Teenage rebellion or demonic oppression

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cathlikrn

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My husband and I are going through a most difficult time with our 17 year old son. Rebellion, defiance, alcohol abuse, sexual activity, foul language and leaving home for days at a time are some of the behaviors we are dealing with. His behavioral difficulties started at age 14 but really escalated over the past year. We went through 7 months of Christian counseling, which seemed to be making a difference initially. Eventually though, he used issues revealed in counseling as a weapon against us and an excuse for bad behavior. He walked out of our last counseling session and didn’t return home until the next day. We have discussed our situation with 4 different priests and received varied advice. A psychological evaluation was recommended and we are to meet with a priest who has a degree in and much experience with psychoanalysis.
My question regarding demonic oppression is for a few reasons. First off it is a gut feeling. Also he repeatedly removes his St. Benedict necklace. My daughter who was away for the summer had a dream about him and said in her dream it was not actually him, it was a demon. She told my sister about the dream and when I asked her, she said she did not want to talk about it.
My husband and I considered military school however the cost quickly ruled out this option. We do not know where to turn and honestly are not sure if he will even cooperate with a psychological evaluation. His behavior has been so dramatic during the past few weeks, my husband and I have agreed to not tolerate this any longer. He truly needs help though and as God blessed us with him as a son, we need to do what we can to get him the help that he needs.
Any advice, experience or comments are appreciated. Any thoughts on exorcism and deliverance?
Thank you…
 
I have no words of advice but will be praying for your family.
 
Here is a link to a post which links and explains information which you might find helpful. Fr Ripperger is a priest with the FSSP (in union with Rome), and some of the other talks may also be useful; you will be able to tell from their titles.

If you need more help in these lines, your diocese should be able to direct you to an exorcist, who will require a psych evaluation, probably with someone he knows.

ETA: Exorcists work with all levels of demonic influence, not just possessions.
 
You and the rest of your family members should pray for him every day and together if possible. Praying the Rosary and prayer of St. Michael prayer for him would be best. The original St. Micheal prayer is a bit longer than the one most people know and can easily be found online. Deliverance prayer, and exorcism (if needed) will only work if your son wants to be delivered from the demon or demons (assuming there are any involved here and I do get the sense that there is/are.)

A psychological exam is obviously necessary to figure out if maybe mental illness is the cause of his behavior.

This does not sound like demonic oppression, as that would imply he was being physically attacked by demons. It could be obsession potentially, which would mean he is being mentally attacked. I don’t want to scare you, but this could be possession, as not all possessions manifest in ways as dramatic as are thought of as typical and most cases are much less dramatic than those of movies…I will pray for you and your family.
 
Don’t assume demons. He sounds like me at that age. Keep praying for him & let him know that you love him.

Caveat: He also sounds like my nephew who did need psychiatric intervention. I hope the priest is well educated in psychology. You might want to find out exactly what degree he has and in what discipline. If he isn’t a doctor, he won’t be able to prescribe meds.
 
Are you familiar with Dr Ray Guarendi? His website is here.
You might consider contacting him, although the psychological evaluation sounds like a good idea.
We can’t rule out demonic oppression, but my thought is that adolescent behavior frequently seems insane. Pointless, designed to anger parents, hurt oneself.
We went through similar problems with our son; possibly worse: rebelliousness, physical attacks, foul language, school drop out, ran away, sneaked girls into his room. He was adopted, which I think has a lot to do with it, as he had multiple caregivers in his first months. That doesn’t apparently apply to your son.
He is now maturing, and has a job. The thing to hold on to, is never give up on him, never stop loving him, even if (as Dr. Guarendi has had to do) he needs out of home placement. There has to be someone in his life who believes in him, and prays for him.
You are certainly not alone. Praying for you.

.
 
From a spiritual standpoint, i don’t think the question rebellion OR oppression applies. No on rebels without some assistance from a devil. I’m sure this child grew up in a loving home. In tje same way, God’s original children knew nothing but love, yet they still rebelled, but I don’t think they would have without the encouragement of Satan.

I know that i tended to be a troublemaker as a youth and i didn’t understand why. I couldn’t seem to control it, but now that I’m free i know that it was a demonic influence. There are many little things than can give a devil an inside track. Rap or rock music is an obvious one. But it can be more subtle. Something as common as hurt feelings can leave a wound in the soul that a devil will use. (and they are always looking for every possible advantage)

But above all,you must not fear or be anxious. This what the devil wants because these emotions are from him and not from God. Instead God has given us a spirit of power
Love,and a soind mind. He has provided every spiritual weapon we need to have victory over this. We are never at the devils mercy. You just need God’s wisdom. This is why God has sent prophets. Their job is to discern and confirm what God is saying.

Jerry
 
We had to send our son to Red River Academy when he was 17:

redriveracademy.net/RRA/Welcome.html

It was a great thing for him and really turned him around. He even liked it.

Once they are 18, they are out of your hands though, so it’s best to take action beforehand.
 
St_Francis said:
Here is a link to a post which links and explains information which you might find helpful. Fr Ripperger is a priest with the FSSP (in union with Rome), and some of the other talks may also be useful; you will be able to tell from their titles.

If you need more help in these lines, your diocese should be able to direct you to an exorcist, who will require a psych evaluation, probably with someone he knows.

ETA: Exorcists work with all levels of demonic influence, not just possessions.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this link. I will be calling our diocese today. God bless.
 
ChibiViolet said:
You and the rest of your family members should pray for him every day and together if possible. Praying the Rosary and prayer of St. Michael prayer for him would be best. The original St. Micheal prayer is a bit longer than the one most people know and can easily be found online. Deliverance prayer, and exorcism (if needed) will only work if your son wants to be delivered from the demon or demons (assuming there are any involved here and I do get the sense that there is/are.)

A psychological exam is obviously necessary to figure out if maybe mental illness is the cause of his behavior.

This does not sound like demonic oppression, as that would imply he was being physically attacked by demons. It could be obsession potentially, which would mean he is being mentally attacked. I don’t want to scare you, but this could be possession, as not all possessions manifest in ways as dramatic as are thought of as typical and most cases are much less dramatic than those of movies…I will pray for you and your family.
Click to expand...
My husband and I have been praying a proxy deliverance prayer daily for him. We also pray for the intercession of St. Benedict, our Blessed Mother and St. Michael. I pray the rosary most days too. Your advice and prayers are much appreciated. One priest said to me that the devil is so common now that he doesn’t have to possess people like he did in biblical times. I was confused by that comment at the time. However, your post helped to clarify that to me… evil behavior is everywhere and accepted by much of our society as the norm. Thank you…
 
Viki63 said:
Are you familiar with Dr Ray Guarendi? His website is here.
You might consider contacting him, although the psychological evaluation sounds like a good idea.
We can’t rule out demonic oppression, but my thought is that adolescent behavior frequently seems insane. Pointless, designed to anger parents, hurt oneself.
We went through similar problems with our son; possibly worse: rebelliousness, physical attacks, foul language, school drop out, ran away, sneaked girls into his room. He was adopted, which I think has a lot to do with it, as he had multiple caregivers in his first months. That doesn’t apparently apply to your son.
He is now maturing, and has a job. The thing to hold on to, is never give up on him, never stop loving him, even if (as Dr. Guarendi has had to do) he needs out of home placement. There has to be someone in his life who believes in him, and prays for him.
You are certainly not alone. Praying for you.

.
Click to expand...
I have watched his show on EWTN and will spend some time on his website.My husband and I caught one show on this subject that parents discussed out of the home placement working for their teens. However, it was not revealed where they sent their children. I guess if needed, this can be discussed with priest/psychiatrist depending on evaluation results.
 
eazyduzit said:
From a spiritual standpoint, i don’t think the question rebellion OR oppression applies. No on rebels without some assistance from a devil. I’m sure this child grew up in a loving home. In tje same way, God’s original children knew nothing but love, yet they still rebelled, but I don’t think they would have without the encouragement of Satan.

I know that i tended to be a troublemaker as a youth and i didn’t understand why. I couldn’t seem to control it, but now that I’m free i know that it was a demonic influence. There are many little things than can give a devil an inside track. Rap or rock music is an obvious one. But it can be more subtle. Something as common as hurt feelings can leave a wound in the soul that a devil will use. (and they are always looking for every possible advantage)

But above all,you must not fear or be anxious. This what the devil wants because these emotions are from him and not from God. Instead God has given us a spirit of power
Love,and a soind mind. He has provided every spiritual weapon we need to have victory over this. We are never at the devils mercy. You just need God’s wisdom. This is why God has sent prophets. Their job is to discern and confirm what God is saying.

Jerry
Click to expand...
Jerry your post spoke to my heart. I do think that demons lurk and wait for an opening to attack (any opening… unforgiveness, abuse, emotional hurts, messing with the occult, etc.) I believe they also are linked to us through heredity and generational sin/curses. Ephesians 6 gives us much info and advice on this subject. I do have so many moments of anxiety, worry, grief. I know that Jesus conquered evil on the cross and we win this battle through our faith and following him. We are never at the devils mercy…thank you for saying that.
 
Hi cathlikrn,

I’m sorry to hear about your son. You’re doing all the right things as a parent in trying to get him help. Has your son been to confession recently? One good confession can break the hold of evil.

If he is unwilling to to go confession then I would suggest having masses said for him. Masses said for those in mortal sin *may *give the recipient the necessary graces for repentance and/or conversion.

You can also consecrate your son to the Blessed Mother. She is the mother of us all and will do what you cannot. You can find a prayer of consecration here: womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=11631

This reminds me of a woman religious named Sister Miriam James. In her college years, she struggled with alcoholism and lust. Her mother repeatedly tried to get through to her but could not. Her mother ended up saying a prayer to the Blessed Mother, whereby she gave her daughter to the Blessed Mother and thereafter repeatedly prayed that she become a nun.

Sister Miriam offers the following advice to parents: “As a child who was once wayward, I beg you parents please do not give up on your children. Make sacrifices for them, pray the rosary for them, give them away to Our Lady. And you know what you might never see the fruit in this life, but that doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that God hears your prayers and those prayers are answered, whether you see them answered here on earth or in heaven.”

You can watch the video here (fast forward to the 14:29 mark): youtube.com/watch?v=QDQcOr7qAf4

Don’t lose hope 🙂

Josie
 
Josie33,
I have prayed for God to bless me with people in my life to help my husband and I through this trial and to give us the direction and advice we need. You are an answer to prayer. My husband and I are currently going through a Marian consecration ourselves. We will consecrate all of our children to the Holy Family. I never thought of a mass intention before.
For everyone’s prayers, words of wisdom and advice, thank you so much. God’s blessings to you all…
 
Prayers for you and your family.
I would trust your own words " my husband and I have agreed we will not tolerate this any longer" . You are in agreement about limits now.
God bless you and my prayers.
 
There is a whole spectrum of mental illnesses and behavioral disorders that sit between “teenage rebellion” or “demonic oppression.” Given the severity of the problems you are having, I would suggest you start with competent medical assistance – for his sake and for yours.
 
cathlikrn said:
My husband and I are going through a most difficult time with our 17 year old son. Rebellion, defiance, alcohol abuse, sexual activity, foul language and leaving home for days at a time are some of the behaviors we are dealing with. His behavioral difficulties started at age 14 but really escalated over the past year. We went through 7 months of Christian counseling, which seemed to be making a difference initially. Eventually though, he used issues revealed in counseling as a weapon against us and an excuse for bad behavior. He walked out of our last counseling session and didn’t return home until the next day. We have discussed our situation with 4 different priests and received varied advice. A psychological evaluation was recommended and we are to meet with a priest who has a degree in and much experience with psychoanalysis.
My question regarding demonic oppression is for a few reasons. First off it is a gut feeling. Also he repeatedly removes his St. Benedict necklace. My daughter who was away for the summer had a dream about him and said in her dream it was not actually him, it was a demon. She told my sister about the dream and when I asked her, she said she did not want to talk about it.
My husband and I considered military school however the cost quickly ruled out this option. We do not know where to turn and honestly are not sure if he will even cooperate with a psychological evaluation. His behavior has been so dramatic during the past few weeks, my husband and I have agreed to not tolerate this any longer. He truly needs help though and as God blessed us with him as a son, we need to do what we can to get him the help that he needs.
Any advice, experience or comments are appreciated. Any thoughts on exorcism and deliverance?
Thank you…
Click to expand...
God, I am very sorry. Teenagers can be a heartache. Do you know what triggered this behavior? Friends, family issues? Sadly it could be demonic possession, you never know what some kids are up to these days. I know St. Monica pray for son’s conversion for twenty years and he became a saint. This may not be what you want to hear. Sorry. I have been a somewhat rebellious teen. I think my parents divorce sparked. I am not sure if this is any help, and sorry if I seem like I am parenting you or telling you what to do. Sometime people need to be just left alone for a bit. For some teens, the more you try to reach out and the more rebellious they become. If what I am saying is rubbish, then happily disregard it.
 
CRATUS said:
God, I am very sorry. Teenagers can be a heartache. Do you know what triggered this behavior? Friends, family issues? Sadly it could be demonic possession, you never know what some kids are up to these days. I know St. Monica pray for son’s conversion for twenty years and he became a saint. This may not be what you want to hear. Sorry. I have been a somewhat rebellious teen. I think my parents divorce sparked. I am not sure if this is any help, and sorry if I seem like I am parenting you or telling you what to do. Sometime people need to be just left alone for a bit. For some teens, the more you try to reach out and the more rebellious they become. If what I am saying is rubbish, then happily disregard it.
Click to expand...
Your comments were definitely not rubbish. We have had advice from a priest that recommended us backing off (so to speak.) Not sure exactly what sparked this behavior to exacerbate. Some issues came about in counseling that may have lowered his defenses and allowed evil in.
The St. Monica Novena starts today 👍
thanks for your concern.
 
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