Stigmatizing the demonically harassed?

[ringil]

So, you are saying that since the patient responded positively to the treatment the diagnosis is correct? Is there another possibility?

This is one indicator. I strongly believe that seeing demons around every corner is unhelpful at best, and harmful at worst, for those dealing with mental illness.

Reinforcing religious delusions could be disasterous to those suffering from mental illness.

The time of lableing mental illness as demonic activity is past- or at least it should be past.

But for those who want to see demons, they will lurk in every shadow. I see that mentality around here at times.

 

[CatholicGirl219]

I don’t have anything to add, but I wanted to thank you CatholicGirl219 for the thread. I’ve often wondered the same thing.

Thank you It is helpful to know I am not alone in my questioning.

It seems really complicated, and I have so many questions without answers.

 

[CatholicGirl219]

But for those who want to see demons, they will lurk in every shadow. I see that mentality around here at times.

I hope this does not come across wrong, but what if it is the opposite? What if for those who prefer to not see demons, and prefer to see mental illness, will see the mentally ill around every corner?

I am thinking about the New Testament. Jesus also saw thousands of people, often on a daily basis, and was constantly casting out demons.

I do not imagine anyone would argue his discernment was wrong, and given that human nature does not change over time regardless of how culture may change, if there were that many then I would assume it would be safe to say there at least are that many today in proportion to the population in need of help. So possibly more today given that the population is larger. (A certain percent then would result in larger numbers with a higher population if the percent stayed the same. Given this, we should be seeing more?)

So in that case, I am wondering how one could not run across someone with some kind of demonic harassment in a therapist situation unless there was an emphasis on discrediting it?

I hope that does not come across wrong, I am just trying to understand a lot of things.

Thanks!

 

[CatholicGirl219]

No, everyone is worth helping, I was refering to spiritual attacks only. Usually subtle in nature. The enemy doesn’t want to be considered in such an attack. It would rather discredit a witness first. It wants the “patient” on it’s own and isolated. No coincidence Lewis refers to the afflicted as “patient” in Screwtape Letters… Hope this clears thing up a bit. Samson

Ok thanks…processing

 

[CatholicGirl219]

Ok, this is what I am talking about:

Did anyone see this from another post on here?

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125768/New-documentary-shows-shocking-footage-Vatican-approved-exorcist-work.html

Scroll down and one of the captions under one of the photos starts out by calling the girl pictured “devil woman.”

Now why would someone call someone in that situation a “devil woman?”

Aren’t most people who are harassed to some degree or another fighting it, not wanting it, etc.? How does that make them evil the way the photo caption insinuated? Isn’t that a stigmatization?

This is the kind of thing I wonder if it exists amongst clergy. Do the laity and clergy look and go “oh, devil woman - warning: avoid avoid avoid do not help?”

 

[MtnDwellar]

This is one indicator. I strongly believe that seeing demons around every corner is unhelpful at best, and harmful at worst, for those dealing with mental illness.

Reinforcing religious delusions could be disasterous to those suffering from mental illness.

The time of lableing mental illness as demonic activity is past- or at least it should be past.

But for those who want to see demons, they will lurk in every shadow. I see that mentality around here at times.

It seems that you are reading between the lines of my questions. Well done.

May I ask another question? Of the over 100 patients you have treated who thought they had a demonic problem, how many had infestations? I wonder why a person who believes he is having a demonic problem makes an appointment with a therapist???

I would like to posit from my experience, people have responded positively to prayer when they did not know that they were being prayed for. The same is true for having a mass said for the intention of someone who is under demonic attack. Using your logic, they must have had a legitimate demonic problem since they had a positive reaction to the treatment.

I suspect that demons are very busy entities. Their effects are widespread and more common than many people realize.

From Family Life Institute, “Modern psychology has failed because it does not know its subject matter, Man and his faculties. Man is viewed as only an organic substance without immaterial faculty. This is in contrast to the Christian view of Man as a body and soul composite. A science- in order to be valid- must know its subject matter in order for its point of view and method to be accurate and thus, to be a valid science. Since their view of Man is incomplete, it is not a valid science.”

 

[CatholicGirl219]

It seems that you are reading between the lines of my questions. Well done.

May I ask another question? Of the over 100 patients you have treated who thought they had a demonic problem, how many had infestations? I wonder why a person who believes he is having a demonic problem makes an appointment with a therapist???

I would like to posit from my experience, people have responded positively to prayer when they did not know that they were being prayed for. The same is true for having a mass said for the intention of someone who is under demonic attack. Using your logic, they must have had a legitimate demonic problem since they had a positive reaction to the treatment.

I suspect that demons are very busy entities. Their effects are widespread and more common than many people realize.

From Family Life Institute, “Modern psychology has failed because it does not know its subject matter, Man and his faculties. Man is viewed as only an organic substance without immaterial faculty. This is in contrast to the Christian view of Man as a body and soul composite. A science- in order to be valid- must know its subject matter in order for its point of view and method to be accurate and thus, to be a valid science. Since their view of Man is incomplete, it is not a valid science.”

I would like to hear the answer, but I did not get any answers to my q’s either

I think it is strange that mental health professionals would not run into more cases when Jesus ran into them all the time.

If you read Anne Catherine Emmerick, there was one town He went through where there was a building where a whole mass of people like that were locked up, and He emptied it by exorcizing it.

I am not sure why mental health professionals are so insistent that they see very few cases. How do they know that? I would like to know

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Demons and psychosis produce overlapping sets of symptoms.

I’m guessing mental health professionals in general don’t even look at demon possession as a serious option, so they see everything as if it were the psychosis.

Not that any particular one isn’t more sensitive, but seriously. What if there were a newspaper article that one local psychiatrist keeps seeing demon-possessed patients? Would the publicity be good for her? They could call her “demon-doc” or something.

I think there is a huge cultural and business disincentive for mental health professionals to be found out as the demon-doc.

Alan

 

[CatholicGirl219]

I think there is a huge cultural and business disincentive for mental health professionals to be found out as the demon-doc.

Alan

Yes, I agree there are cultural issues that would make it hard for most doctors to admit to such things. Most doctors are indoctrinated into a particular mindset.

But there are those who did refer patients to exorcists also that I have heard of.

I wonder what some of these doctors do when a patient comes to them and says something like, "I heard a voice in my head and it told me that the person next to me was really angry at God. I do not know the person next to me, but I told them not to be angry at God and they broke down into tears crying and said “how did you know I was angry at God?”

Or in a more extreme case, “I was dragged across the floor by an invisible hand and everyone saw it. What do I do?”

I am wondering how they rationalize things like that away?