Psychosis

Psychosis

Spiritual Psychosis

by Ronald L. Mann, Ph.D.

The following discussion resulted from the question:

How do I know if demons are affecting my peace of mind or is it biochemical, hereditary such as manic- depressive and I should be treated with drugs?

The arena of "spiritual psychosis" is a special concern for those who are sincere in their quest for God, but also have the burden of serious mental problems. As if often the case, an individual with serious problems such as manic-depression, schizophrenia, or transient psychotic episodes, does not realize that something is amiss within his or her own perception of reality and ability to function successfully in the world. Those sincere seekers of God often do have spiritual contact with the Divine, in spite of their psychological problems, that provides a degree of awakening to the reality of universal consciousness. These individuals have tapped into the bigger picture and realize our collective oneness, have been touched by the loving hand of God and know that a Divine mystery is unfolding in which we are all returning to the source of creation. Their inner world includes the experience of Divine love, Divine light, and Divine wisdom. Unfortunately, their inner life also includes tremendous emotional pain, gapping holes in personal development, and a limited ego structure that provides the necessary psychic structures to discern reality, both internal and external, and sustain good judgment. The result, therefore, can be a chaotic inner life that unconsciously uses aspects of their Divine awareness to avoid and defend against deeper emotional issues of loss, grief, shame, self-contempt, and terror.

The individual asking the above question, is quite psychologically and spiritually sophisticated with some degree of observing ego intact since she is able to question the source of her mental and emotional confusion. Others are not so clear and assume that whatever information they receive, must be of Divine nature and should be followed without question. This deeper level of delusion is very difficult to penetrate because it serves to protect the fragile and damaged self from a sense of total annihilation by overwhelming inner emotional forces.

I recently returned from a week-long spiritual retreat during which I was asked by the monastic members to speak with a lay participant. This man was causing some turmoil to the peace and serenity of the retreat as he would spontaneously volunteer to explain the hidden and symbolic teachings encoded in the stone work on the hermitage. He was convinced that the Master had revealed to him special and secret information to be shared with others. He seemed emotionally driven to share this information with others and appeared to have little ability to contain himself and honor the silence and self-reflective nature of the retreat. He was certain that the Master was speaking directly to him, since he heard his voice very clearly, and was free to offer his belief that he was a "jivanmukta," free soul, here to help others on their spiritual journey. The monastic staff was quite concerned that this man would continue to create turmoil, distractions, and fear in the hearts of the many individuals who had come from all over the world for this week of spiritual retreat. The staff wanted my opinion regarding the extent of his danger to others and his ability to contain himself in the larger group, especially since he was signed up for an initiation service which requires almost complete silence on the part of the participants. The monastic staff, being totally committed to service and helping others, wanted to do whatever possible to help this mentally troubled, yet spiritually sincere individual.

The extent of his psychotic state, or delusion was most revealed during a meeting with him, myself, another counselor and two members of the monastic community. The monastics were attempting to convince this man that he needed "help" and should go to a hospital. They were trying to convey to him that he needed to see the world as others did and that he should give up his view of reality. They were hoping to "help him see" his need for treatment and acknowledge the reality of his inner pain and suffering. One Brother, in particular, tried to explain basic spiritual teachings regarding the expression of spiritual visions and experiences. The teachings warn students that sacred spiritual experiences may disappear if the student talks openly about them. All of us were attempting to help this man develop a degree of self-observation and discernment regarding the inner auditory and visual information he was receiving. After an hour of discussion, he stated,

"Oh, I am so sorry, I must be really deluded. I have made a great mistake!"

At this point I thought we had made a breakthrough. I thought,

"Maybe we have opened a door here."

His next statement, however, revealed how wrong I was. He said, "I thought you people were more enlightened than this. I thought you all heard Master's voice."

During this discussion he would have moments of being quite lucid and related to the subject at hand. But when one of the monastics said, "I see the troubled person in you who is suffering and I just want to help that person," his thinking became very tangential and his behavior less appropriate. He was very frightened by the prospect of dealing with his inner pain because it must have been so overwhelming. His delusion seemed to give him a sense of meaning and self-importance that he probably lacked. The offer to help was not seen as help on his part. He felt he was in good health and was receiving valuable information. He felt others were in a great state of delusion, and ignorance. My concern that the "help" being offered was experienced by him as an attack because he was not requesting it. The concern on our part was actually making him more agitated.

Ultimately, we all decided that he did not represent any harm to others and I suggested that he had a right to believe whatever he wanted, as long as he agreed to keep it to himself during the next week, so as not to disturbed others. I agreed to sit next to him during the initiation in order to help with security issues and provide some support for him. He was quiet as a mouse during the ceremony and I had a wonderful and deep meditation at his side. He did not move a muscle for two hours and his inner life was quite and expanded. I felt grateful to have the opportunity to help him because I received much in the giving. When integrating spiritual methods and awareness into psychotherapy, it becomes important to be able to discern authentic spiritual experience from primary process material. It is very common to be asked, "How do I know if my vision is real or if I just made it up? The issue of "spiritual psychosis" becomes even more complicated when we consider the possibility of demonic possession. The astral plane is comprised of high minded souls, angelic beings, enlightened Masters, as well as lower level demonic type beings. It is possible to be subtly influenced by these lower, negative forces, therefore, the ability to discern the source of inner mental agitation and "hallucinatory" impressions becomes important for proper intervention.

First of all, spiritual experiences change our lives, and their "realness" gets revealed in our day-to-day life. We feel different after a superconscious experience also, and something tangible happens thereafter. It is very typical for a sense of Peace, Joy, and/or Bliss to accompany a spiritual experience, as God's presence is very healing. This Bliss is much different than the temporary high that one can feel with a drug, in which he or she gets elevated into an altered state for a brief time, only to return to familiar consciousness once the drug has run its course, without any permanent change in consciousness. Spiritual contact can occur in a meditative state, dream state, or waking state. These naturally occurring spiritual experiences are the result of some previous effort, whether in this lifetime or another. It is common to feel uplifted and possible to visually perceive some angelic or saintly presence. Typically, we perceive Spirit in the form that we worship. A devotee may see his or her guru, a Christian will perceive Jesus, and so on. Waking, dreaming, sleeping-all is the same to Spirit. We can be touched in any state, and it will have a profound impact on our lives.

The energy of psychotic material, which originates from primitive aspects of the psyche, can easily be distinguished from the subtle energy of the superconscious. The superconscious flows from the higher centers of the brain and from the astral body. This state is often accompanied by the quiet cessation of breath and a flood of internal light. While a great surge of energy from the superconscious takes place, it is not physical in nature and does not agitate the nervous system. In fact, the energy may charge the nervous system with vitality, but it does not agitate the emotional body or mental body. The mind becomes calm within the superconscious experience.

In contrast, psychoses and mania have exceedingly agitating qualities. Sensations of anger, anxiety, and pressure are not typical of the sublime spiritual realms and are indications of the pathological aspects of a client's psyche. Also and to a lesser degree, the impression that one has a mission to save others, which is a very common feeling among spiritual people, may be more an expression of a psychological nature than of a spiritual one. The indicative factor in this case is the emotional fervor attached to the impression. Spiritual reality, ultimately, has a calming and uplifting effect.

For example, an individual in a pathological state will justify destructive and impulsive actions on the basis of spiritual guidance. In 1989 one schizophrenic individual contributed to the destruction of thirty-five thousand acres in Nevada City, California, when he burned sheets of toilet paper and threw them in the air on a hot and windy day. He explained later that demons had appeared to him in a vision and directed him to do so. It is always important to maintain good common sense when dealing with internal visionary material. Dark forces can attempt to influence us and encourage us to perform actions that can harm ourselves or others.

Truth tends to repeat itself. I encourage individuals to be patient and also to listen to the consistency of an inner message over time. In this process, it is important to listen more from the heart than from the mind. The delusive aspects of creation, sometimes referred to as Satan, can be very tricky. I do believe that dark forces exist that attempt to keep us from the light. Since creation consists of the play of duality between the light and the dark, knowledge of this fact should only serve to push us deeper into our spiritual practice, so that we can strengthen our clarity and presence, and develop our ability to discern Truth from delusion. We can learn to look more deeply into the heart for answers, to listen for a response, and to develop an inner knowing regarding the messages we receive from our intuition. Since each of us may have a different way of perceiving, only through practice can we develop greater discernment regarding our own style of intuition.

In both the spiritual and worldly life, peace of mind is essential. The inner serenity allows us deeper contact with God, as the Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God," as well as the ability to be less reactive and more centered in our daily duties and obligations. Whatever methods we have for finding that inner peace, are valuable tools for daily living. But what happens when we can no longer access that inner chamber of peace, when the mind and emotions have gone out of control. Should we turn to pharmaceutical help, exorcisms, prayer and or psychotherapy? The above question asks directly for advice on what avenue to take and how to know what is the underlying reason for the mental agitation.

First, we must realize that there are no easy answers to this question. The nature of consciousness and reality is very complicated and multifaceted. The above question implies an either or explanation for lack of mental peace and it is impossible to attribute anything to one cause. Life is multi-determined and, as such, should be addressed from every possible level: biochemical, genetic, social, psychological and spiritual. It is important to lead a balanced life and attempt to keep all aspects in harmony. One must consider the physical state of one's body, the psychological state of one's mind, and the spiritual condition of one's soul.

Lack of mental peace can be attributed to various causes and one must be reasonable and thoughtful in attempting to determine the underlying causes. In the case of the individual asking the question, a medical diagnosis has been made of manic-depression, but she is wondering if indeed that diagnosis is correct and she should continue with her medication, or, is she merely suffering from the negative influence of demonic interference.

I recommend that one should start with the obvious first and then proceed to the subtle, less apparent realms, for explanations. In the case of manic-depression, medical sciences has determined a strong genetic link with this particular problem. If one of your parents suffered from manic-depression, then the chance that you will inherent the disease, in greatly increased. Next, consider your personal history. Have you had periods in which psychiatric medication has been effective. If the psychotropic medication has helped, then, there appears to be an obvious biological component to the psychological problem.

Manic-depression is actually far more serious than just losing one's peace of mind. The nature of the illness results in severe mood swings from high elation to severe depression with suicidal ideation and intent. Feelings and thoughts of grandiosity and very inappropriate impulsive behavior mark the presence of manic-depression. Visual and auditory hallucinations are not typically associated with this disorder. The problems are obviously far greater than merely a lack of peace of mind.

The presence of demonic interference is not an easy one to determine. One possible indication could be the presence of auditory hallucinations that direct you to act in ways that create chaos in your life or in the life of others around you. This voice might tend to play upon your need for validation and personal enhancement by telling you what a great soul you are or what a great mission you have. At the level of the obvious, demons are not here to help you, they are motivated by evil desires and want to create problems in your life. If you are directed to act and behave in ways that leads to no possible service to others or results in no psychological or spiritual growth in you or the others around you, then be cautious. Never believe that all inner messages come from the Divine. It takes a great capacity for discernment to know when evil forces are attempting to confuse you. The presence of the Divine leads to great peace of mind, so, if you have no inner peace, then it is safe to assume that the information you are receiving might not be divinely sent. Whenever the mind is in turmoil, the first thing to consider is what psychological factors might be creating the problem. After a serious attempt to uncover and resolve those psychodynamic forces has been made, it would be reasonable to consider medication to help with the body chemistry. Simultaneously, it makes good sense to invoke the presence of the inner spiritual forces of Light to combat and protect yourself from any darker elements that have taken hold. The Light ultimately will prevail over darkness. There is no disease that God cannot cure. If prayer and healing work, then you can consider discontinuing any medication that appears to have been helpful. I suggest that it would be foolish to stop any medication with the plan that spiritual healing alone will solve the problem. God can intervene with medication. It all comes from God.