Dear Ann:

What I mean that many these groups do not know what they're doing that either they do not have the knowledge and expertise, or they have ideas about how to do things which are problematic or outright inaccurate.

Being a Deliverance Counselor involves a lot more than just praying some prayers. In our Saint Michael's Spiritual Warfare Academy we train perspective counselors in all subjects for which they need to know some portion in order to be a good counselor. The coursework that we require includes subjects like theology of Angels and Demons, catechetics, apologetics, how to think critically, investigative skills, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, spiritual direction, and even a little bit of physics. It takes around three or more years for our students to finish the academic portion of their training, plus another year of internship, followed by three years of residency (a three-year period in which they act is full counselors but under general supervision).

Will will will we are the only ones the world, Catholic or Protestant, that has such an extensive training program for Deliverance Counselors. Very few Deliverance counselors out there are trained in this matter. In our view Deliverance Counselors need to be trained in all of these things in order to best serve and help their clients find freedom.

Since I do not know the details of what these Deliverance counselors did with your friend there is little I can say about the specifics. You mentioned that this team insisted that your friend blame herself for her demonization. Again I don't know what went on there. I do know that in most cases of demonization there are accept culpability on the part of the person to get themselves demonized. Sometimes those actions are innocent other times they are deliberate sense that and committed.

The trigger that may lead to demonization does not have to be something obvious like playing with Ouija board, or becoming a which, or doing voodoo, and the life. Demonization can occur from very simple and subtle events or circumstances that a person may expose themselves to. It is technically possible to find your oneself in a mild form demonization merely by reading the horror scope the newspaper. Reading one's horror scope put you and Satan's sandbox and with when you walk in Satan's sandbox you will get sand in your shoes. Trivial instances such as this can be taken care of by simply asking God's forgiveness, confessing that in the Sacrament of Confession. While the sin has been forgiven the consequences can remain. For reasons that only the devil knows he may decide that this little crack in the door be fully opened to which he may began an ever increasing intensity of demonization.

We can see this happen even in nature. If one cuts themselves out of the woods and does nothing about it this itty-bitty cut can become infected. If the person still does nothing about the cut and the infection it can lead to gangrene, which if the land is not amputated the person will lose his life.

The point is that just because some action or event was trivial does not mean that inconsequential.

Once Satan is in the door, even through a relatively trivial act, he can reach damage to a point in which it becomes problem that needs third-party intervention.

It is also possible for a complete innocent person who has done nothing wrong to become demonized as well. There are many spiritual warfare people out there who don't believe that, and that's part of why I say they do not know what they're doing. Innocent people through no fault of their own can become demonized or even possessed. In fact the most famous case of exorcism was right here in Iowa where a girl fourteen years old became possessed. She was not freed until she was around forty-one, I believe. It was not her actions but the actions of her father who was very evil that caused her possession. You can read about the Iowa case in the book entitled, Begone Satan. We have an online copy of this book that you can read without having to buy it.

As to the problem of the exorcist being sexually attracted to the client, the reason that the priest may need to recuse himself is because he places himself and his client in harms way. The demons will use the sexual attraction to their advantage. This exploitation of the priest's attraction does not have to be a result of his own demonization, but merely a weakness caused by concupiscence.

We will be praying for your friend and for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary