish around you… fssp.org/en/messes.htm

With such things I’d recommend going to the most conservative/traditional priests, diocesan exorcists, etc.

Also, this Sacramental is something I have and there’s an exorcism prayer written on it. I believe God really used it in my life. Its not the object itself that has powers, its something blessed that is an occasion of God giving graces. rosescapular.net/Cross-or-Brief-of-StAnthony-for-the-home-888d.htm

God bless you!
 
You describe hearing voices, so is there a chance that it is a disorder?

“Researchers have estimated that up to 90 per cent of people who have schizophrenia and up to 80 per cent of people who have bipolar disorder or psychotic depression hear voices either talking to them, or talking about them.”

mentalhealthcare.org.uk/voices_and_other_hallucinations
The OP seemed to have no problems till he began trying to contact the dead. I think that points to less of a mental illness and something more spiritual… There’s a reason we aren’t supposed to do those things, they just open us up to anything without discernment. We also can’t ‘contact’ anyone, and the times God has permitted people to see Saints / souls in Purgatory, was a miracle of His own choosing… Not something sought after. And with much different results.
 
By the way, thank you for the responses to my initial post. I should also add that I don’t feel that he is a bad priest because of this… I just sense that there is something about my situation that he doesn’t want to think about or maybe talk about… and that’s why there is such a long distance in our interactions… Nonetheless, I feel I am in need of some kind of spiritual help… Therefore, if anyone here has any other suggestions, I am willing to listen…

Jason
It doesn’t sound like you made a connection with this priest and maybe asking someone else will be more helpful. You really do need to make an appointment with a doctor and check out the medical side of the problem. There might be some medication out there that can help you.
 
I could go further: I think hes wrong that its not something spiritual, given that Im living through it, and something is clearly wrong here. *However,* I am playing a role in it. Ill admit, some of the beingsI talk to are ‘nice’, and it would therefore be very difficult to renounce what I`m doing. However, some of them are not, and whether they are doing damage or not, I should let go. I did not tell him this, and it is my mistake. Nonetheless, I think I have come to an answer to this: what about talking to a Catholic therapist/psychologist? They might be able to help discern whether or not it is real, and if it is, they can give me therapy to help deal with the situation - in addition to spiritual advice. I just wonder if I can afford therapy… In any event, if anyone has any further advice, please let me know…

Jason
 
The OP seemed to have no problems till he began trying to contact the dead. I think that points to less of a mental illness and something more spiritual… There’s a reason we aren’t supposed to do those things, they just open us up to anything without discernment. We also can’t ‘contact’ anyone, and the times God has permitted people to see Saints / souls in Purgatory, was a miracle of His own choosing… Not something sought after. And with much different results.
The poster describes obsessive like thinking at the beginning. Average age of onset of schizotypal and bipolar disorder is 18 in men and 25 in women, so it is not from birth.

Zyprexa has been known to trigger suicidal thoughts in some people and it is a medication given for schizotypal and bipolar disorders. It also may impair thinking or reactions requiring more care when driving or doing anything that requires alertness (e.g., mental fog). It may be that the medication was stopped, which would lead to: “Eventually, the fog went away, …,”
 
The poster describes obsessive like thinking at the beginning. Average age of onset of schizotypal and bipolar disorder is 18 in men and 25 in women, so it is not from birth.

Zyprexa has been known to trigger suicidal thoughts in some people and it is a medication given for schizotypal and bipolar disorders. It also may impair thinking or reactions requiring more care when driving or doing anything that requires alertness (e.g., mental fog). It may be that the medication was stopped, which would lead to: “Eventually, the fog went away, …,”
Sometimes things could be a mix of supernatural and natural. Of course I don’t know for sure in this case, but the particular way it was triggered is something to consider… I think the OP needs a good priest. If there’s anything natural an experienced priest would tell.
 
However, I am playing a role in it. Ill admit, some of the beingsI talk to are 'nice', and it would therefore be very difficult to renounce what Im doing. However, some of them are not, and whether they are doing damage or not, I should let go. I did not tell him this, and it is my mistake.
I’m sorry to tell you this but these “beings” are demons in disguise and they are deceiving you. If you persist in the occult you’re not going to be delivered from your afflictions. You are continuing to invite evil into your life which is the reason why you are now suffering-- and it can get worse.

You are also gravely offending God – idolatry (divinizing what is not of God, such as demons) is a sin against the First Commandment.

If you do not renounce your involvement in the occult, the demons will always have access to you. Renouncing reclaims the ground taken by Satan, this should be done after making a good Confession.
 
I could go further: I think hes wrong that its not something spiritual, given that Im living through it, and something is clearly wrong here. *However,* I am playing a role in it. Ill admit, some of the beingsI talk to are ‘nice’, and it would therefore be very difficult to renounce what I`m doing. However, some of them are not, and whether they are doing damage or not, I should let go. I did not tell him this, and it is my mistake. Nonetheless, I think I have come to an answer to this: what about talking to a Catholic therapist/psychologist? They might be able to help discern whether or not it is real, and if it is, they can give me therapy to help deal with the situation - in addition to spiritual advice. I just wonder if I can afford therapy… In any event, if anyone has any further advice, please let me know…

Jason
I know of a great Catholic priest who is also a psychologist and very experienced in dealing with spiritual problems including I think the preternatural. He’s in Canada, and if that’s not too far from you, let me know and I could give you his name.

As for the rest, - niceness means nothing. I’ve read of people who were involved in the occult and with spirits who seemed very “nice” UNTIL later, when they were too drawn in. Its a trick the enemy likes to use very often, we even see in Scripture. So niceness doesn’t mean good.

Instead, you test the spirits. If its not identifiably and obviously from God, in a way that leads to God and His Church (like if St Padre Pio appears to you and gives very Catholic advice) - then its a mistake to even listen at all. Even valid revelations get tested. You called up some spirits, which we shouldn’t ever try to do, and accept some of them because they seem nice. But niceness is not how we discern, and calling something up is forbidden to us.

Would you trust a man who seemed nice but who.tricked you in the past? We need to test everything. This is why a priest is needed here I think, just in my opinion, to help tell you what this is.

I don’t know, but some of what you said is alarming, like about that voice you described. What do these “nice” voices tell you? Are they always “nice”, or threaten too? Do they tell you to go to Confession, or would they not like that? Would they repeat “Blessed be Jesus and Mary” perfectly? How do they react to Our Lord’s Name or holy things? All that is important.
 
Instead, you test the spirits.
Good point,
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming; and now it is already in the world.” (I John 4:1-3)
 
Just as a general comment. We must never discern spirits just based on feelings of consolation.

The devil can give counterfeit consolations and this has happened to souls who were lead astray. So its not a discernment method. When he does this and if a person lets him, they are letting the most evil and hateful being into their emotions, senses, and especially the will. The thought of this ought to fill a person with horror. This person would be letting the enemy affect something so personal, so interior. We should only let God inside and what is of God, which is distinguished in important ways.

If a person experiences anything that isn’t obviously God, they need to speak to a priest for help to discern. If it seems to be from God, they should speak to him too just to be safe and sure. If this started with an occult or new age practice, if it leads away from the Church, etc, it needs to be ignored and rejected. If it persists, this person should seek help.
 
I know of a great Catholic priest who is also a psychologist and very experienced in dealing with spiritual problems including I think the preternatural. He’s in Canada, and if that’s not too far from you, let me know and I could give you his name.
I live in Canada, so that might be perfect. Yes, please divulge his name…

Jason
 
**“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming; and now it is already in the world.” (I John 4:1-3) **

Ive heard the above statement many times, but imo, it doesnt make sense, according to this, it should be fairly easy for anyone to discern what kind of spirit they are dealing with, as I have also heard demons can trick and fool you, but they cannot or will not give any grace or credit to God, so again, should be easy to discern what is good and what is not.

Second, if we are not supposed to have any involvement in this sort of thing to begin with, why should we be taught about ‘testing’ them?
 
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