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Question Title Posted By Question Date
I fear for my son, could he be possessed? debbie Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Question:

My son who is 24 yrs. old is a severe alcoholic and drug addict. He has been in and out of jail no less than 19 times. He currently is in jail, and has gone through the DT's 4 times so far. He has always been in and out of trouble all his life.

When he is out of jail, he lives on the streets. I have taken him back numerous times into our home, to try to help him, and get the help he so desperately needs, but he causes so much chaos, and upheaval in our home that my husband, his step-father makes him leave, most of the time without a dime to his name, and just the clothes on his back.

I love my son so much, I would do anything in my power to help him. He is in jail at this time now, (for about 2 months) , his personality has changed so drastically, he says that he sees the devil, he sees other demons, they are in his jail cell with him, he hears voices, and they are telling him he can't eat, he has gone without food for 5 days now. He turns his head to the left when you ask him a question, and mummbles as if talking with someone or something, and then proceedes to answer the question.

He is constantly praying, and when he isn't praying he is sleeping. What is happening to my son? I am scared to death for him, and I have a very uneasy feeling about what is happening to him. He use to write me letters all the time, and now I have no communication with him.

They have him in the medical ward to observe him, what can I do to help him? I have prayed for him and other people are praying for him too. Can you tell me if he has an attatchment , or is something trying to possess him? I have looked into his eyes before when he has been stone drunk, and I swear to you I thought I was looking directly at Lucifer himself.

Please Help. Thank You for your time.



Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Debbie:

I am so sorry to hear about your son.  The problems that you describe, even the seeing devils and such, could be a result of his substance abuse. He may be falling into mental illness or this could even be the result of brain damage from the drugs. On the other hand what is happening could also be demonic attachment. Demons love to hitchhike on problems that already exist. Your son's behavior may have some other psychological or personal genesis, but demons may like to jump on the problem to make it worse than it has to be.

Unfortunately there is little I can do for him directly unless he were to come to me for help. If he is demonized, and if he wished help, and if he could stay sober, then perhaps I could help.

This is not to say that nothing can be done. There is plenty that we can do for him in prayer. You and your husband have the authority in the spirit to rebuke the demons in your son's life, especially since he seem to be incapacitated to do it for himself.  Although he is an adult, in God's economy he is still in your household and therefore you and your husband have a paterfamilias authority.

Specifically, the Hedge Prayers of a Wayward Person, the Rebuking Prayers, Prayer for our Children, Hedge Prayer of Protection, Resisting Satan's Attack upon our Household are all appropriate. These prayers and others are found in our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog linked below.

I would advise developing a devotion to St. Monica who prayed for years for her son. Her son, St. Augustine, finally came to his senses only a few months before his mother's death.

Perseverance is the key. It is hard as a parent to watch a child deteriorate like this, but we must persevere in faith and prayer and hope that our children will come out of it somehow. The decision to get straight is his, but we can storm heaven with prayer asking God to make every possible effort to convince our child to make the appropriate decisions.

I know this is not much comfort, but it is all that we can do. Perhaps if he is sent to the psychiatric ward while in jail they can detox him sufficiently to explore the possible mental illness problems, or maybe even brain damage problems that could be caused by drug and alcohol abuse.

I might advise that you see a psychiatrist who specializes in drug and alcohol abuse for advise on how to deal with your son. Perhaps such a doctor may be able to tell you what to expect and what not to expect. Maybe there is a chance of a civil commitment in a hospital, or maybe your son will agree to a self-commitment, or maybe you can ask the judge to commit him as part of his sentence. There are many possibilities.

For the possible spiritual/demonological aspects that may be intruding on an already difficult problem, storm heaven with your prayers. Be aggressive in spiritual warfare prayers, but always realize that each person, including your son, has to make his own decisions. God will not force him, He will only guide, encourage, and try to persuade your son. Your son always has the last word, that is, the decision of what he will or will not do.

Do check with some alcohol and drug professional to get a handle on understanding what is going on with your son. I am not an expert in that area. Perhaps your son's bizarre behavior that appears demonic is actually typical with drug abusers, I don't know.

What I do know that such situations tend to attract demonic hitchhikers. Spiritual Warfare prayers are the medicine for that. But even if all the demons are cast away, your son will still have to face the underlying drug dependencies, addictions, possible mental illness or brain problems, and the issues that lead him into drug abuse in the first place. That may be a long road to travel for him.

We will be in prayer for him and for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.