Tyder,
I went to Fr.Ashcraft's forum and theres an article there he wrote that I wanted to share a snippet from with you, since I think you'll appreciate it:
"Having now examined the three modes of demonic activity, let us now examine an area that is essential to the discernment process of just what is and is not demonic. Clergy and investigators must be very careful and prudent when investigating claims of preternatural activity. Despite the wild ideas of many a fundamentalist out there selling their latest “demon test” to an unaware public, we do not live in the world of Frank Perretti novels, with demons under every doorstep and Satan living in the local Baptist church. The reality is the vast majority of claims of possession and preternatural activity turn out to be either organically generated (environmental or medical), or of a psychological nature. If we sincerely care about the client we will not take claims at face value, nor will we allow our desire for capturing evidence or having an experience simply to confirm our theological opinions. To do so is to abuse our client. Consider for a moment the potential liability involved in reinforcing a potentially mentally ill client's delusions, adding to them the frighteningly dangerous imagery of the demonic. Think of the tremendous harm this would do! We need a basic awareness of the many types of psychological disorders that can masquerade as preternatural activity, not for the purpose of diagnosis (none of us is qualified to do so), but that we understand the complexities involved in this area of study, and we have access to information which will help us help the client. I want to introduce my readers to just two of the possible psychological disorders one could encounter.
1. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy- Individuals suffering from this disorder may experience Simple Partial Seizures, wherein the brain is in seizure, but the consciousness of the individual is unaffected. This state can cause odd feelings of deja-vu, or jamais vu. It can cause periods of amnesia, "psychic" sensations, out of body sensations, feelings of movement under the skin and in the organs, visual and auditory hallucinations, olfactory sensations, dysphoria, euphoria, unexplained fear and anger, unusual speech patterns, inability to move, and unusual behavioral changes.
2. Geschwind Syndrome- This is a personality syndrome with such symptoms as sudden increased verbal output, hyposexuality, hypergraphia, deep cognitive issues, increased emotional reponses, hyper-religiosity and focus on religious issues.
As my reader can see, both disorders offer plenty of opportunity for mistaken claims of preternatural activity. Both illnesses are given to pseudo-religious delusions. Two notable cases of import are that of Whitley Streiber, who after experience what he believed to have been alien abductions, was himself examined for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. A diagnosis that may yet prove to be true in his case. Also, the case of the Bavarian girl Anneliese Michel, whose story the film “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” was loosely based upon, is one in which we know that she was being treated for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Sadly, due to some very bad decision making on the part of both Anneliese's family and the priests involved in the case, she stopped taking her medication, opting instead for exorcism. This sparked criminal charges against family and priests alike, and is to be expected when clergy and investigators ignore the totality of any given situation. Our care for the client must be wholistic, taking very seriously mental, medical, physical and spiritual needs."
The original can be found here: http://thewatchman.freeforums.org/
I went to Fr.Ashcraft's forum and theres an article there he wrote that I wanted to share a snippet from with you, since I think you'll appreciate it:
"Having now examined the three modes of demonic activity, let us now examine an area that is essential to the discernment process of just what is and is not demonic. Clergy and investigators must be very careful and prudent when investigating claims of preternatural activity. Despite the wild ideas of many a fundamentalist out there selling their latest “demon test” to an unaware public, we do not live in the world of Frank Perretti novels, with demons under every doorstep and Satan living in the local Baptist church. The reality is the vast majority of claims of possession and preternatural activity turn out to be either organically generated (environmental or medical), or of a psychological nature. If we sincerely care about the client we will not take claims at face value, nor will we allow our desire for capturing evidence or having an experience simply to confirm our theological opinions. To do so is to abuse our client. Consider for a moment the potential liability involved in reinforcing a potentially mentally ill client's delusions, adding to them the frighteningly dangerous imagery of the demonic. Think of the tremendous harm this would do! We need a basic awareness of the many types of psychological disorders that can masquerade as preternatural activity, not for the purpose of diagnosis (none of us is qualified to do so), but that we understand the complexities involved in this area of study, and we have access to information which will help us help the client. I want to introduce my readers to just two of the possible psychological disorders one could encounter.
1. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy- Individuals suffering from this disorder may experience Simple Partial Seizures, wherein the brain is in seizure, but the consciousness of the individual is unaffected. This state can cause odd feelings of deja-vu, or jamais vu. It can cause periods of amnesia, "psychic" sensations, out of body sensations, feelings of movement under the skin and in the organs, visual and auditory hallucinations, olfactory sensations, dysphoria, euphoria, unexplained fear and anger, unusual speech patterns, inability to move, and unusual behavioral changes.
2. Geschwind Syndrome- This is a personality syndrome with such symptoms as sudden increased verbal output, hyposexuality, hypergraphia, deep cognitive issues, increased emotional reponses, hyper-religiosity and focus on religious issues.
As my reader can see, both disorders offer plenty of opportunity for mistaken claims of preternatural activity. Both illnesses are given to pseudo-religious delusions. Two notable cases of import are that of Whitley Streiber, who after experience what he believed to have been alien abductions, was himself examined for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. A diagnosis that may yet prove to be true in his case. Also, the case of the Bavarian girl Anneliese Michel, whose story the film “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” was loosely based upon, is one in which we know that she was being treated for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Sadly, due to some very bad decision making on the part of both Anneliese's family and the priests involved in the case, she stopped taking her medication, opting instead for exorcism. This sparked criminal charges against family and priests alike, and is to be expected when clergy and investigators ignore the totality of any given situation. Our care for the client must be wholistic, taking very seriously mental, medical, physical and spiritual needs."
The original can be found here: http://thewatchman.freeforums.org/
