Posted on 05/15/2004 10:58:03 AM PDT by narses
You'd need to define "educational". There's no handbook on demonology, if that's wht you mean. Every book I read, I get more details and information. I'd trust Fr. Amorth above all others currently living. He has two books out and both are largely stories with all sorts of interesting details tucked in the middle. Fr. Amorth recommends Fr. Candido's books (I have to find them).
If I find something really good, I'll let you know.
Thanks.
"You'd need to define "educational".
Because of my education in head-shrinking, I can spot various mental problems quite readily, but I'd like to know how to tell when Satanm aliosque spiritus malignos are present.
I'd also recommend "Hostage to the Devil." I can't imagine a better written book about demonic possession and spiritual warfare.
The book is frightening, but should benefit all of us engaged in spiritual warfare. I would only recommend it to formed Catholics however, and those who are reasonably sure that they are in a state of grace.
I only read the book during the daytime and after saying the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, sometimes more than once ;-)
See the previous post. I'd be interested in your take on the book considering your background in psychiatry.
Martin recounts five cases of demonic possession and "familiarity," but devotes most of the pages to the psychological build-up to the full-blown manifestation.
Martin is of the opinion that possession is under-diagnosed, and that those suffering from demonic possession or oppression are often shuffled off to psychiatric institutions. On the other hand, he claims that only 1 of 100 cases of purported possession are actual.
Thanks for the recommendations.
By the way, "psychiatry" pertains to people who have MDs, which I don't.
If you do the same thing without an MD it's "psychology."
I was too lazy to flip back and check to see which one you were. I figured I had a 50% chance of being right 8-)
Wait! Most psychiatrists are atheist or agnostic. Most do not believe in the devil and see religious ideology as weakness or disorder. At least in California, most mental health people with any sort of preternatural belief system are into New Age, shamanism, etc. There are very few Christians. Even the Bishops themselves no longer believe and will refer to psychiatrists.
Malachy Martin and Fr. Amorth are right. People who have harassments or possessions are often misdiagnosed and mistreated for years.
I read a story once of an Episcopal priest who was also a psychiatrist. He had some institutionalized patients that no matter what he did, they did not improve. Out of desperation one day he tried exorcism. More than one walked out of the hospital completely cured.
The only Catholic psychiatrist I know of who was involved in exorcisms is Rama Coomaraswamy M.D. He is brilliant but a bit 'offbeat' as of late in his thinking. But, his articles on psychiatry and exorcism are quite good. One thing I read which has stuck with me, he stated (paraphrasing) "The mistake psychiatry makes is that the spirit is not located in the psyche. The psyche is within the spirit."
Any cardinal who invites practicing homosexuals to sing as his funeral is suspect. We do not know where he is know, all we can do is pray. He did much damage.
"I figured I had a 50% chance of being right"
Yeah, I just didn't want it to seem like I was making false claims. And on that subject, I am also not a practicing clinical psychologist. I bailed on that years ago.
I wasn't talking about psychiatrists, but exorcists. Fr. Amorth is credited with getting the two together.
Yes, it is true, in the US, most psychiatrists are agnostic or athiest. But there are some, mostly Catholics, who are not.
A simple test is to observe the patient's reaction to a crucifix or holy water.
I'm particularly interested in schizophrenia, where people hear voices, etc. Such cases certainly sound like demonic oppression or possession. It's also my understanding that medication simply "zombifies" the patient, rather than curing the problem.
I watched a secular program regarding exorcism which showed Fundamentalist Christians exorcising demons from a person who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic. The evidence seemed to indicate possession since the spirits attacked several of the people performing the exorcism. The video showed several of the exorcists at various points in the exorcism being overcome by what they claimed to be an outside force.
True, but as Fr. Amorth says sometimes the signs are very subtle at first. The devil tries to hide his presence and may not fully appear right away.
I'm particularly interested in schizophrenia, where people hear voices, etc. Such cases certainly sound like demonic oppression or possession. It's also my understanding that medication simply "zombifies" the patient, rather than curing the problem.
Absolutely. The stories I could tell!
The evidence seemed to indicate possession since the spirits attacked several of the people performing the exorcism. The video showed several of the exorcists at various points in the exorcism being overcome by what they claimed to be an outside force.
Exorcism is a serious business. While every baptized Christian is technically able to drive out demons, only specifically trained people should attempt it. In Catholicism, it used to be a very, very, very holy priest was chosen and trained for the task. Anyone else is playing with fire.
Please tell me one or two. I have no personal experience with schizophrenics.
Schizophrenics are never cured. They are heavily medicated until the symptoms are suppressed so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else. IMO, it's a questionable trade off. The heavy medication turns them into zombies. I know one man in his twenties who attempted suicide after the addition of Wellbutrin to his list of medications. He was not suicidal before. This guy was a Berkeley graduate. He told me of encounters with professors there who were know to be practicing witches. One day while he was out partying he took some psychedelic drugs. He had a psychotic break and has heard voices ever since. He was a completely normal, intelligent kid with a promising future. Now he's a mess. All the psych meds in the world can't fix him.
Many schizophrenics have a history of illict drug use. The drugs break down the natural energetic barriers of the body and leave toxins. Plus, Fr. Corapi said the drug dealers conduct black masses over the shipments resulting in addictions, harassments and possessions.
When I worked psych we had a patient on another unit who was a true multiple personality. Nothing helped her. She was a victim of satanic rituals as a child. One day she was on our unit and a tech who was an evangelical Christian was there standing next to me. The patient turned to look at both of us. Her eyes were black and so cold it filled your body. The tech and I looked at each other and simultaneously said "She's possessed." It was one of the those experiences you just know.
Another time I happened to be in the office of a female psychiatrist. There were conventional drug brochures everywhere. I found something quite disturbing about that, like this was all about sales and drug pushing instead of healing. One of her patients walked in the door. She walked like what we used to call the "Haldol shuffle." Her face was frozen in a blank affect and she drooled. The receptionist asked her how she was doing. The patient slowly and laboriously replied "I...don't....know.." The doctor thought that was healing!
Thank you so much for #59. That was very, very helpful. God bless you for performing such difficult work. The situation sounds so tragic.
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