demon possession/exorcism

[swordpath]

but I have had a few brushes with what I would describe as the malignant paranormal.

COME ON PEOPLE, DETAILS! No more claims of experiencing this or that without a good, detailed story to follow!

 

[Varelse]

COME ON PEOPLE, DETAILS! No more claims of experiencing this or that without a good, detailed story to follow!

I once encountered a kid who would go into seizures if you prayed near him. Odd.

Strange, Runvardh.

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah, it was really pretty comical and dramatic. I always have to question the motives of people like this.

I'm not sure what to make of the videos.

I'm not entirely convinced (for the video, not referring to Run's account) it's not all just some sort of psychological contract or real-time ritual, where the exorcist is playing a role in allowing people to release pent-up emotions and stress. Note how the exorcist is essentially leading people by the nose, pushing and prodding for a response, and finally he gets one. The specifics depend on the person and their willingness to give themselves over to the "ritual."

SOme of the other You Tube videos were more interesting.

I once encountered a kid who would go into seizures if you prayed near him. Odd.

The IVF leader at college had supposedly raised a child from the dead while in Uganda (where this sort of stuff is much more prevalent). What was funny was that he never actually talked about it himself; the story came from one or two other people who had talked privately with him about it. The fact he shied away from discussing it made it seem more credible.

And I know an INTP pastor who had only a few brushes (1-3?) with possessed people. He never talked about the deliverances much either, because they disturbed him and seemed authentic. He could only say a little bit to me, because he did not really know how to explain it all.

 

[FemMecha]

John Safron is uber-cool.

Wow though, that was quite the picture of psychological violation. Because of his experience in other religious ceremonies, I'm guessing John was playing along. However, the tactics the "exorcist" was using actively sought out deep psychological fractures in people and then attacked with a dominant stance that sometimes even had sexual overtones. He attempted to make John feel responsible for the "sins of the Jewish nation", he made him submit to a dominant figure by "forgiving Hitler", he looked for childhood want in a possibly unloving father figure, had John look him square in the eye to renounce "lust". Then at the meeting the "exorcist" had everyone focus on their most painful experiences and started whacking folks with Bibles. Those are transparent violation tactics.

Mental health is a young field that has only recently developed the brain scanning tools needed for objective research and measurement. There is plenty we don't know about the human mind, but enough is known to rule out demonic possession. It does make me angry that there are people out there exploiting pain.

I once encountered a kid who would go into seizures if you prayed near him. Odd.

Perhaps he associated a certain level of stress with religious activities which was enough to trigger the seizures. Or possibly the sensation of containment involved with prayer triggered it. There are plenty ways to explain it i'm guessing. I don't have seizures, but when enduring extended periods of stress my muscles spasm involuntarily at night. It is worst when I first lay down and all is quiet. The spasms have been very extreme during certain periods of my life. I would look plenty possessed to some.

 

[cafe]

COME ON PEOPLE, DETAILS! No more claims of experiencing this or that without a good, detailed story to follow!

There was once when I woke up in the night to find my husband inexplicable deeply sad. The was a really heavy, it seemed physically heavy, feeling in the room. I was like I told it to get out and the heaviness was immediately gone.

Another time, I was helping my mom move out of my step-dad's house and I suddenly felt flooded with despair like I have never felt in my life. I am familiar with the feeling of empathy and it was not that and I did not feel particularly sad for any reason of my own. The feeling was so strong it was like a physical weight. Once I realized that the feelings were not mine, it eased.

The really freaky time was when I was a teenager and my mom, my brother, and I were at a library. My brother and I went to the basement where the kids books were and there was a boy down there who was younger than both of us. He started following my brother around and at some point made some kind of really perverted suggestion to him. My brother got weirded out so we went upstairs to find my mom. The kid followed us up there. My mom, ever the extrovert started talking to the kid and asked him where he went to school. He said the name of a school in a weird hoarse voice (which wasn't the normal voice we'd heard him using before). Then when my mom repeated what he had said back to him, he acted surprised and said "How did you know?" By now, his eyes are looking weird. A bright light blue. My brother and I were getting so freaked out by this kid that we bustled mom out to the car as quick as we could. As we were pulling out of the parking lot the kid was chasing our car.

It was maybe a year ago when I was watching some show about haunted places that I saw that this library is a nationally famous haunted site.

We had no idea. When I told my brother about it being on that show, all these years later (we're both in our thirties now) he still remembered that freaky kid and knew exactly what I was talking about.

 

[Varelse]

The IVF leader at college had supposedly raised a child from the dead while in Uganda (where this sort of stuff is much more prevalent). What was funny was that he never actually talked about it himself; the story came from one or two other people who had talked privately with him about it. The fact he shied away from discussing it made it seem more credible.

And I know an INTP pastor who had only a few brushes (1-3?) with possessed people. He never talked about the deliverances much either, because they disturbed him and seemed authentic. He could only say a little bit to me, because he did not really know how to explain it all.

Yeah...I don't usually talk about it. One of those things that I'm not sure how to explain-or am certain about what exactly was happening, for that matter. But supposedly there wasn't anything physically wrong with the kid that they could find-he was just lying in bed, barely moving, went into seizures when they started praying.

I always want more data, but somehow I doubt I'll ever get enough.

 

[spirilis]

maybe off topic but related, anyone read any of the "Seth Speaks" series of books by Jane Roberts? A buddy lent them to me and I just started reading them... still not sure what to think of all of it. Spooky stuff to be sure, but I still have the urge to grab a Ouija board and experiment with it.

 

[Sandy]

Ouija boards are NO good!

maybe off topic but related, anyone read any of the "Seth Speaks" series of books by Jane Roberts? A buddy lent them to me and I just started reading them... still not sure what to think of all of it. Spooky stuff to be sure, but I still have the urge to grab a Ouija board and experiment with it.

Now I am outta here!

 

[spirilis]

Now I am outta here!

why?

 

[Totenkindly]

why?

You creeped her out!

I remember when I got morbidly depressed ten years ago in regards to my life, and it was like a pall hanging over me. Constant thoughts of slitting my wrists, just utterly miserable, and no life in my face, no inflection, just... dead. It was like this heavy darkness just sitting on my shoulders.

Even now, when I get depressed, it still feels more "rational" and not the same sort of heaviness. I don't know what it was back then but it did not feel right at all.

 

[swordpath]

God, I wish I had two sets of eyes. One to observe the physical world and one to observe the paranormal/spiritual (if it exists).

 

[Oberon]

God, I wish I had two sets of eyes. One to observe the physical world and one to observe the paranormal/spiritual (if it exists).

Are you certain of that?

I think the limited impressions that humans currently get are mostly more than they can handle.

 

[runvardh]

God, I wish I had two sets of eyes. One to observe the physical world and one to observe the paranormal/spiritual (if it exists).

My friend knows someone who can switch between seeing this one and the spiritual at will.

 

[Ivy]

My friend knows someone who went on vacation to Mexico and brought back a cactus, only to have it burst two weeks later and baby spiders came spilling out.

 

[Totenkindly]

My friend knows someone who went on vacation to Mexico and brought back a cactus, only to have it burst two weeks later and baby spiders came spilling out.

eeek! it 'as to be in league wid LOO-see-furr!

(Overall, I might be convinced if it was your friend who burst two weeks after leaving Mexico, giving birth to spiders, the underlings of Lloth.)

 

[samIam]

I try to appear manly at all times but had I saw a cactus burst open with little baby spiders, I would've screamed like a little girl.

I hate spiders and their bazillion eyes.

 

[swordpath]

Are you certain of that?

I think the limited impressions that humans currently get are mostly more than they can handle.

I don't know what limited impressions you are referring to but I am definitely certain I wish I could see more.

 

[Oberon]

I don't know what limited impressions you are referring to but I am definitely certain I wish I could see more.

Any glimpse of the paranormal seriously freaks people out, for the most part, as this thread will attest.

 

[swordpath]

Any glimpse of the paranormal seriously freaks people out, for the most part, as this thread will attest.

oh. haha. I'm not scared. Want to witness more.

 

[Totenkindly]

oh. haha. I'm not scared. Want to witness more.

Did you listen to the 2 minutes of Annelise's exorcism? I don't have experience with the mentally ill enough to recognize the sounds being made (to compare the two)... but it's still very unsettling.

...and wait... what about those three young filmmakers who disappeared in the woods a few years ago, and only their footage was found...? :horor: