What do you do for someone who may be possessed?

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AKDee

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I’ve come to suspect that someone who was once very close to me may be possessed. We had a very close relationship my entire life. In the last few years this person began systematically pushing people away, having major angry outbursts, refusing to forgive, cutting multiple people out of their life and when this person gets mad- the only thing I can compare the expression on this person’s face to is demonic. This person ended up pushing me out of their life, and without getting too specific, this person is a family member and not just a friend. So the estrangement is both unnatural and distressing. They accused me of something that was completely untrue, and then cut off all contact. They have refused attempts by me to make amends, and see affronts in everything I do, including my recent conversion to Catholicism (which they found out from another family member). At first I thought this was due to alcoholism, but this person has stopped drinking and has been sober for many months with no improvement. Then I thought it was a mental illness…but I keep coming back to the expression on this person’s face. And each time I think of it, a voice in my head confirms to me that this person is possessed. This person has dabbled in wicca and even black magic over the course of their life and regularly practices astrology and while they do believe in God it’s not at all the Christian version and they do not pray (so far as I know), read scripture or go to church.

There is no chance that this person would seek help from the Church. I have been praying multiple times a day for this person. But aside from that, what else can be done? I feel constrained, to an extent, by this person’s free will. For example, I thought about perhaps sending some blessed items like a St. Benedict medal to someone who could then place it in this person’s house, and perhaps some Holy Water to be sprinkled, but then I thought if I know this person would object to that perhaps that’s not okay to do. And I think they would object to it, both because it’s from me and they are having nothing to do with me, and because it’s of a Christian origin.

I’m a very new Catholic (but not new to the belief in possession) and so I don’t know at this point what would be appropriate or even what options are there. Could I have a Mass said for this person, and would that help? Is there a particular Saint to pray to for this purpose?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Keep praying, that is a good first step.

Remember that literal demonic possession is rare, and the Church considers it a diagnosis of exclusion. Not every person who acts in complicity with evil or who seems to hold a life of virtue in contempt is possessed. Natural consequences of an increasing enslavement to sin and mood disorders or mental status changes with natural causes must be ruled out before considering possession as the cause of the sorts of behavior you are describing. Only when natural explanation for the behavior and phenomena exhibited by the person fail is it concluded that the person may in fact be possessed.

With regards to the alcoholism, that alone is reason enough for what you are describing. There is a reason that AA refers to people who have quit drinking but not done any of the other business at hand with regards to their alcoholism as “dry drunks.” It is because victims of that disease do not “get better” simply by suspending their drinking.

alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/dry-drunk-syndrome/

Alcoholism is also considered not an individual malady, but a family disease. This is because the need to cope with the alcoholic has this way of bringing out all sorts of desperate and damaging coping strategies in the victim’s family and support system. I would suggest that you find some counselling for yourself with someone who can listen to the particulars of your situation and give you discrete advice. They may or may not refer you to Al-Anon or to books such as Melody Beattie’s “Co-Dependent No More.” You could ask your pastor to help you sort through your options.
 
AKDee said:
I’ve come to suspect that someone who was once very close to me may be possessed. We had a very close relationship my entire life. In the last few years this person began systematically pushing people away, having major angry outbursts, refusing to forgive, cutting multiple people out of their life and when this person gets mad- the only thing I can compare the expression on this person’s face to is demonic. This person ended up pushing me out of their life, and without getting too specific, this person is a family member and not just a friend. So the estrangement is both unnatural and distressing. They accused me of something that was completely untrue, and then cut off all contact. They have refused attempts by me to make amends, and see affronts in everything I do, including my recent conversion to Catholicism (which they found out from another family member). At first I thought this was due to alcoholism, but this person has stopped drinking and has been sober for many months with no improvement. Then I thought it was a mental illness…but I keep coming back to the expression on this person’s face. And each time I think of it, a voice in my head confirms to me that this person is possessed. This person has dabbled in wicca and even black magic over the course of their life and regularly practices astrology and while they do believe in God it’s not at all the Christian version and they do not pray (so far as I know), read scripture or go to church.

There is no chance that this person would seek help from the Church. I have been praying multiple times a day for this person. But aside from that, what else can be done? I feel constrained, to an extent, by this person’s free will. For example, I thought about perhaps sending some blessed items like a St. Benedict medal to someone who could then place it in this person’s house, and perhaps some Holy Water to be sprinkled, but then I thought if I know this person would object to that perhaps that’s not okay to do. And I think they would object to it, both because it’s from me and they are having nothing to do with me, and because it’s of a Christian origin.

I’m a very new Catholic (but not new to the belief in possession) and so I don’t know at this point what would be appropriate or even what options are there. Could I have a Mass said for this person, and would that help? Is there a particular Saint to pray to for this purpose?

Any advice would be appreciated.
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Here is a good article to start with.

knowledgenuts.com/2014/01/31/how-priests-tell-between-demonic-possession-and-mental-illness/

Keep this person in your prayers first and foremost.

Remember there is about a 99.99999999999999999% chance that they are not demon possessed, so be careful what you say to them. If he isn’t speaking in foreign tongues he has never studied before there is probably something else going on. You could really shut down communication completely if you start making accusations that turn out not to be true.
 
Aside from prayer, refer them to a priest. It’s my understanding a lot of these “I think I’m possessed” cases are just a form of mental illness.
 
When this person makes their evil “demon” face, are their features distorted to an unnatural level? If so this is a symptom. In any event, it seems the only thing you can do for them is pray as you have been and maybe more.
 
robertmidwest said:
Remember there is about a 99.99999999999999999% chance that they are not demon possessed, so be careful what you say to them. If he isn’t speaking in foreign tongues he has never studied before there is probably something else going on. You could really shut down communication completely if you start making accusations that turn out not to be true.
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Oh, never fear. I would never say this to them or to anyone who knows them where it might make it’s way back.
 
ChibiViolet said:
When this person makes their evil “demon” face, are their features distorted to an unnatural level? If so this is a symptom. In any event, it seems the only thing you can do for them is pray as you have been and maybe more.
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Distorted- I would have to say no. But the look is one of utter hatred, a level of hatred I find shocking to see on the face of a fellow human being.
 
Yes, have Masses said for him. The Mass can move mountains. It is extremely powerful. If you need privacy, have the Massas said for a special intention.
 
PSTD from a recent or remembered trauma, physical trauma, tumors, several diseases, schizophrenia, chemical imbalance, all these things can cause changes in behavior ect.

It is the supernatural stuff that would suggest possession. When people start getting hit in the head with books when no one is in the room, bad smells, Impossibly heavy furniture gets moved, when she tells you to answer the phone because you mom just ran into the telephone pole and needs help and the phone rings, this is when you start worrying about hauntings or demons.

Ill add you guys to my prayer intentions.
 
Many mental illnesses – including dementia – could lead to the sort of behavior you subscribe. (And some dementias set in when people are 50, 60, etc… not just “elderly”)
 
QuasiCatholic said:
Many mental illnesses – including dementia – could lead to the sort of behavior you subscribe. (And some dementias set in when people are 50, 60, etc… not just “elderly”)
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This is a possibility- this person is 68.

And I thank everyone who has offered to pray, I really appreciate it.
 
Welcome our new Catholic! You have just been a part of one of the biggest exorcisms we offer- the Easter Vigil. Joining with you, every one (Catholic and non-cathołic) who attended an Easter Service also recieved the excorsism.

I believe I also encountered a person who had a bad spirit attached to him. His face literally changed in the moon light and water regardless of his emotion. Now, by no means am I studied Enough to guide anyone. However, what I have learned is that demonic physical possession is extremely rare. It is more common that the bad spirit is blocking the guardian angel because the person is allowing it through desire to do wrong. Eventually, they get very little support from thier guardian angel because they have turned so far away from Gods will … Sounds like many of us right? It also sounds like the Looney Tunes cartoons where there is an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I can probably say there is wisdom to this simple explanation. However, I really can’t tell you how creepy those other face morphes were.

Another resource I have found was this web-site. We had this Mass at our parish. Our Priest said that he did not put much faith in it because he believed that baptism took away all wrong doings from the families past history. I think that God has shown temporal entail punishment to many generations after Moses, and King David. Further, if we ruin our ecology, future generations will suffer to our carelessness and wrongdoing. Anyways, I thought the book was so helpful to guide me on prayers for my family. Check it out

healingoffamilies.com
 
AKDee said:
Distorted- I would have to say no. But the look is one of utter hatred, a level of hatred I find shocking to see on the face of a fellow human being.
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Shocking, yes. Do not trust someone who looks at you with that look. Impossible to account for without a supernatural explanation, no. If you are looking at an alcoholic who is not drinking but also not recovering, you could easily see that “sociopathic” demeanor that is without any affection or empathy for you as a fellow human being.

If your family pet had rabies or had a paw caught in a trap, you would not ignore that look. You’d know the pain had made that animal into a wild thing that does not know you and will not accept your help willingly. You would also not attempt to help that animal out of its misery alone, because you could be bitten for your trouble and still fail to do anything but make the situation worse. You may be in just that kind of a situation. I’d very much suggest reading the literature aimed at co-dependents. There is a lot of hard-won wisdom there when it comes to discerning what work is yours to do in your relationship with a relative and where you have to accept that “you didn’t cause it, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it.”
 
Pray to St. Dymphna, she is the patron of the mentally ill and those suffering from neurological disorders. Your friends sounds like she/he is under mental distress and possible requires medical help.

Allan.
 
Why does the person have to be possessed? Maybe they are just fed up and are finally letting it be known.
 
horselvr said:
Why does the person have to be possessed? Maybe they are just fed up and are finally letting it be known.
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There are hardly just those two possibilities. Most of the time, though, when someone is simply fed up and lets it be known, they do it in different fashion. I mean a fashion that might well elicit sadness, confusion or even anger or defensiveness in the recipients of the message, but not fear and certainly not such a level of fear.
 
Hi, I know this thread is a bit older, but since its fairly recent and its the exact same question I was going to ask, I decided to post here. I really hope I too can get some good advice for this… I’m very concerned.

This person that I met also had the same utter look of hatred that the OP speaks of, plus very black eyes (the pupils were very enlarged) I was so scared and grossed out I had to look away. I just got this scary dark unnatural feeling about it - This person seemed friendly on the surface (this person was smiling at me) but within the expression on this person’s face, everything within me was reading and “seeing” dirty lust and an intention to hurt me in a very underhanded secretive way- with hatred. This person was also underhandedly cruel to me by what they said to me, and there seemed to be some sort of glee in doing so behind it. (There was a slight wry smile on this persons face when doing so.)

**I honestly do not know a single reason why this person would be that way towards me at all. ** I don’t have any animosity or ill will towards this person at all. We don’t know each other and have only met a few brief times. Its not my personality to ***not ***be cautious about saying things that might hurt someone. I am typically always actively trying to bring the Light of Christ to others that I meet through being very cordial and kind and respectful. I have no idea why someone would be like this to me.

This person works a job too difficult for this person to have mental illness, which is why I dismiss that possibility. I also don’t think they are just letting off steam or ‘just not wanting to be kind to people anymore’. The whole thing is just really odd. Nothing else seems to fit. I also remember feeling a sense of anger and disgust coming from this person when I mentioned to this person that I went to church daily- almost like a look-down-on-you laugh and a huff. Of course that is just my own personal feeling that could be mistaken, but I had no reason to think this person would feel that way- those senses just came to me, which at the time I was thinking it was odd to have those thoughts about someone I don’t know. I had dismissed it.

What should I do? Talk to a priest? Will a priest go and investigate? Would they help someone who is not from their parish? Even though I do not know this person well at all, I do know this person came from a Catholic family and was most likely baptized, but know nothing else. I don’t know how to help this person. I don’t plan on seeing this person again if I can help it, but just walking away seems cruel and uncaring. I don’t get the sense that this person is a ‘bad’ person- but that something dark is influencing controlling them. I’d like to see this person helped, but it can’t be me.
 
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