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TopEXORCISM AND MPD FROM A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE
There can be a lengthy theoretical argument about what exactly is meant by the idea of possession. In one sense, any situation of a person’s subjective perception of identification with, or influence by, some outside force can be considered to be possession. Many cultural variables can influence that phenomenon, and the possession can be greatly feared or highly desired.
Added to that issue is the highly variable use of language, with some religious groups considering any encounter with impulses not easily controlled, or an emotional illness not responding to treatment as being evidence of possession or influence by the demonic. Thus, a religious community can refer to being oppressed or possessed "by the spirit of anger" when there is difficulty for someone in controlling their temper.
I would like to limit my discussion to the idea of exorcism and its implications in the context of the usual theological and cultural understanding of Catholics.
In this discussion, I would define demonic possession as a continuing state or presence of an evil entity that is not "of the person." That external entity is capable of direct control of the person and/or taking over of the person’s body. I would define demonic oppression as a continuing state of severe assault by an external evil entity, but the person retains control of behavior and of the body. Both possession and oppression are far more than a situation of temptation, and are inherently direct contacts with the presence of evil.
I would define exorcism as a religious attempt, using prayers, religious symbols, and orders to expel an evil entity. As soon as there is an attempt at expulsion, with a perception that there is something there to expel, it is an exorcism. The simpler, historic prayers of protection or blessing that are sometimes called exorcisms are in a different category, because there is no such presumption of an external entity. In this presentation, any reference to the process of exorcism will presume there is reference to that presence.
Some Catholic Charismatic groups, and others, have borrowed from the practice and understanding of some other religious groups, especially fundamentalists. They have engaged in exorcisms based on a sense that the only authority needed is a sense of calling to that activity. Assessment is based on a perception of having received "the gift of discernment."
As a Catholic, if I encounter someone who in any way represents the Catholic community, a group of Catholics, or the institutional Church, and that person engages in an activity that is an exorcism, I am being told that an evil entity is present or directly influencing my life. The spiritual, moral, and personal implications are profound. To tell someone that they are possessed is to make a spiritual diagnosis.
I believe that for any such diagnosis to be made in accord with Canon Law, and before any such approach can be acceptable for a Catholic, the process outlined in the Rituale Romanum must be followed, and the diagnosis must be confirmed by the Ordinary of the Diocese before any action can be taken. The specific action of exorcism must be directly authorized by the Ordinary and proceed according to his orders.
That often does not appear to be the case. I have heard the opinion from some priests (whether or not they have performed exorcisms) that so long as the formal Rite of Exorcism is not used, other forms of exorcism are permissible. The procedure of referral to the Ordinary of the Diocese seems to be considered by some to be merely an administrative process that can be dispensed with under the rubric of "pastoral need."
I have been told of Catholic priests and lay persons who under the concept of "deliverance ministry" have engaged in various forms of exorcism. At times a group of Catholics will engage in intense, prolonged, and repeated rites of exorcism. A popular culture has developed in which some Catholics, if confronted by phenomena that confuse or frighten them, will immediately diagnose the phenomena as demonic and begin a process of ordering an evil entity to leave the person. In these situations, the name of Christ and the authority of the Church is being invoked. I believe it to be a situation that is spiritually dangerous, psychologically dangerous and abusive, and scandalous.
The motives of those who engage in such activities can certainly vary. Some, with the best of intentions, may believe that they are doing good. Others may be motivated by grandiosity, a fascination with the dramatic, or the attraction of having psychological control over another human being.
There may be a tendency to view the situation as relatively benign, trusting that if indeed there is no possession present, the person will not be unduly harmed by the process. In fact that is not the case, but many who have been most severely harmed are not in a position to effectively protest.
There is substantial documentation that the victims of extreme abuse are especially susceptible to damage. Especially if the abuse involved some form of captivity and/or began during childhood, there is a process of psychological fragmentation and disruption of the person’s sense of identity. There is frequently a high susceptibility to trance states and hypnosis, and a difficulty is resisting manipulation while in those states. The degree and symptoms of the fragmentation may vary, but the most severe and chronic form occurs in Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). I will discuss the issue as it pertains to MPD, with the understanding that at least some elements may also be found in other trauma-related disorders.
Some mental health authors have suggested that there may be cases where exorcism is "therapeutic." This belief is based, I feel, on a judgment that if the patient subjectively feels or fears that possession has occurred, providing the suggestion that they are now freed may lead to improvement. The therapist may also believe that true possession is not ever a possibility. There may be as well a sense that religious ideation and understanding is not really an important consideration. Rarely is Christian theology seriously considered, except by fundamentalist "Christian counselors" or "Catholic Charismatics" who may consider possession and oppression to be common occurrences, with exorcism a tool to be freely used. I obviously consider the theology involved to be very important, but the idea of it being "therapeutic" also should be examined.
The most prominent writers in the field of the treatment of MPD have noted that exorcism for MPD is therapeutically contraindicated, with various forms of harm described.
The only organized, retrospective review I am aware of was done by Dr. Fraser from the Royal Ottawa Hospital in Canada. He reviewed the experiences of a number of his patients who had undergone exorcism in various circumstances. The patients varied in religious background, as did the religion of those doing the exorcisms and the form and nature of the exorcism activity. Some exorcisms were supported by the Church or religious community of the exorcist. Some of the exorcisms had occurred before, as well as after, the diagnosis of MPD. Based on his retrospective review of 7 cases, he reached several conclusions:
I do not have access to an extensive library regarding the Catholic practice of exorcism, and certainly no access to restricted sources of information. The sources that I have read indicate various diagnostic signs that are to be assessed before there can be a prudent assessment that possession is a possibility, and that exorcism may be appropriate.
Much of the assessment of the signs of actual possession involves the experience, perceptions, and understanding of the person making the assessment. Things that are not considered "an ordinary part of human life" or "part of the natural order" may simply be outside the experience of the evaluator.
Those working with MPD patients frequently encounter unusual phenomena that are the lasting aftereffects of their desperate adaptation to severe and chronic childhood abuse. The most striking of those phenomena are more common with MPD patients reporting severe ritual abuse, especially Satanic. Those same patients often have personalities mimicking demons. Often, they were hypnotically suggested during the cult activity. Those personalities were developed as attempts at avoiding punishment by the cult by simulating the presence of demons. That certainly complicates the assessment process, but there are, I believe, criteria that could be used to distinguish a demonic MPD personality from a situation of true possession. The burden of reasonable proof is on the person alleging the presence of the demonic.
There are strange phenomena that are frequently seen and observed in MPD patients. They are accepted as MPD dynamics, and are often present with some personalities and absent with others. In different patients, they may or may not be linked with a subjective sense of "being evil" and are clearly linked both to trauma and attempts at adapting to that trauma. These phenomena would include at least the following:
It should be noted that many unusual phenomena that are considered in popular culture to be "psychic" or otherwise unexplainable are often based on the skills and illusions of magicians, the use of various forms of trance states, suggestibility, intentional fraud, etc.
I am not discounting the possibility that a specific MPD patient may in fact also be possessed. I feel that in such a case there should be specific evidence leading to a prudent judgment and moral certainty that such is the case, and the pertinent information should then be submitted to the Ordinary of the Diocese. I do not believe that a pastoral diagnosis of possession should ever be made without such authority.
I am available to defend the conclusions that I have reached, to provide additional information in support of those conclusions, or to work toward a more full consideration of these issues. My basic concern is that I believe that exorcisms are dangerous and tend to target the victims of severe abuse. I see them as, in effect, an additional form of abuse for which there must be accountability.
© Fr J Mahoney