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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
discerning mental illness	Jane	Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Question: Dear Brother Ignatius, Thank you so much for carrying on with this forum despite all of the hardships you have been experiencing. It has been a great help for me and many others. My question is whether there are any guidelines you can share for discerning whether an experience (such as hearing a voice) is "real" (meaning either a demonic or other supernatural communication), or whether it is a manifestation of an underlying mental illness? From some of the questions on this forum, there are people (myself included) who have heard or seen things that they believe were caused by spiritual beings. However, if we were to share this information with a psychologist or psychiatric, they would probably say it was a hallucination or a psychosis. There seems to be no other possible explanation within the psychiatric profession. My son is currently undergoing a work-up because he heard a voice in his head telling him to kill himself. In all likelihood, this is a manifestation of an underlying mental illness. However, now that he has had this experience and is in the hospital, how do I know whether the experiences I had before were real, or whether they were also hallucinations? I am afraid that if I were to ever admit to his doctors that ONCE I thought I heard God tell me something, and ONCE I thought I saw something demonic, they would commit me, too! How does one know whether to trust oneself? I know that we are supposed to "test the spirits," but I am confused about what that means or how to do it. And how can you "test the spirits" if you are in the throes of a psychosis, but don't even realize it? I would appreciate any insight you can provide. Sincerely, Jane
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Jane: Sorry to hear about your son. We will certainly pray for him. There is no way I can answer your question on a forum like this. Diagnosis is a complicated process and most often we just do not know for sure where the lines are drawn between a mental illness and a spiritual affliction. Most often the two overlap. But, the good news is that we do not need to know for sure where the lines are drawn. We can pray spiritual warfare prayers anyway just in case there is any demonic involvement. It is a win-win situation. For example, if we were to pray, "Father in heaven, please cast out this demon of anger", what happens if there were no demon of anger present? It does not matter. God will give us a grace just for offering the prayer and exercising our Faith. And if there is a demon of anger present, then hopefully the prayer will take care of it. We have a Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog that you can use that includes such prayers as a Hedge Prayer of Protection for the Individual and another one for the Individual, Prayer for Children, and a Rebuking Particular Spirits. For example, on the Rebuking Particular Spirits prayer where you see the blank lines for the spirit, rebuke the spirit of suicide and despair. Then on the blank lines where one inserts the opposite spirit insert the Spirit of Life and Joy. What this is doing is rebuking the spirits of suicide and despair and replacing those spirits with the Spirit of Life and Joy. You can do this with any spirit, identified by its attribute (i.e. anger, lust, suicide, depression, mental illness, etc.). Persevere in your prayers for your child. Never stop. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

discerning mental illness

Jane

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Question:

Dear Brother Ignatius,

Thank you so much for carrying on with this forum despite all of the hardships you have been experiencing. It has been a great help for me and many others.

My question is whether there are any guidelines you can share for discerning whether an experience (such as hearing a voice) is "real" (meaning either a demonic or other supernatural communication), or whether it is a manifestation of an underlying mental illness?

From some of the questions on this forum, there are people (myself included) who have heard or seen things that they believe were caused by spiritual beings. However, if we were to share this information with a psychologist or psychiatric, they would probably say it was a hallucination or a psychosis. There seems to be no other possible explanation within the psychiatric profession.

My son is currently undergoing a work-up because he heard a voice in his head telling him to kill himself. In all likelihood, this is a manifestation of an underlying mental illness. However, now that he has had this experience and is in the hospital, how do I know whether the experiences I had before were real, or whether they were also hallucinations? I am afraid that if I were to ever admit to his doctors that ONCE I thought I heard God tell me something, and ONCE I thought I saw something demonic, they would commit me, too!

How does one know whether to trust oneself? I know that we are supposed to "test the spirits," but I am confused about what that means or how to do it. And how can you "test the spirits" if you are in the throes of a psychosis, but don't even realize it?

I would appreciate any insight you can provide.

Sincerely,

Jane

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Jane:

Sorry to hear about your son. We will certainly pray for him.

There is no way I can answer your question on a forum like this. Diagnosis is a complicated process and most often we just do not know for sure where the lines are drawn between a mental illness and a spiritual affliction. Most often the two overlap.

But, the good news is that we do not need to know for sure where the lines are drawn. We can pray spiritual warfare prayers anyway just in case there is any demonic involvement. It is a win-win situation. For example, if we were to pray, "Father in heaven, please cast out this demon of anger", what happens if there were no demon of anger present? It does not matter. God will give us a grace just for offering the prayer and exercising our Faith. And if there is a demon of anger present, then hopefully the prayer will take care of it.

We have a Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog that you can use that includes such prayers as a Hedge Prayer of Protection for the Individual and another one for the Individual, Prayer for Children, and a Rebuking Particular Spirits.

For example, on the Rebuking Particular Spirits prayer where you see the blank lines for the spirit, rebuke the spirit of suicide and despair. Then on the blank lines where one inserts the opposite spirit insert the Spirit of Life and Joy.

What this is doing is rebuking the spirits of suicide and despair and replacing those spirits with the Spirit of Life and Joy.

You can do this with any spirit, identified by its attribute (i.e. anger, lust, suicide, depression, mental illness, etc.).

Persevere in your prayers for your child. Never stop.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum