Slain in/by the spirit?

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Siskinator

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Anyone know what it means?

What are the “symptoms”?

I only say this because of my experiences at church only. This does not happen to me anywhere but at church…during mass!

My vision has blurred, I get dizzy and feel faint.

Yes, Ive had several physicals and an MRI and a cat scan. I am in tip top shape. I finally spoke to my priest and explained what has been happening to me. Sometimes I literally have to clutch the pew infront of me to keep from falling over or back during mass! He told me I was being “slain in the spirit”.

That sounds scary!!! Lately as we approach Easter it is getting stronger. I almost fell right out on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Passion of the Christ!

Is there something I can do.

I do try to fight going “under”. I dont want to pass out and crack my head open!

What is it? Is there anything I should do? Has anyone else ever had this experience? Does it eventually go away?

God Bless!
:gopray2:
 
Well, the same thing happened to me once at Mass - and it has never happened to me before; and I have a friend who this has happened to several times as well. But this is nothing to do with the charismatic deviation of being “slain in the spirit”.

I’ll give you the circumstances of when it happened to me. It was midnight Mass about 5 or 6 years ago (maybe longer). I was at a family gathering before Mass and had a few glasses of wine (just a few). Since I had these few glasses of wine, I wasn’t sure if I should go to communion. During Mass I was thinking about it, and finally asked that God if He would give me a sign to let me know if I should or should not. Well, I got the sign alright. It was as you described, except worse. I got extremely dizzy and almost couldn’t even sit up straight. It was very intense. It started just a little prior to communion, and lasted maybe 10 minutes at the most. Since I had just prayed for a sign on whether or not I should go to communion, I just assumed that this was God say “nyet”.

As I mentioned above, I just learned that this same thing has happened to a friend of mine about 4 times over the past year (and only while at Church). He described it pretty much exactly as it happened to me.

So, while I certainly don’t think it was being “slain in the spirit”, something did happen… and I wouldn’t attribute it to the wine because I have drunk a lot of wine in my days and never experienced anything like this… and remember, I only had a few glasses. I have always attributed it to God answering my prayer, but there could be some other cause. I’ll be interested to learn if this has happened to anyone else lately, and I’m also going to e-mail a knowledgeable Priest friend to see if this is something that does happen to people. Until my friend mentioned that it happens to him sometimes (again, only while at Church), I never even wondered if it could be a common occurrence.
 
Siskinator said:
Anyone know what it means?

What are the “symptoms”?

I only say this because of my experiences at church only. This does not happen to me anywhere but at church…during mass!

My vision has blurred, I get dizzy and feel faint.

Yes, Ive had several physicals and an MRI and a cat scan. I am in tip top shape. I finally spoke to my priest and explained what has been happening to me. Sometimes I literally have to clutch the pew infront of me to keep from falling over or back during mass! He told me I was being “slain in the spirit”.

That sounds scary!!! Lately as we approach Easter it is getting stronger. I almost fell right out on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Passion of the Christ!

Is there something I can do.

I do try to fight going “under”. I dont want to pass out and crack my head open!

What is it? Is there anything I should do? Has anyone else ever had this experience? Does it eventually go away?

God Bless!
:gopray2:
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Why only Church? Can the Holy Spirit not penetrate through Church walls and strike you when your at home or grocery shopping?
 
It’s a dangerous psychic (not spiritual) game played by some charismaniacs and mentalcostals.
 
I am not afraid…

It has happened to me only once before and I was at a friend’s house…her dad was praying in the next room and we were watching bride of chucky or something with chuky in it…I wasn’t into it…and the same thing happened except that the smell of roses came with it at that time. The smell was so overpowering i asked if there was potpourri or glade being sprayed…we went on a search around the house and the smell could only be smelled by me…no one else could smell it! We finally went to her dad and asked if he could smell or even think where the smell came from…(I live in Brooklyn and in my 'hood, there are no gardens or trees…if you want that, you need to get thee to a park). He could not explain it either.

Does it happen to me while I pray at home? No. But I do feel at peace when I pray at home as well.

It is a strong “presence”.

Iamnotafraid…I cannot explain what it could be or what it is…hence I am asking if anyone else has had that experience or something similar with no explanation.

At first I thought it could be health related. My doctors know about it and have no physical cause. You must keep in mind, I was baptized Catholic and have not done my communion or been confirmed. I have only recently come to church. No one in my family is “religious”. Infact I was baptized when I was 7 and it was because my mom fled with us to do so…my dad is an atheist as is my brother. Hence, I had previously had no religious instruction whatsoever.

It is just the mere fact that I believe. It is my faith. That is all I can attribute my coming back to…that and my daughter asked me to show her to pray out of the blue…she is only 5. My daughter in essence brought me to the church…and I am very glad of it.
 
At first I thought it could be physical…I was leaning to high cholesterol…thankfully, it turned out to be a big fat, NO!
 
I think what dixibehr meant by this was that this phenenomenon known as “slain in the spirit” is really just a psychological manifestation. The preacher skillfully plays on the emotions of the susceptiple audience by resorting to emotional rhetoric. Probably not too much different from mass hypnosis. There is nothing truly spiritual going on here. The Saints on the other hand were quite different in that they experienced spiritual flights ranging from bilocation to ectasies without resorting to emotionally working themselves up. There was never a hint of any of the Saints “losing it” when they had these experiences unlike certain Charismatic groups. There is quite a difference between the two, one being spiritual, the other pyschic/soulish or carnal. Hope this helps.
 
I don’t know where emotionally one would get worked up during a mass.

I think one gets emotionally worked up during santeria and voodoo to let the orishas or loas in and have them “ride” you (possession). Not during a regular mass. Have you ever been to mass? For my youngest as she puts it…“boring”. It’s not for everyone. All I am asking is why would one get dizzy?

Which makes me ask another question, what is a religious experience?
 
It happens to me at Adoration & when I pray at home…it is starting to subside. But the only time it doesn’t happen is at mass. However, even when it does happen I just keep praying. Because it happens every time I pray. So I don’t know if it is good or bad…I do notice the intensity of my prayers increase. I have a real hard time saying the Rosary, but when I do say it the dizziness & sensations for lack of a better term seem to decrease and also I have begun saying the the breathing prayer…which I now have as my signature below. Sorry I’m no help, but I understand what you are going through. Just keep praying, when it started I was quite scared and I learned to surrender to God’s Will and to accept this as coming from Jesus as he accepted all coming from the Father. Get close to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I did also go to doctors to get checked out, including an MRI and I do have high blood pressure but why would I get so dizzy when I pray?
 
That happened to me today when I was standing in line for Confession.

Because I had my knees locked, had been standing for thirty minutes already, and hadn’t eaten since breakfast. It’s called getting dizzy. I too am in tip top shape - it’s not a chronic condition it’s just something that happens to people when we haven’t eaten for too long and are standing or kneeling a lot (aka, in Mass).

Drink some water before Mass next time (doesn’t break the fast), and you’ll be fine. It’s always good advice to never leap too quickly towards a supernatural answer.
 
Siskinator said:
Anyone know what it means?

What are the “symptoms”?

I only say this because of my experiences at church only. This does not happen to me anywhere but at church…during mass!

My vision has blurred, I get dizzy and feel faint.

Yes, Ive had several physicals and an MRI and a cat scan. I am in tip top shape. I finally spoke to my priest and explained what has been happening to me. Sometimes I literally have to clutch the pew infront of me to keep from falling over or back during mass! He told me I was being “slain in the spirit”.

That sounds scary!!! Lately as we approach Easter it is getting stronger. I almost fell right out on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Passion of the Christ!

Is there something I can do.

I do try to fight going “under”. I dont want to pass out and crack my head open!

What is it? Is there anything I should do? Has anyone else ever had this experience? Does it eventually go away?

God Bless!
:gopray2:
Click to expand...
I can’t comment on your experience, but I have heard of this happening at Mass to some people who are on blood pressure medications and have the problem of postural hypotension when they change positions, like going from sitting or kneeling to standing too quickly. That can cause some people to feel faint. My husband was on a BP medication that did this to him, his heart rate would become too fast and his BP would drop when he stood up, making him lightheaded and dizzy and faint for a while. They actually proved this by putting him on a cardiac monitor and measuring his BP when he went from lying to sitting and sitting to standing. It went away when they changed his meds.

Not saying this is happening to you, because I don’t even know if you are on BP meds, but I know this can happen to people who are, with quick position changes, such as Catholics do during Mass. Plus, if you’ve fasted a long time before Mass, and didn’t have any breakfast, that can cause faintness and dizziness too, in some people.
 
Siskinator said:
Anyone know what it means?

What are the “symptoms”?

I only say this because of my experiences at church only. This does not happen to me anywhere but at church…during mass!

My vision has blurred, I get dizzy and feel faint.

Yes, Ive had several physicals and an MRI and a cat scan. I am in tip top shape. I finally spoke to my priest and explained what has been happening to me. Sometimes I literally have to clutch the pew infront of me to keep from falling over or back during mass! He told me I was being “slain in the spirit”.

That sounds scary!!! Lately as we approach Easter it is getting stronger. I almost fell right out on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Passion of the Christ!

Is there something I can do.

I do try to fight going “under”. I dont want to pass out and crack my head open!

What is it? Is there anything I should do? Has anyone else ever had this experience? Does it eventually go away?

God Bless!
:gopray2:
Click to expand...
Sounds like standard fare. I don’t want to be dismissive but sometimes people just get dizzy. It began to happen to me, and I realized I hadn’t been eatting – just plum forgot. When I was a Marine sergeant I’d have jarheads falling this way and that – they would lock their knees even though I made it clear that one should always keeps their legs flexible. It’s kind of a told you so moment when it happens. It is no joke fainting. I know people who become so physically sick when they are hungry that it just hits them like a ton of bricks.

Basically, God doesn’t need to knock you down in the dramatic fashion He did to Saint Paul. If you feel it coming on just sit down. Try having a glass of orange juice or something an hour before Mass. My advice is not to get heady about it unless it happens more often – in which case I’d get a second opinion from another doc. And, don’t rule out blood sugar.
 
A person can become ill and experience dizziness at any time, even at Mass.

One poster dismissed the charismatic experience of being “slain in the Spirit” as simply psychosomatic. A person who has had this experience will tell you that is not the case. A friend of mine shared her experience the first time she saw it happen. This woman was lying on the floor and everybody stepped around her. She knew these were caring people, so why would they just ignore the woman lying on the floor?
There is a peace that cannot be described in the midst of “being slain” or “resting in the Lord.” What has happened is the person is overpowered by the Holy Spirit. At a healing Mass, or elsewhere, catchers are generally available to help the person to the floor. By the same token I have never heard of anybody getting hurt. It is not the same as fainting. The person who is “slain” simply rests as the Lord works healing within the person’s life.
The last time it happened to me was at a healing Mass. The priest had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit just before the Mass. He was accompanied by two deacons. I asked for prayer for my youngest brother (he died in 2007). The power that emanated from these men could be felt even before I reached them for prayer. After the prayer for my brother, I was barely on my feet when I asked for prayer for myself and I was back on the floor.
When I first became a part of the Charismatic Renewal, a friend told the story of his trip to Notre Dame. He told of how he resisted being “slain” like those around him. His knees buckled but God will not go against a person’s will.

My daughter once asked why she gets the shivers in the confessional. I told her it was the Holy Spirit. Do not overlook how the Holy Spirit may make His presence known.
 
DebChris said:
A person can become ill and experience dizziness at any time, even at Mass.

One poster dismissed the charismatic experience of being “slain in the Spirit” as simply psychosomatic. A person who has had this experience will tell you that is not the case. A friend of mine shared her experience the first time she saw it happen. This woman was lying on the floor and everybody stepped around her. She knew these were caring people, so why would they just ignore the woman lying on the floor?
There is a peace that cannot be described in the midst of “being slain” or “resting in the Lord.” What has happened is the person is overpowered by the Holy Spirit. At a healing Mass, or elsewhere, catchers are generally available to help the person to the floor. By the same token I have never heard of anybody getting hurt. It is not the same as fainting. The person who is “slain” simply rests as the Lord works healing within the person’s life.
The last time it happened to me was at a healing Mass. The priest had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit just before the Mass. He was accompanied by two deacons. I asked for prayer for my youngest brother (he died in 2007). The power that emanated from these men could be felt even before I reached them for prayer. After the prayer for my brother, I was barely on my feet when I asked for prayer for myself and I was back on the floor.
When I first became a part of the Charismatic Renewal, a friend told the story of his trip to Notre Dame. He told of how he resisted being “slain” like those around him. His knees buckled but God will not go against a person’s will.

My daughter once asked why she gets the shivers in the confessional. I told her it was the Holy Spirit. Do not overlook how the Holy Spirit may make His presence known.
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An answer to the daughter. Deep inside of her, deeper than her heart is written the Truth. The Truth, who is Christ Jesus, written upon the hearts of all Man, at the Christological event, that took place 2000 years ago. When she shivers in the confessional it is her biological reaction to the inherently known Truth, latent and deep inside her womanhood. The shiver is an experience. Seek not experience. Experience can lead both astray and to God. Therefore, continued experience is in itself a potential *obstat *encumbering deeper and more profound contemplation. It is good that she has recognized the reoccuring event, her shivering. This recognition is enough to tell her that she no longer needs to shiver in the confessional. It is a wise that she seek neither to shiver nor seek not to shiver. Remind her to singlemindedly focus on reconciliation, emptying her heart to Christ Jesus but not her mind so as to protect against Satan. If she wishes to understand the profound way in which God touches us and not the sensory way we perceive His connection, then she should seek to spend quiet time in the morning, afternoon, and evening after structured prayer, such as, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Divine Office. She will need spiritual guidance in this from a trained deacon, priest, or religious. My recommendation would be weekend retreats to trappist environs (such as the Carmilites or Benedictines). Although the focus of contemplative life is not for all. Indeed, it is for the very few. Some seeking of contemplation will aid the active Christian immeasureably.

This slain in the spirit baloney is exactly what it is. As it is a ficticious thing; a message intended to draw an untangible barrier between the LORD and His faithful servant. It is rhetoric to attempt to rationalize where the messages come from. The answer is in the key of the non-static nature of the Scriptures which continually interpret themselves as the key to interpret itself. Although, the cult of charisma is drawing faithful. It is in my best conscience an evil tolerated for the greater good. And, as such will die. Very few good things arise in college dormitory rooms. The slain in the spirit cult, being one of them, is no different.

To begin, just say the name of “Jesus” knowing he is the Son of the Father, irregularly and throughout the day under your breath. Her love will grow.

Prayer, Alms, and Fasting.
 
I have fainted (which is a frightening experience) and I have been slain in the Spirit (which feels safe and good) - when being slain in the Spirit, I did not feel dizzy, and I didn’t feel like I was going blind and deaf - instead, I felt like I was being flooded with light and goodness, and my hearing and sight actually seemed sharper and clearer than before.

I remained completely conscious (although totally relaxed) when I was slain in the Spirit, but I did not remain conscious when I fainted.

When I faint, I get a howling in my ears, and my sight goes dark (like how it would look if I am rushing backwards into a dark tunnel or hole in the ground), and then I lose consciousness. There is a strong sense of fear associated with it.

When I get slain in the Spirit, my hearing grows sharper, and there is light everywhere, even when my eyes are closed, and my whole body is completely relaxed, but I am completely aware of everything that is going on around me. It feels very peaceful and calm.
 
Siskinator,
I cannot speak directly to your experience. I would not overlook the suggestion to make sure the dizziness cannot be explained as a physical phenomenon resulting from lack of nourishment or thirst. That being said, Lainey points to our need to surrender to God’s Will. In our surrender, we open ourselves to whatever gifts He chooses to bestow on His beloved children. Know that God is real and that he calls us into intimate relationship with Him.
The Charismatic Renewal has enjoyed Vatican approval since its inception. It is not a cult as some would have you believe. Rather it is recognized as a legitimate movement of the Holy Spirit. The gifts received, more precisely the release and activation of the gifts each of us received by virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation, are to be used for the building up the Church.
You were right in speaking to your priest. Being “slain in the Spirit” is not something to fear. Much healing takes place at that time. The peace that is experienced is beyond understanding.
It is true that we are called to seek God, not simply His gifts. Does anybody want to be married simply for his money? On the other hand, how do we feel when somebody refuses a gift we offer them? Even if I could, I would not return any of the gifts God has given me.
 
jmcrae said:
I have fainted (which is a frightening experience) and I have been slain in the Spirit (which feels safe and good) - when being slain in the Spirit, I did not feel dizzy, and I didn’t feel like I was going blind and deaf - instead, I felt like I was being flooded with light and goodness, and my hearing and sight actually seemed sharper and clearer than before.

I remained completely conscious (although totally relaxed) when I was slain in the Spirit, but I did not remain conscious when I fainted.

When I faint, I get a howling in my ears, and my sight goes dark (like how it would look if I am rushing backwards into a dark tunnel or hole in the ground), and then I lose consciousness. There is a strong sense of fear associated with it.

When I get slain in the Spirit, my hearing grows sharper, and there is light everywhere, even when my eyes are closed, and my whole body is completely relaxed, but I am completely aware of everything that is going on around me. It feels very peaceful and calm.
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I missed your post before submitting my own. This is an excellent comparison between fainting and being “slain in the Spirit.”
 
‘Spiritism’ was not part of Catholicism up until historically recently. From what I’ve read about occultism, it is easy to induce ‘sensations’ and ‘feelings’ in people.

The phenomena that occurs at Charismatic events sound a lot like what happens at Voodoo rituals; some present are ‘ridden’ by a spirit. They enjoy the experience. I’ve also read about similar things occuring at events hosted by Hindu gurus looking to recruit Western followers; the guru taps into your chakras, you have what seems to be a profound sensation: “hey, I don’t get this at Mass”, and so he gets a new follower. Until the later implosion.

We live at a time when people are more lonely than they’ve ever been, historically. Man has always longed for contact with the Divine. Most mystics I’ve read about have to ‘spend a long time in the desert’, before they get authentic, two-way, contact with Jesus and Mary. Before, and after then, the Devil and his minions play tricks on them, or assault them.

‘Charismatic Renewal’, I understand, started as a Protestant phenomenon. At the risk of sounding sarcastic, I would ask “However did the Church survive for 2000 years without this kind of rite?”.

And that’s another thing that narks me. Is it a veiled attack on the Church?: “Your Way is lacking, for look, we are favoured by the Holy Spirit”.

I read in a book of Sufi quotations that one does not seek after sensations; they don’t prove anything in themselves and have little spiritual value. From memory, Catholic mystics have even rejected legitimate ecstacies, lest they be deceived by the Devil, and also asked Jesus that they be put off until after they have died, so as to receive their reward in Heaven.

Personally, what I want is greater sobriety and perspicacity. To see clearly.
 
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