Voices from demons? auditory hallucinations?

[Grace_Alone]

My 12yo son has a history of depression. He got into a fight w/ his sister and I was talking w/ him about how to address his part of the conflict. He got upset and asked that we go to his room. He was feeling very sad and cynical, and I said I wanted to pray for him. As I was praying, I felt led to ask the Lord to bind and cast out any evil that might be affecting him. My son said that when I prayed about “binding and casting out evil,” there was something said in his head that said, “It isn’t that easy.”

I started to pray the Litany of the Saints over him, and ended the prayer asking God to give him peace. My son said that as soon as I started to pray the names of the saints, that the voice in his head started shouting, "Shut up! Shut UP!!

I prayed for him a third time, using a prayer book which included the prayer of St. Francis, and I continued to name saints I begged to pray for him. When I finished praying, he said he felt as if “I looked hell in the face, and won.”

My son goes to mass weekly, genuflects when he comes and goes from the sanctuary, annoints himself with holy water, prays w/ us during family prayer time, is extremely attentive during our family Bible study time, and always wears a St. Benedict’s medal (that was blessed by a Benedictine priest). He wondered why he would be tormented like that while he was wearing the medal. I assured him that if he had not been wearing the medal, that things could have been much worse.

I plan to see our priest and discuss this w/ him, but what do you think about this experience? Do you have any suggestions of anything I could say to comfort my son, or should we just leave this behind us?

I also wonder if I should mention this to my son’s counselor and psychiatrist (he is seeing a psychiatrist because depression and anxiety are on both sides of the family). I’m wondering if the psychiatrist will think he suffers from auditory hallucinations - so on one hand I don’t want to say anything - on the other hand, I wonder if this isn’t a symptom of depression, in addition to being a spiritual attack.

I would be very grateful for any godly advise. Please pray for us.

 

[rachael_maria]

God bless you and your son! I think that you should speak to a priest and also that you should tell the psychiatrist what happened. Did you ask your son if he has ever experienced this “voice” before? Not to scare you, but with the depression your son suffers with there is a real possibility that this might have a mental component. (not that there might not be a spiritual component too.) With a good priest and a good doctor I pray that you can get the help that your son needs.

 

[Stylites]

I also wonder if I should mention this to my son’s counselor and psychiatrist (he is seeing a psychiatrist because depression and anxiety are on both sides of the family). I’m wondering if the psychiatrist will think he suffers from auditory hallucinations - so on one hand I don’t want to say anything - on the other hand, I wonder if this isn’t a symptom of depression, in addition to being a spiritual attack.

I would be very grateful for any godly advise. Please pray for us.

I wish I had some advice to offer, but I have only a concern related to the counselor and psychiatrist: If they are not theists then it probably wouldn’t help mentioning it to them. I heard on Catholic radio the other day an interview of a Catholic psychologist in the L.A. area, and I think I remember him stating that more than 80% of the people in his profession do not believe in God.

.

 

[david_friol]

My 12yo son has a history of depression. He got into a fight w/ his sister and I was talking w/ him about how to address his part of the conflict. He got upset and asked that we go to his room. He was feeling very sad and cynical, and I said I wanted to pray for him. As I was praying, I felt led to ask the Lord to bind and cast out any evil that might be affecting him. My son said that when I prayed about “binding and casting out evil,” there was something said in his head that said, “It isn’t that easy.”

I started to pray the Litany of the Saints over him, and ended the prayer asking God to give him peace. My son said that as soon as I started to pray the names of the saints, that the voice in his head started shouting, "Shut up! Shut UP!!

I prayed for him a third time, using a prayer book which included the prayer of St. Francis, and I continued to name saints I begged to pray for him. When I finished praying, he said he felt as if “I looked hell in the face, and won.”

My son goes to mass weekly, genuflects when he comes and goes from the sanctuary, annoints himself with holy water, prays w/ us during family prayer time, is extremely attentive during our family Bible study time, and always wears a St. Benedict’s medal (that was blessed by a Benedictine priest). He wondered why he would be tormented like that while he was wearing the medal. I assured him that if he had not been wearing the medal, that things could have been much worse.

I plan to see our priest and discuss this w/ him, but what do you think about this experience? Do you have any suggestions of anything I could say to comfort my son, or should we just leave this behind us?

I also wonder if I should mention this to my son’s counselor and psychiatrist (he is seeing a psychiatrist because depression and anxiety are on both sides of the family). I’m wondering if the psychiatrist will think he suffers from auditory hallucinations - so on one hand I don’t want to say anything - on the other hand, I wonder if this isn’t a symptom of depression, in addition to being a spiritual attack.

I would be very grateful for any godly advise. Please pray for us.

 Every situation is different and I suppose there are many factors to consider.  It could be a mixture of things too. Though while I was reading your letter I was reminded a little bit of myself.  People could fault me, I'm sure, but I tend to think along the spiritual lines first, on things of this sort.  Maybe it's just my personal experiense though.   I'm 38 now, but when I was younger I grew up in a family with 10 kids, Catholic, Sunday chuch schedule, Catholic school, daily rosary, prayer at meals, scapular wearin' even to this day.  However, even with all of this goodness around me I was tormented by a deep hatred of my family.  I wanted to kill them all, though they never suspected.  To them I always seemed so happy but inside I was in ruins.  I can not count the number of times I wanted to end my own life and theirs.  When I was talking to my sister about this resently she told me she remembered how angry I would get when we would get into sibling fights.  I am no professional but here is some thoughts:1-Lust, Lust, Lust; women can be quite clueless to the effect that this sin has on a man's heart, mind and spirit. I think it was Our Lady of Fatima who told us that more souls fall into hell because of impure sins of the flesh than any other sin.  Combat this by turning to our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph and pray for purity of mind, heart and will.  2-Anger, Anger, Anger; I don't know you or your son but based on what I read I would bet my house that he has some deep rooted anger problems that he may not even understand at this time in his life.  He probably gets mad and doesn't even relate it to anything (except some outside person or thing,i.e. his sister) I have learned that there is nothing and I mean NOTHING in this world that can make a person angry or cause someone to lose their cool with someone else.  The interior turmoil of sin is the true reason for this.  Need to pray for gentleness of heart, humility and forgiveness(of self and others).  3-Depression, Depression, Depression; Don't let it fool you it is deadly. A ripe mixture of Pride and spiritual(and/or physical) Sloth combine and masquerade as Depression. It could be anything, even somthing as simple as sitting around and wasting time playing video games instead of doing what a Christian ought to be doing, and that is doing good for others out of Love for Christ.
 I do not want to make this to long so I will just end saying that it took me a long time to overcome some pretty terrible sins.  Anger, murderous desires, suicidal tendencies, a major pornography addiction that started much younger than you sons age, demons frightening me in the night, some call them night terrors.  When we open the door to sin all kinds of bad creatures come in, but when we open the door to Christ(truly not just in outward appearances) then the door to sin closes and can not be opened except though sinning again.  I overcame these, not by my own strength but by the grace and power of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist and Confession. I can not say enough about daily communion and weekly confession.  When Jesus is close who can attack you.

God bless you and your son and the rest of your family!

 

[Julian0404]

If the Pyschiatrist is not a Christian doctor, he may want to “medicate” your son. Definetly talk to your priest, and invite him to dinner, for the purpose of Blessing your entire home, and especially your sons bedroom. And teach our son the Prayer of St. Michael, which was penned by Pope Leo after a vision of the fight between heaven and hell in the final days. It is a strong deterent against satan.

 

[masondoggy]

My son had similiar experiences when he was almost 12 also, although his experiences were much more involved and frightening.

What’s funny is this all happened a few months after my mom gave him a St. Benedict medal. I don’t think he was wearing it at the time, but when it happened I instructed him not to take it off and I prayed like a mad woman and a year later he hasn’t had any other problems.

I did take him to see a doctor and we did discover some issues with him, but nothing that explained away what happened to him. I was scared to death to take him to a doctor but I knew I had to do it just to rule out something medical or serious.

If you want to know more about what happened, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[glenaitken]

I think that this is what I would do in your situation:
definitly have him talk to a priest. he’s 12 and that means he’s probably not telling you everything (that’s what 12 year olds do) and so he should go to confession once a month (this is a good practice for the whole family). second, I would ask him to tell you if this sort of thing happens to him again. drop the subject with him after that, but try to get a sinceere promise from him that he will tell you if this happens to him ever again. next, do not pray the way you did with him in the room. sometimes if a person has a mental condidtion, the power of suggestion from praying in this way may cause his mind to make up the phenomena. instead, pray for him (and the rest of your family) in solitude (st michael prayer, guardian angels, etc- the rosary expecially). if the phenomena occurs again without his knowledge of your prayer, then there may be a more serious problem. as to the psyciatrist- that’s your call. you know if this person is open to more than one explaination. I would think (mind you i’m not a psychiatrist) that if the phenomena has never occured before and doesn;t occur after, that it was a spiritual experiance and not a medical one.
most important- don;t scare the hell out of your 12 year old son with this stuff. he’s curious, and too much curiosity will lead to unhealthy interest in the occult or demonology. i suggest dropping it after he talks to a good priest (or even a holy nun or layperson, provided he goes to confession at some point).

 

[masondoggy]

I think that this is what I would do in your situation:
definitly have him talk to a priest. he’s 12 and that means he’s probably not telling you everything (that’s what 12 year olds do) and so he should go to confession once a month (this is a good practice for the whole family). second, I would ask him to tell you if this sort of thing happens to him again. drop the subject with him after that, but try to get a sinceere promise from him that he will tell you if this happens to him ever again. next, do not pray the way you did with him in the room. sometimes if a person has a mental condidtion, the power of suggestion from praying in this way may cause his mind to make up the phenomena. instead, pray for him (and the rest of your family) in solitude (st michael prayer, guardian angels, etc- the rosary expecially). if the phenomena occurs again without his knowledge of your prayer, then there may be a more serious problem. as to the psyciatrist- that’s your call. you know if this person is open to more than one explaination. I would think (mind you i’m not a psychiatrist) that if the phenomena has never occured before and doesn;t occur after, that it was a spiritual experiance and not a medical one.

most important- don;t scare the hell out of your 12 year old son with this stuff. he’s curious, and too much curiosity will lead to unhealthy interest in the occult or demonology. i suggest dropping it after he talks to a good priest (or even a holy nun or layperson, provided he goes to confession at some point).

I agree with your advice. I never bring the subject up with my son. I’ve asked him a few times if he wanted to talk about it and he said no, he just wanted to forget about it…and that was just fine by me. I also agree with praying for him when he’s not around…

And just to beware if you decide to talk to a priest, be very careful what priest you go to. You may even want to find out who the exorcist priest is in your diocese and go to him…not because your son needs an exorcism, but because that priest is more likely to understand the problem. I took my son to the parish priest last year and, as well-intentioned as he was, he had no clue what to think or how to help.

 

[Grace_Alone]

Thank you very much for your suggestions and support. I had a wonderful talk yesterday w/ a very wise and holy priest (who is also the exorcist in our area). He suggested that I try to discern how the evil got into our home - what was its pathway?

I’ve allowed my children to read fantasy books, because my husband is really into fantasy - and he insisted on reading them the complete Harry Potter series. Father said that the Harry Potter series is ok for children w/ a strong faith formation - and my children have a very strong faith formation. As my husband read them the books, I talked w/ them about the truths of the spiritual world, and that God considers all real witchcraft evil - and that the wizardry in the book needed to be looked at as more like fantasy. I wonder if that isn’t one pathway evil has used to get into our home.

My husband loves Lord of the Rings, and he read that to our sons as well, so I guess I thought, how different is Dumbledore from Gandolf? Father said that the potential trouble w/ the fantasy books, is that children can come to think that they can rely on their own power, or magic, to get what they want in life, and stop relying on the goodness of God. I thought that was a very good point.

I have alot to think about. David, I am particularly interested in your perspective, and I am very grateful for your honesty. Both my husband and the son I mentioned are extremely angry people. My husband is a protestant, and is still very angry about my conversion 10 years ago. The son I mentioned, and my older daughter asked to be received into the Church two years ago, and my husband begrudgingly came to the Easter Vigil when they received their First Holy Communion. My younger daughter is receiving her instruction to receive her First Holy Communion this spring. My husband used to glare at me when I went to mass (on a Sat. or Sunday night - we’d all go to the protestant church on Sunday morning). He’s mumbled before, “I know they’re all gonna trun out Catholic.” My older daughter has become an altar server, and he comes to mass (w/o scowling!!!) when she is a server.

My husband has tried to control his anger better recently, but I consider him to be a “rage-a-holic.” He may be “dry” for awhile, but then he will fly into a rage over something very small, and the whole house cowers. I’ve prayed for him for years, and will continue to do so. On New Years Day he flew into a rage as I was preparing to go to mass w/ the younger three children. I stood up to him and told him that he was not to treat me like that - he considers Cathoics to be Christians - so why is he so angry about me going to a Christian Church?

Theology is the white elephant in our home. any time theology comes up, he flies into a rage - so I avoid the topic, leave him in the hands of the Holy Spirit, and continue to pray.

The anger in our home is toxic. I think anger must be another pathway that evil has used to get into our home. My parents divorced, and I would never want that for my children. My husband is going to a counselor w/ me on Monday. Please pray for us. I belong to a weekly rosary group, but because of illness, doctor’s appts, and specialists appts, my attendence there has been very irregular the last few months. I will strive to pray the rosary daily, asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring peace to our home. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

 

[rachael_maria]

I really agree with Glenaitken that you should be careful about suggesting things or scaring your son. Have you asked him if he has ever experienced a voice before? You should make sure that he will tell you if it happens again. I still think it is worth telling the psychiatrist. If you trust the psychiatrist enough to have him treat your sons depression than you should trust him enough to tell him about this too. If not, find a different doctor, even if you have to travel to one. My friends brother thought he was having spiritual trouble but was in fact mentally ill. He is okay now- going to school, working, ect. but he was really not okay before he got help. Just think that this possibility should be looked at as well- especially with the history of depression and anger issues. I will pray!

 

[beckycmarie]

Grace, I am so glad to hear you are able to get help from an exorcist in your area. If what is going on is a spiritual problem, he will know best how to advise you in this situation.

The only thing I have to add is a few paragraphs from the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance, which talk about possible sources of demonization, and “hooks” that demons are attached to. This list may give you some things to consider while discerning the pathway that may have attracted a demon.

You have my prayers.

The sources of demonization are various but generally fall into three categories:

1. Inattention or Failure to live the Christ-Life: Whenever we move away from God we move away from His protection. As one old Baptist preacher said once, “The best way to keep the devil out of our lives is to keep Christ in our lives.” We need to develop our faith and devotional life with God. Inattention to this leaves us vulnerable to the attacks of the Evil One.

2. Sins of Commission and Omission: Living a sinful life guarantees vulnerability to the Evil One. We need to deal with sin in our life — both the sins we actively or habitually commit and the sins that come from not doing what is right. Sin pokes holes in the hedge of protection that God has erected around us; it leaves the gate to our live unlocked.

3. Sins of Others: The “sins of the fathers” is often a sad reason for the problems and even the demonization of the children. One of the most famous cases of possession was in Iowa in the 1920s. (To read an account of this case see, Begone Satan!) This was a case in which the possessed woman had been repeatedly cursed by her wicked father. The poor girl suffered terribly due to her father’s sin.

On occasion we can also suffer from curses and spells perpetrated upon us any anyone who is evil enough to want to do such a thing.

In these cases, there is nothing we have done to cause the demonization. We are innocent. We are, rather, victims of other people’s sin.

Another reason for delayed deliverance is that “hooks” may be present in a person’s life that need to be removed before deliverance can be completed. “Hooks” are various behaviors and circumstances, attitudes and ideas, or emotional attachments that allow demons to “hang on” to a person’s life.

Some examples of these hooks include, but are not limited to…

Behaviors or Circumstances: involvement in astrology or the occult, the New Age, membership in heterodox or heretical groups, sexual sins (fornication, masturbation, adultery, pornography, homosexual sin, “living together without marriage”), other sinful lifestyles, maintaining friendships that are harmful, and for Catholics in particular—remarriage without annulment of previous marriages or any other marriage that has not be properly regularized and blessed in the Church.

Attitudes and Ideas: rebelliousness or a spirit of disobedience against some Church teaching, holding heterdox or heretical viewpoints, pride, prejudice against against certain people, gossip, selfishness, uncharity, lack of compassion or love toward others.

Emotional Attachments: this area is perhaps the most common “hook”, after that of sexual sins and pride— unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, hopelessness, despair.

Deliverance is rarely possible, or unlikely to be permanent, if any of these or any number of other “hooks” remain in our lives. To find freedom, we must locate and remove all the “hooks”. Any “hook” in our life can be the excuse the demons use to hang on to us.

Searching for “hooks” in our lives can be very difficult both to recognize them and to overcome them. It can also be emotionally painful, but it is critically needed if we are to find freedom and healing. A Deliverance Counselor can be very helpful, and sometimes critically necessary, to assist a person in finding and ridding themselves of these “hooks”.

Source: saintpiocenter.org/selfhelp/sevensteps.asp

 

[beckycmarie]

One thing that just came to mind - ask yourself, has your husband, in one of his fits of rage, said things to curse you or the children? By “curse” I mean using the word “damn” followed by “you” or someone’s name, or saying some version of “go to hell.” These kinds of curses coming from someone with authority in the household can be a pathway.

If you your husband is cursing the family this way, make sure to mention this to the priest at your next meeting. In the meantime, if your husband is doing this, it needs to stop immediately. He can find some other way to vent without calling down evil upon the family.

 

[horselvr]

When I was quite young I can remember saying to my Mom that I heard a voice in my head. She questioned me about this (without making it seem like all the devils in hell were after me) and it turned out it was my own thoughts. Just plan old me thinking in my head being a little defiant. An example would be if my Mom told me to clean my room, I would think to myself, “I don’t want to clean my room”.

No demon, just me being defiant as young children sometimes can be especially if they feel provoked by an older sibling and most assuredly if there is an angry parent upsetting the whole household and scaring the children and causing confusion concerning the chosen faith.

I wouldn’t say my opinion—but I did think it to myself. Hope this makes sense.

 

[david_friol]

Thank you very much for your suggestions and support. I had a wonderful talk yesterday w/ a very wise and holy priest (who is also the exorcist in our area). He suggested that I try to discern how the evil got into our home - what was its pathway?

I’ve allowed my children to read fantasy books, because my husband is really into fantasy - and he insisted on reading them the complete Harry Potter series. Father said that the Harry Potter series is ok for children w/ a strong faith formation - and my children have a very strong faith formation. As my husband read them the books, I talked w/ them about the truths of the spiritual world, and that God considers all real witchcraft evil - and that the wizardry in the book needed to be looked at as more like fantasy. I wonder if that isn’t one pathway evil has used to get into our home.

My husband loves Lord of the Rings, and he read that to our sons as well, so I guess I thought, how different is Dumbledore from Gandolf? Father said that the potential trouble w/ the fantasy books, is that children can come to think that they can rely on their own power, or magic, to get what they want in life, and stop relying on the goodness of God. I thought that was a very good point.

I have alot to think about. David, I am particularly interested in your perspective, and I am very grateful for your honesty. Both my husband and the son I mentioned are extremely angry people. My husband is a protestant, and is still very angry about my conversion 10 years ago. The son I mentioned, and my older daughter asked to be received into the Church two years ago, and my husband begrudgingly came to the Easter Vigil when they received their First Holy Communion. My younger daughter is receiving her instruction to receive her First Holy Communion this spring. My husband used to glare at me when I went to mass (on a Sat. or Sunday night - we’d all go to the protestant church on Sunday morning). He’s mumbled before, “I know they’re all gonna trun out Catholic.” My older daughter has become an altar server, and he comes to mass (w/o scowling!!!) when she is a server.

My husband has tried to control his anger better recently, but I consider him to be a “rage-a-holic.” He may be “dry” for awhile, but then he will fly into a rage over something very small, and the whole house cowers. I’ve prayed for him for years, and will continue to do so. On New Years Day he flew into a rage as I was preparing to go to mass w/ the younger three children. I stood up to him and told him that he was not to treat me like that - he considers Cathoics to be Christians - so why is he so angry about me going to a Christian Church?

Theology is the white elephant in our home. any time theology comes up, he flies into a rage - so I avoid the topic, leave him in the hands of the Holy Spirit, and continue to pray.

The anger in our home is toxic. I think anger must be another pathway that evil has used to get into our home. My parents divorced, and I would never want that for my children. My husband is going to a counselor w/ me on Monday. Please pray for us. I belong to a weekly rosary group, but because of illness, doctor’s appts, and specialists appts, my attendence there has been very irregular the last few months. I will strive to pray the rosary daily, asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring peace to our home. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

Hey Grace Alone
I hope that all of you can work through this stuff. In the end all the fighting and anger will show itself to be a big waste of time. Those fantasy titles Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are actually two of my favorites with special props for LOR. I do agree with what the priest told you about them teaching children to trust in themselves instead of God. Regarding you, your husband and your conversion, Peace should be your goal, seek peace between both of you. When I was in what I refer to as my “Angry Days” it wasn’t the anger that was the problem. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote about the 7 deadly sins describing them as a water fountain. When you look at a fountain it shoots up and foams up and bubbles and sprays out real big. Now when anyone looks at a fountain they will focus on all of that “busy” water because it grabs our attention and all the while the main force behind it all gets only an occasional glance. Now with our sins, particularly those 7 deadly sins, a similar thing happens. We tend to focus on anger, greed, lust, gluttony, envy and sloth and even others. The focus is on these because they stand out but the real focus should be on conquering our pride. Pride is the force that lifts up all other sins just like that fountain. He went on to say that there is an element of pride in every sin ever committed. Humility is what is needed here by everyone in your home. I try to pray the Litany of Humility everyday after receiving Christ in the Eucharist, it helps me to remember what I am striving for. I am very interested in hearing more from you about why your husband seems angry with your conversion. I mean, I know it is because of his pride, but what does he say bothers him with the Catholic Faith? There are so many issues that affect Protestants. I do not want to get off the issue of your son though. So then, I would just say that you are on the right track in my opinion. The marriage bond must be rekindled, love needs to be strengthened in your relationship so your son can learn from his parents how to act in a more loving and forgiving way. You recognize that there is a problem with anger that must be defeated. The only way I have ever overcome anything is by the grace and power of Jesus Christ. And the surest path to him is through Our Lady. Don’t give up, he has you all in his hands, through all struggles he is training you in what it truly means to love.

God bless you and all you family!

 

[Lainey63]

I didn’t read all the responses but I do know that hallucinations, both auditory and visual, can and often are associated with depression and anxiety. I have suffered from all the above.

Hopefully, your son is learning to challenge those thoughts that is how I learned to overcome anxiety. I know there are exercises that can be used to help overcome anxiety and they are quite simple and help change the thought process and reduce the anxiety and feeling of being overwhelmed.

In addition to that I would like to add as time went on I learned that usually these nasty voices that would invade my thoughts were from people in my past…most often my older sister, who was always very judgmental of me and everyone else and very negative. Once I was able to recognize that these voices were just memories and I could actually identify who they were…they lost all their power over me. It didn’t happen right away…but it did happen

People think the only memories we have are visual, but many like myself have auditory memories, some have “feeling memories”. Which would explain for example why so many people remember what they were doing when Jack Kennedy was shot.

 

[BobObob]

I plan to see our priest and discuss this w/ him, but what do you think about this experience? Do you have any suggestions of anything I could say to comfort my son, or should we just leave this behind us?

I also wonder if I should mention this to my son’s counselor and psychiatrist (he is seeing a psychiatrist because depression and anxiety are on both sides of the family). I’m wondering if the psychiatrist will think he suffers from auditory hallucinations - so on one hand I don’t want to say anything - on the other hand, I wonder if this isn’t a symptom of depression, in addition to being a spiritual attack.

I would be very grateful for any godly advise. Please pray for us.

I am a student at an orthodox Catholic College (Franciscan University of Steubenville) who is majoring in both (1) theology and (2) mental health and human services, which are both relevant for this situation.

Short answer:

Tell both the priest and the counselor/psychiatrist. If possible, consult a good Catholic exorcist if you think that is needed. Avoid convincing your son he’s possessed/oppressed.

Longer answer:

I have studied exorcisms, demonic possessions, and demonic oppressions a little bit, but not a lot. I believe that usually the first thing that a good exorcist does is rule out psychological causes. Exorcists say that the overwhelming majority of the time that people think that they are possessed or are hearing voices, it is of psychological, rather than diabolical, origin, which is probably the case for your son (especially considering that you mentioned that he does have other psychological problems). Your son’s situation sounds a lot like schizophrenia, paranoid type (answers.com/topic/paranoid-schizophrenia).

I am not a qualified expert in demonology or psychology (I’m about 5-6 years away from a PhD) to give an accepted diagnosis. You should consult with experts in both fields. Don’t hesitate to tell the psychiatrist because he may be an atheist. I have heard that exorcists say that sometimes an atheist psychologist/psychiatrist is more preferable because if they admit that they don’t know what is going on, that is better exclusionary evidence than a psychologist who may believe in the demonic realm (and may even lead them to knowledge of God).

I’m wondering, did your son know that you were praying before he heard “It isn’t that easy” and “Shut up! Shut UP!!”, or did he know you were praying because he heard the voices? If he did not hear or see you pray, then there is a chance that it may be diabolical. If not, it is in all likelihood psychological.

I think It is best to try not to being suggestive to your son. Try to avoid planting into his mind the idea that he is possessed or oppressed diabolically because often doing that will make the symptoms worse for someone whose problem is psychological and not diabolical because it may lead them to falsely convice themselves that they are possessed o oppressed by demons.

 

[BobObob]

When I wrote above, I had only read the initial post. After reading your second post, Grace Alone, I’m even more certain that it is a psychological, rather than diabolical, problem.

I mentioned that your son’s case sounds like paranoid schizophrenia, but I should have also mentioned that such diagnosis is seldom given to minors. When someone your son’s age (12) is experiencing hallucinations, it is not uncommon for them to be residual (go away). Many may have such experiences early in life, but may stop having them and live a normal life.

Both my husband and the son I mentioned are extremely angry people.

My husband has tried to control his anger better recently, but I consider him to be a “rage-a-holic.” He may be “dry” for awhile, but then he will fly into a rage over something very small, and the whole house cowers. I’ve prayed for him for years, and will continue to do so. On New Years Day he flew into a rage as I was preparing to go to mass w/ the younger three children.

The anger in our home is toxic. I think anger must be another pathway that evil has used to get into our home. My parents divorced, and I would never want that for my children.

Last semester I did a paper that was a case study on an individual who had paranoid schizophrenia. In the process of doing the paper and taking the abnormal psychology class, I found that most people with schizophrenia came from homes that were breeding grounds for anger and frustration. Schizophrenia is rarely a problem merely with the individual who has the symptoms.

My husband is going to a counselor w/ me on Monday. Please pray for us.

This is an excellent idea! It seems that counseling with your husband can do a lot of good for the entire family!

Try to avoid double bind situations (goertzel.org/dynapsyc/1997/Koopmans.html) because they are viewed as having an etiological (causal) relationship with schizophrenia.

I’ve allowed my children to read fantasy books, because my husband is really into fantasy - and he insisted on reading them the complete Harry Potter series. Father said that the Harry Potter series is ok for children w/ a strong faith formation - and my children have a very strong faith formation. As my husband read them the books, I talked w/ them about the truths of the spiritual world, and that God considers all real witchcraft evil - and that the wizardry in the book needed to be looked at as more like fantasy. I wonder if that isn’t one pathway evil has used to get into our home.

I would suggest that if possible you avoid fantasy because it may open up the boy’s imagination and make him more vulnerable to suggestions. Imaginative images may stay in the back of a boy’s mind more than an adult’s mind. Since your husband insists on reading them Harry Potter, I think it would do good to try to help them separate fantasy from reality (which is something that people with schizophrenia have a hard time doing).

I would recommend at least mentioning fantasy/Harry Potter to the psychiatrist as well as the psychologist.

Please pray for us. I belong to a weekly rosary group, but because of illness, doctor’s appts, and specialists appts, my attendence there has been very irregular the last few months. I will strive to pray the rosary daily, asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring peace to our home. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

There is a good priest who used to work for the Vatican, appears sometimes on EWTN, and who is a psychologist, who often says Mass and hears confession at my home parish. He often offers a very crucial piece of advice, which is:

Don’t worry!

I offer this advice to you because it seems you have a lot on your mind. I’ll keep your family in my prayers.

 

[Lainey63]

Grace alone you didn’t mention if you yourself are a victim of spousal abuse from your 2nd post it appears that your husband is quite verbally abusive. If you go back and reread your own posts I believe you answered your own questions.

“Voices from demons?” Then you talk about your husbands fits of rage and how terrified everyone becomes…there is your demonic voice. I may be out of line here, but also you mention that you have been getting ill-which also happens to those who suffer from abuse. My father was quite abusive to my mother when I was young. And she also became ill. If you, yourself are suffering from depression that will also bring about physical illnesses.

Perhaps you need to ask yourself some hard questions: are you dancing around the issue, has your husband’s rages been mentioned in your son’s therapy? Are you in fact in a abusive relationship and in denial? Are your illnesses a result of walking on eggshells all the time and being nervous, constantly worrying about your son, etc. Is your husband an alcoholic? That would explain the rages also.

If your husband has been prone to go into rages, then all of that is internalized by the children and it has to come out at some point in their lives.

What the previous poster mentioned about exorcists looking for psychological reasons first is true and it is also true that childhood schizophrenia is rare.

I do know that if you continue to stay close to the Blessed Virgin she will help you through this and you will find the answers and help you need. It will be slow, and difficult for a while but keep trusting in God and keep looking for answers…continue to be proactive. She has helped me and my children through some seemingly impossible situations and she will help you too. I know that in my situation, I had to do a lot of work on myself at the same time.

 

[rachael_maria]

Don’t be too afraid of the schizophrenia word. Other problems could cause auditory hallucinations- including depression, bipolar disorder, etc. Not that any of those options sound too good,but all of those things can be treated. It would be good to bring your concern to the doctor and the priest. If it is a psychological problem or a spiritual problem- either way- no one here can get to the bottom of it.

 

[PPeterson]

I am not a qualified expert in demonology or psychology (I’m about 5-6 years away from a PhD) to give an accepted diagnosis.

In the next 5 years you will also have a series of ethics courses which will, among other things, hammer the point home that you can not make a diagnosis over the internet

That aside, there are a number of mental conditions that can be accompanied by auditory hallucinations. it’s not only schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder than can lead to voices, mood disorders (including but not limited to depression) can have a specifier listed diagnostically as “with psychotic features.” Some dissociative disorders can cause something somewhat similar. Also, some people describe “hearing voices” when they are really trying to explain having a strong, unwanted obsessive thought of their own that they find difficult or shameful. It’s not necessarily a sign of long term psychosis, so you should get it checked out to get a better understanding. try not to worry until you get it exhaustively checked out by a professional.
If your son is seeing a psychologist/counselor or psychiatrist they absolutely need to know about this to do their job effectively. If you are worried about having a different worldview then the counselor, it would be better to find a Christian or Catholic therapist than to simply with hold the information. I think it’s a good idea to talk to both your priest and your son’s therapist.