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[–]Alienhunter 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

An interesting parallel can be made between psychotic episodes and reported cases of demonic possession. So much so that I believe most reports of demonic possession to be essentially psychotic episodes.

The question then comes, so Catholic exorcists have any insight to be gleaned from the phenomenon. I've talked with Baptist preachers who have claimed to be present at exorcisms. I have little reason to doubt the sincerity of their own statements in as much as they believe what they are saying.

In one case a baptist minister was telling me he personally exorcised a demon from a young man who was by all manner of his description having a drug induced phsychotic breakdown, the minister diagnosed it as demonic possession, called on the demon to leave by divine authority and was by his account able to drive the demon out and save the man's soul, unfortunately, as he puts it, there was a great deal of damage done, and the poor young man killed himself shortly after though thankfully his soul was saved.

I certainly question the success of the cure, as it doesn't seem to have been very effective, but I do think that there is some truth to this idea that the conscious mind is wholely "hijacked" during the psychotic episode by someone else if you will, perhaps some element of the subconscious mind? They have a concept in computing of daemons, background programs that go about completing certain tasks. Perhaps the human brain has similar things, evolutionary responses, programs if you wish to use that terminology, that drive us in ways we aren't in control of and aren't aware, perhaps when one of these overpowers the conscious mind, an alcoholic driven to drunk, a person screaming obscenities in the street for no reason, violent outbursts, it isn't without at the very least a metaphorical value to describe it as becoming possessed by something beyond ones immediate control?

[–]DirewolfGhost 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Its a loss of logos, the ability to discriminate between logic and synchronicity. Inability to doubt. Each emotional state has a separate set of synchronistic interpretation strategies as well as responses. Indoctrinated/Ingrained morality and overarching character can act as "guard rails" or "(spirit-)guide lines" so responses can be funneled to those not damaging society (community) around the individual. If collectively the power of community is degraded and by extension the moral guidelines are diminished you'll end up with more "episodes" outside of "tolerated" norms. Especially with psychoactive drug use (THC, its great and interesting stuff) on the rise.

[–]dissidentrhetoric 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Probably the covid vaccines