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Hello, I am new here. I have a question. I have been a Catholic my whole life. The last 10 months I have been in a terrible state of mind. I don’t want to go into the specifics because it is too long of a story but it has affected my entire life. Some very strange things have been occurring that has made everything else
that much worse. I have not been able to function. Previous to this I had an active, well balanced life (socially, spiritually, work, etc). I was working two jobs. Now I cannot work. I am barely socializing. Thank God I still have some friends who have stuck by me. It is having a terrible effect on my spiritual life. Basically to sum it up my life is a wreck. It makes it even harder that it is the holidays. I have been receiving top notch psychiatric treatment from a very caring Catholic psychiatrist. I also have been receiving wonderful spritual counsel from a very caring priest. The unfortunate part is I am not making progress and my life is still a wreck. I have been trying almost everything. My question is how would I go about seeing if there is anything else going on. What I am referring to is I was wondering if there could be any demonic activity going on that is preventing me from getting better. How would I find somebody that can evaluate my situation. It seems to be very difficult to find people who do this. Could someone please give me some advice as to how I can go about this. I have asked many people and am not having much success. I am in a pretty serious situation that is not being improved despite great care. I would greatly appreciate some advice.

Anom
 
You mentioned you know and trust a priest…? Have you talked to him about this? If not, that would be an obvious place to start. I would specificially mention your concerns about possible diabolical activity in your life. But I would ask for sure, and be open to what he tells you in reply. If you are brushed off, talk to another priest.

As a phenomenon, demonic possession/opression is relatively rare.The people who investigate these things tend to err on the side of cautious skepticism, as well they should. The only official course that I know for you to take is to confide in a priest and let him take it from there if he discerns that there may be an issue.

I read over your post and there are several things that come to mind that I’d like to say, but since I’m not a psychologist or counselor --and don’t know your situation – I don’t think I should even try. It is obvious that you are enduring a lot of pain and stress for some reason. I encourage you to pray, pray PRAY about this. The rosary in particular has a reputation for acting like a rope ladder, leading people up out of all kinds of darkness. Pray the rosary, pray to St. Michael and your patron saint. Please know I will be praying for you as well and hope that you get the consolation you need.
 
Thank you very much for your kind words. This sounds like a crazy story but this is what has been occuring. I will tell you I was diagnosed with OCD(have been getting horrific blasphemous thoughts continuously) and serious deression. Have gotten many nightmares. Was getting them almost every night. Horrible nightmares. Severe Panic attacks for about 4 straight days where my blood pressure reached astronomical levels. Had to go to the emergency room. Could not sleep well this whole time. I try to pray but it is very difficult. I have experienced body jerks and involuntary movements of my limbs that I did not know where they came from and chattering teeth that was uncontrollable. I have smelled horrific, terrible smells that is hard to describe. They were just creepy smellls. When I closed my eyes I saw things in my stream of vision that were very strange. This whole experience has been miserable. I feel like I could have become angry with God for allowing to happen, but I don’t want to be angry. Have been angry with people I have no reason to be angry with. A lot of jealousy has developed over this time. Prior to this I would have been described as friendly, generous, and easy to get along with, I was not an angry person. Also have experienced physical problems. For a few straight months I was getting much pain and discomfort and something was jumping in below my throat area. They ran an Upper and Lower GI and only detected acid reflux. I am a young man. I feel like the gifts from God that I had are practically non existent. I still go to Mass but it is extremely difficult to be there. I close my eyes for much of the Mass. Before all this happened I was completely normal and happy. I know this is a bizarre story but this has been what has occuring and I am at my wits end. Medication is not working and neither is anything else that I have been doing. Fortunately I have many prayers but still no progress. That’s why I was thinking about demonic activity. I am open to any advice that you have. Also thanks for the prayers.

Anom
 
Anom, I urge you to have the image of Divine Mercy put up in your house, and say the chaplet of mercy each day. I hope and believe you’ll be okay. Best wishes.
 
Anom said:
Thank you very much for your kind words. This sounds like a crazy story but this is what has been occuring. I will tell you I was diagnosed with OCD(have been getting horrific blasphemous thoughts continuously) and serious deression. Have gotten many nightmares. Was getting them almost every night. Horrible nightmares. Severe Panic attacks for about 4 straight days where my blood pressure reached astronomical levels. Had to go to the emergency room. Could not sleep well this whole time. I try to pray but it is very difficult. I have experienced body jerks and involuntary movements of my limbs that I did not know where they came from and chattering teeth that was uncontrollable. I have smelled horrific, terrible smells that is hard to describe. They were just creepy smellls. When I closed my eyes I saw things in my stream of vision that were very strange. This whole experience has been miserable. I feel like I could have become angry with God for allowing to happen, but I don’t want to be angry. Have been angry with people I have no reason to be angry with. A lot of jealousy has developed over this time. Prior to this I would have been described as friendly, generous, and easy to get along with, I was not an angry person. Also have experienced physical problems. For a few straight months I was getting much pain and discomfort and something was jumping in below my throat area. They ran an Upper and Lower GI and only detected acid reflux. I am a young man. I feel like the gifts from God that I had are practically non existent. I still go to Mass but it is extremely difficult to be there. I close my eyes for much of the Mass. Before all this happened I was completely normal and happy. I know this is a bizarre story but this has been what has occuring and I am at my wits end. Medication is not working and neither is anything else that I have been doing. Fortunately I have many prayers but still no progress. That’s why I was thinking about demonic activity. I am open to any advice that you have. Also thanks for the prayers.

Anom
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You are in my prayers. :angel1: Don’t quit what you are doing (it can be really tempting to do so when nothing seems to be working.) There have been some good suggestions for prayers - the rosary and divine mercy. I have panic attacks and sometimes all I can get out is a Hail Mary or only “Jesus.” Both of those have got me through… . If you have a tape or cd of the rosary or divine mercy, it might be helpful to play that at night to help you sleep?

Take care.
 
joamy said:
I have panic attacks and sometimes all I can get out is a Hail Mary or only “Jesus.” Both of those have got me through… .
Take care.
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I heard an exorcist priest say once that the most effective prayer to ward off the devil is 6 little words: “Jesus, hide me in your wounds.”

The ancient Jesus prayer is another good short one:
“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner”.
If nothing else, just repeating the name of Jesus is said to be helpful.

You can’t have too many sacramentals in your house. Blessed rosaries, holy pictures, holy water, scapulars, etc… I also strongly agree with the suggestion to get some prayers and meditations on CD to listen to at night, it may help you breathe easier and get to sleep. In fact, I have an abundance of these CDs, the kind you can sometimes get free online or at your church. If you want to send me a private message w/ your address, I’d love to mail you a few of these if you think it may help. Let me know.
 
Thanks very much for your kindness. That is very generous of you to offer, however I have more than my share of Holy prayer books, CDS, rosaries, etc. I really appreciate the offer that is quite thoughtful.
In regard to prayer I continue to pray some but it is very difficult. These thoughts are persistent. Less persistent than they used to be. I am still in the same situation. I am having a very difficult time feeling a repentent feeling. According to my Dr. and priest they said not to worry about that. I am in the process trying get in touch with a priest who is appointed to evaluate my situation (to see if their is any demonic activity occurring). I sometimes say the Rosary and The Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I am still having a very difficult time doing things. My sleeping is way off and previously I was an outgoing person who liked to socialize, now I feel very uncomfortable in social situations because of what is occurring. I am not trying to complain. Just stating what is taking place. This terrible feeling takes place just about all the time. I really appreciate the kind words and advice. Does anyone think it is possible based on the information I provided that their could be something other than just psychiatric going on here. It is getting especially tough now around Christmas time. I always certainly welcome any feedback and opinions. Thanks.

Anom
 
I don’t know my friend but I just wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers. I’m sure that while your situation may seem desperate, God is in charge of our life. He will not put us in situation out of which there is not escape and which are utterly pointless. I used to experienced panic attacks during a mass that was when I was a fallen away Catholic who would go there only with my mother. I turned to God and He was there listening and through this experience I went back to the Church (and the problem stangelly ended). God’s ways are sometimes very strange.

God bless
 
Anom said:
Hello, I am new here. I have a question. I have been a Catholic my whole life. The last 10 months I have been in a terrible state of mind. I don’t want to go into the specifics because it is too long of a story but it has affected my entire life. Some very strange things have been occurring that has made everything else
that much worse. I have not been able to function. Previous to this I had an active, well balanced life (socially, spiritually, work, etc). I was working two jobs. Now I cannot work. I am barely socializing. Thank God I still have some friends who have stuck by me. It is having a terrible effect on my spiritual life. Basically to sum it up my life is a wreck. It makes it even harder that it is the holidays. I have been receiving top notch psychiatric treatment from a very caring Catholic psychiatrist. I also have been receiving wonderful spritual counsel from a very caring priest. The unfortunate part is I am not making progress and my life is still a wreck. I have been trying almost everything. My question is how would I go about seeing if there is anything else going on. What I am referring to is I was wondering if there could be any demonic activity going on that is preventing me from getting better. How would I find somebody that can evaluate my situation. It seems to be very difficult to find people who do this. Could someone please give me some advice as to how I can go about this. I have asked many people and am not having much success. I am in a pretty serious situation that is not being improved despite great care. I would greatly appreciate some advice.

Anom
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You are in my prayers as well. The St. Michael prayer is always good as well:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, oh prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, cast into hell satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Was there a definite point at which you started to notice the changes occur? Was there a particular incident around which you noticed a change? Did you bring anything new into the house? Have you had any health problems? Was there a change in family situation? Stress can really cause problems. I’m no expert, by a long shot, but you might want to think back and ask yourself these questions. And yes, rely on your priest. If he does not take you seriously, seek out one who will.

May God be with you.
 
Anom said:
Thank you very much for your kind words. This sounds like a crazy story but this is what has been occuring. I will tell you I was diagnosed with OCD(have been getting horrific blasphemous thoughts continuously) and serious deression. Have gotten many nightmares. Was getting them almost every night. Horrible nightmares. Severe Panic attacks for about 4 straight days where my blood pressure reached astronomical levels. Had to go to the emergency room. Could not sleep well this whole time. I try to pray but it is very difficult. I have experienced body jerks and involuntary movements of my limbs that I did not know where they came from and chattering teeth that was uncontrollable. I have smelled horrific, terrible smells that is hard to describe. They were just creepy smellls. When I closed my eyes I saw things in my stream of vision that were very strange. This whole experience has been miserable. I feel like I could have become angry with God for allowing to happen, but I don’t want to be angry. Have been angry with people I have no reason to be angry with. A lot of jealousy has developed over this time. Prior to this I would have been described as friendly, generous, and easy to get along with, I was not an angry person. Also have experienced physical problems. For a few straight months I was getting much pain and discomfort and something was jumping in below my throat area. They ran an Upper and Lower GI and only detected acid reflux. I am a young man. I feel like the gifts from God that I had are practically non existent. I still go to Mass but it is extremely difficult to be there. I close my eyes for much of the Mass. Before all this happened I was completely normal and happy. I know this is a bizarre story but this has been what has occuring and I am at my wits end. Medication is not working and neither is anything else that I have been doing. Fortunately I have many prayers but still no progress. That’s why I was thinking about demonic activity. I am open to any advice that you have. Also thanks for the prayers.

Anom
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I can sympathize with you because I went through a very similar thing about 15 years ago. I became almost completely non-functional and was actually hospitalized for a week. I could barely move, yet felt I was jumping out of my skin.I could not eat. I lost 17 pounds and had constant obsessive thoughts, extreme anxiety, and barely slept. My blood pressure was in the 200’s when I went to the hospital, and I passed enormous amounts of water. People would talk to me and I would not remember anything they said. It was very frightening. I was actually suicidal, but didn’t have the energy to do anything about it (thank God.) I took a leave of absence from work and was put under the care of a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with a severe clinical depression, but up until that time, I was normal. You need to be patient and comply with your medical treatment. Recovery from this takes time, but with proper treatment you will recover. I was told that depression is usually self-limiting and found it to be so, but I needed medical treatment. I fully recovered from this illness and am back to my old self (in fact it left me a better person). Just put your self into the hands of Jesus, give it to God and He will help you.

At first I was embarrassed by the depression, but I learned not to be, because it is an illness like any other illness and there are real biological causes for it. So I don’t mind talking about it to others, especially if they are experiencing it and I can help them in some little way. Usually they are relieved that they are not the only ones with this problem and they can get better. I will pray for you.
 
Anom said:
Does anyone think it is possible based on the information I provided that their could be something other than just psychiatric going on here. It is getting especially tough now around Christmas time. I always certainly welcome any feedback and opinions. Thanks.
Anom
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we are catholic, so you and I know it’s definitely possible.
That’s why it’s good that you are taking advantage of sacramentals. And you are at least trying to pray…I think it’s great that you are in contact with a priest and are open to their involvement/investigation…I wish more priests were knowledgeable about this kind of thing…
Remember to be prudent, and pray for discernment.
I will continue to pray for you throughout this season. Don’t lose hope! :gopray:
 
My prayers are with you as well. One thing that you may want to consider is seeing a neurologist if you have not done so already. I used to work for a group of neurologists and some of your symptoms sound like they could be neurological. I am in no way qualified to give you medical advice but it couldn’t hurt to get another medical opinion.
 
Carolyn,
That sounds like quite a battle you went through. Thanks for the feedback. Thank God you got through it. I had suicidal thoughts also. But I could not get myself to do it. When you say obsessive thoughts. What types of thoughts were they if you don’t mind I ask? Were they to do with a religious content. I am complying with treatmen and the meds but unfortunately the meds have not been effective. How did you wind up getting better. It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know there has to be some hope. How did you wind up getting better? My faith seems very shaky. I am like a totally different person compared to last year. Life was going well and then I got whacked with this thing. I really appreciate all the support. What was the turning point. How long did they last

Anom
CB_Catholic said:
I can sympathize with you because I went through a very similar thing about 15 years ago. I became almost completely non-functional and was actually hospitalized for a week. I could barely move, yet felt I was jumping out of my skin.I could not eat. I lost 17 pounds and had constant obsessive thoughts, extreme anxiety, and barely slept. My blood pressure was in the 200’s when I went to the hospital, and I passed enormous amounts of water. People would talk to me and I would not remember anything they said. It was very frightening. I was actually suicidal, but didn’t have the energy to do anything about it (thank God.) I took a leave of absence from work and was put under the care of a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with a severe clinical depression, but up until that time, I was normal. You need to be patient and comply with your medical treatment. Recovery from this takes time, but with proper treatment you will recover. I was told that depression is usually self-limiting and found it to be so, but I needed medical treatment. I fully recovered from this illness and am back to my old self (in fact it left me a better person). Just put your self into the hands of Jesus, give it to God and He will help you.

At first I was embarrassed by the depression, but I learned not to be, because it is an illness like any other illness and there are real biological causes for it. So I don’t mind talking about it to others, especially if they are experiencing it and I can help them in some little way. Usually they are relieved that they are not the only ones with this problem and they can get better. I will pray for you.
Click to expand...
 
You are in my prayers as well. The St. Michael prayer is always good as well:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, oh prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, cast into hell satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Was there a definite point at which you started to notice the changes occur? Was there a particular incident around which you noticed a change? Did you bring anything new into the house? Have you had any health problems? Was there a change in family situation? Stress can really cause problems. I’m no expert, by a long shot, but you might want to think back and ask yourself these questions. And yes, rely on your priest. If he does not take you seriously, seek out one who will.

May God be with you.
 
QUOTE=Anom;3103394]You are in my prayers as well. The St. Michael prayer is always good as well:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, oh prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, cast into hell satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Was there a definite point at which you started to notice the changes occur? Was there a particular incident around which you noticed a change? Did you bring anything new into the house? Have you had any health problems? Was there a change in family situation? Stress can really cause problems. I’m no expert, by a long shot, but you might want to think back and ask yourself these questions. And yes, rely on your priest. If he does not take you seriously, seek out one who will.

May God be with you.

Sneakers,
Thanks for the prayers and support. Yes the Saint Michael prayer is certainly very powerful. There was a trigger incident. This whole ordeal sounds very strange but this is how it began. I was talking on the phone one night with some girl. We were discussing about how some things like witchcraft, tarot cards, and psychics and things of that nature are against the faith and for good reason. I normally never discuss those type of issues at all it just happened to come up some how in conversation. I told her I wonder what spiritual warfare is like. I did not have an interest in knowing I was just curious. I then told her never to look up the unforgiveable sin on the internet or she will drive herself crazy. I said it somewhat kidding around but I was somewhat serious. The weird thing is I had a thought that I was not going to call her back until the following day. I should have listened to my instinct. She is a very nice girl so it was nothing personal just what my instincts told me. I then went into an adoration chapel at a local parish to pray and I opened the Bible and it opened up to the page on the unforgiveable sin. I thought that was weird because we were just discussing that. Instead of just ignoring that I opened the Bible again wanted to read it and it opened again to that same scripture passage. Then it happened one more time. I started to get a strange feeling then. I then opened the Bible and it then went to Judas betrayal. I initially opened the Bible just to read it. Instead I wound up thinking about why it opened to those passages. I should have just ignored it and went about my prayers. I wound up leaving the chapel and starting thinking could there have been anything in the conversation that was said that could have lead to those scripture versus. Now I realize it was not wise of me to give that any attention. I then started to get all these bizarre and blasphemous thoughts about that scripture passage. It has now gotten out of control. Then the thoughts started coming real fast into my head and would send me into a panic. Now it has gotten out of control. I know this sounds crazy but this is how it all started. It was the day before presidents day. I remember going to Mass on Ash Wednesday and just feeling out of it it was like a dark feeling. That is how it all began and it has gotten totally out of control. I never thought that I would be in this type of situation. Thank God I have great support. I am just not making much progress. Thanks again for the prayers.

Anom
 
Anom said:
Carolyn,
That sounds like quite a battle you went through. Thanks for the feedback. Thank God you got through it. I had suicidal thoughts also. But I could not get myself to do it. When you say obsessive thoughts. What types of thoughts were they if you don’t mind I ask? Were they to do with a religious content. I am complying with treatmen and the meds but unfortunately the meds have not been effective. How did you wind up getting better. It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know there has to be some hope. How did you wind up getting better? My faith seems very shaky. I am like a totally different person compared to last year. Life was going well and then I got whacked with this thing. I really appreciate all the support. What was the turning point. How long did they last

Anom
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Anom, if you don’t mind, I would rather answer these questions by PM, rather than throw the thread off topic. Do I have your permission?
 
Keeping in a prayerful state; going to adoration chapel and daily Mass. Pray the Rosary everyday as well as the Divine Mercy and St Michaels prayers everyday several times a day. The Divine Office maybe be beneficail as well. Everytime you have these obsessive thoughts say Hail Mary’s instead. Don’t give up.,
 
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