The Cure For Mental Illness
I can walk or ride by the original St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, which is still in operation and see a shadow of my former self staring forlornly out the 8th floor window of the psychiatric ward. My vision, which makes me shudder is back in time, real time to when I was a patient there in February 1989. The hospital is a good one, my situation was bad. Real bad.
I had flown to New York City from Los Angeles where I lived in West Hollywood, looking for a job as a news reporter again. The entire story is involved and I will tell it in more detail later. The low point was weeping, feeling so alone and so cursed, and gazing out the window and longing to be in the mainstream of New York City, or anywhere than inside a mental ward, while I languished in that hospital for more than a month.
One of the high points if you can call it that, was that after about ten days there, they brought/dragged in two more inmates and I had "company". Day after day I sat in the day room with two "colleagues" and "peers" who had cracked up too. Eric, who was still on staff as a reporter for The New York Times, who had unravelled enough "on the job", to be admitted, but whose brilliance was evident through bouts of madness. And Ira, the stockbroker, who looked like he would have jumped out the windows if they hadn't been gated and barred, who seemed to get more therapy from our camaraderie than from the medical staff.
And then there was me, a woman with a history of manic depression/bi-polar illness, who had worked as a news reporter in radio and television. Eric, Ira and I had wonderful conversations planning for our escape and/or discharge and resuming our lives. Sometimes they were like any professionals talking, at other times our conversations sounded like everyone there across the socio/economic strata who suffered from "grave mental illnesses". Our conversations were wonderfully disjointed, deep, brilliant and maddening.
Over the years I was hospitalized a total of 22 times. That's not a misprint, though I wish it were, I lost so much of my life, but an average of two times a year for a concentrated period of 12 years, I tried to work while bouncing in or being hauled into and bolting out of mental hospitals.
I have been free from mental illness since February 25, 1998, when Christ delivered me after prayer from a telephone prayer partner, and 3 days of prayer and fasting unto God to break the chains on my brain, body, spirit and soul and free this captive. Prior to that, while still living my old sin-filled lifestyle, I was attending a Bible-based non-denominational Christian church, and learned how important prayer and scripture memory is to deliverance. Since I had not surrendered my life to Christ until that day in 1998, I don't believe I was truly saved until then either.
Deliverance from mental illness is a rarity today, but knowing what I know now, I don't believe it should be. I do however believe, that you should be saved or seeking salvation and have or be seeking a real relationship of love and trust with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You need to be covered by the blood of Jesus, because trust me it's a bloody battle. The devil does not give up captives willingly, they have to be wrenched from his reptilian hands. That's why you need the Warrior-King Jesus to fight this supernatural battle. You in the natural can't see half the things that are happening. He can.
I believe there are those who are suffering from mental illness who can be saved even in their mental illnesses without deliverance. But why not get the whole "Freedom Package" for which Christ died and rose again?
Sometimes when I'm not listening to Christian radio and if the topic interests me, I'll listen to alternative radio. I was listening to the Coast to Coast radio program with George Noory on March 23, 2009 when they announced that the guest would be a journalist, who would be speaking about his experience covering a priest who went to Rome, Italy, and was learning how to do exorcisms. Naturally I was intrigued, since they were talking about what I feel happened to me. I call it deliverance instead of an exorcism. The weird thing, though there are no coincidences with God, over and over after my evening prayer, I felt the Lord impressing upon me, hours before that broadcast came on:
"Tory, I delivered you. I want you to write about the cure for mental illness which is through Me (Jesus Christ)."
I know I was delivered from demons that made me mentally ill. I also believe that something like 90% of the people who suffer from mental illnesses are demon-infested.
This is not a medical opinion, but most doctors and psychiatrists have not suffered from severe mental illnesses themselves. The journalist and the priest who went to Rome to report and study exorcisms both believe that you have to make a distinction between demonic possession and mental illness. But again they didn't indicate they had ever suffered from either themselves. I have been trained as a journalist and as an evangelist, and I have also suffered from demonic possession / mental illness. I do not believe there is much if any distinction. How do I know? Walk a mile in the green foam smiley-face slippers of a mental patient in a mental ward (which I unwillingly did) and then tell me what you think.
Jesus is the Great Physician. He is a healer and deliverer. 2000 years ago when He healed the mentally ill or demon-possessed or lunatics and previously devil-possessed / mentally ill people like Mary Magdalene--He cast demons out of them. Jesus is still in the deliverance business today.
I believe that the information I am giving you is not just for antiquity, it is not outmoded, nor is it outdated. People are still getting emotionally and mentally ill in record numbers, many visibly so. Drugging the demons within has been the solution especially since the 1950's. Beats being chained up in an insane asylum for a lifetime, devastating lobotomies and frightening electro-shock therapy which convulses you and can fry your brain beyond anyone recognizing you, or you ever recognizing you again.
But I personally didn't want to be on drugs for the rest of my life. So with the covering of prayer through Christ Jesus prior to my deliverance over a year of time or more, I weaned myself from them, one by one. I was once on Haldol, Mellaril, Lithium, Thorazine and Elavil, sometimes all at once.
Another thing that intrigued me about the Coast to Coast radio program is that the Vatican seems to be preparing for a renewed interest in exorcisms. Italy has 350-400 church-appointed exorcists and some 500,000 people who seek out exorcisms in that country. 500,000 people flocking to Rome alone folks, seeking for relief from emotional and mental torment! People are hurting all over the world and that's just one example of the huge numbers of tortured people who have sought help and healing everywhere else and are now in desperation, banging on the doors of exorcists.
The reporter who wrote a book about the phenomenon said he took a course at a brand new university in Rome built just for that purpose. He said he was struck by the pristine campus, bustling with activity and new classes that were organized for just such a time as this. He also walked away as a believer in the demonic and angelic realm having seen things that defied scientific explanation. Even TIME magazine wrote a recent article about it saying that the paranormal cannot be explained, but it manifests nonetheless.
So Rome has 350-400 exorcists trained by the Catholic church and a mile-long waiting list while they train more. The United States has about 14 -15 official exorcists and less than a handful of those are in New York City a place where hundreds of thousands of people suffer from mental illness. What are you supposed to do in the interim. How long are people supposed to suffer ?
What if you can't or don't want to go to Rome ? What if you don't want an exorcism by the Catholic church, but you do want relief, deliverance and a cure ? Why are millions of people still getting and staying mentally ill ? Are we in the last days ? Well the devil sure acted out when Christ came on the scene, in the flesh, in ancient days and devils were being exposed in huge numbers. It's happening again, today.
Here's another clue to how bad it's gotten and will get. When the Vatican does something, I pay attention and they are not teaching many more priests how to do exorcisms for drama or entertainment. ( I pay attention because the Vatican has vast political and religious power, not because I am Catholic.)
Let me emphasize, I am not Catholic, nor do I believe that is requirement for deliverance. I do believe you need to want to know, or get to know the Lord Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible.
So without further introduction, let me get right to this. The Cure for Mental Illness is the title of another book I am working on, as I mentioned, I'm a published freelance reporter and author. But God has impressed me to get this word out now.
Just to sum up my life story, I was delivered from drugs, alcohol and manic depression through the amazing power of Christ. I've taken no psychotropic drugs for 11 years now and I rest on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray for His Holy Spirit to come upon me now.
The Cure for Mental Illness is not one specific cure, but having suffered greatly in the past and now tasting freedom, I know there is a cure. It's not a formula, but it is using the biblical tools God leads you to use. It's a combination of things converging for YOUR freedom (or the release of a loved one or friend.) It's a prescription from the Great Physician, Dr. Jesus Christ.
Each person is different and caution must be taken not to throw medication in the wind. Begin to seek God through Christ and His in-filling in your spirit will most likely cause the need for medication to be less and less, until you may not need it at all.
1) Have a Heart for God - One of the most important things is to have a heart for God, to really want a relationship with Him. To pray for your soul, your salvation and the healing of your mind. A relationship with Christ can't be faked. You either love Him or you don't. Get to know Him and you will.
2) The Power of Prayer and Fasting in Overcoming Mental Illness - The most powerful biblical tools I have ever witnessed and used for myself and others. In praying and fasting, do it in Jesus' name. Have a heart for God. Don't pray and fast without the covering of Jesus Christ. You will be opening yourself up to the supernatural realm and you don't want to pick up anymore unsavory entities.
You want Jesus to be there to guide you through your deliverance. If you can't fast for 3 days, or even a day, just fast a meal. In time you will be able to fast more as the Holy Spirit leads you. Don't try to take on an epic 40 days and 40 nights fast, it could be too much too soon. Go slowly. But as you deny the flesh, God will do a work in your mind, body, spirit and soul. Deliverance is a deep work done on all of those levels.
I will detail much more on fasting (with prayer) later, but a great place to start is with the wonderful book, a time-tested classic by Arthur Wallis called, "God's Chosen Fast." Of course have your Holy Bible nearby. I prefer the King James Version, because it spells out the need for prayer and fasting, without "modern" editing ! A New International Version (NIV) or American Standard can help you understand difficult to understand passages.
3) Scripture Meditation and Memory - This is powerful. And if you hear accusing or demonic voices in your head, counter them with powerful scripture. One that a Christian friend and his wife gave me, got me through many spiritual warfare battles:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds.
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
- I learned this by heart and even made a little song of it, so I could remember it.
4) Fellowship with a Body of Believers - Ask God to send you to a beautifully powerful, Bible-based church that believes in the concept of deliverance. Ask those you trust to pray for you.
5) Praise Music - Worship and Praise music is very healing. It builds up your faith and pleases God. Sing it or have it playing at night and during the day as often as you can. satan hates praise music to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is a good sign !
I have a song that the Lord gave me, called "This is the Day of Deliverance." I won't write all the lyrics here, but just concentrate on those words, that this is the day of YOUR deliverance.
Christ is a Healer, a Deliverer, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He can do anything.
** Tory Connolly Walker is a evangelist, speaker, author and songwriter. Her life story is available in the book: IN TIMES LIKE THESE: HOW WE PRAY and in her upcoming memoir: MISS BRICK HOUSE: A MEMOIR OF MOTOWN, MONEY, MEN AND MADNESS. She lives in New York City.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tory_Connolly_Walker
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Printed in it's entirety March 5 2009
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“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”
Moreover, our failing to recognize this difference between a demon and a mental illness has led to many tragic mistakes.
In the times before modern science, it was believed that all mental illness was the result of demonic possession, and the mentally ill were often treated like animals simply because no one knew what to do with them. Physicians lacked the medical knowledge of psychology, and they lacked the faith to cast out demons, so they were essentially helpless.
In contrast, modern science sees everything as a matter of brain chemistry, even to the point of ignoring the psychology of the unconscious. Most modern physicians disavow all belief in demons and wouldn’t recognize one even if he spit in their faces.
But, in all truth, there are demons and there is mental illness, and it would do us well to understand the difference between them.
To understand this difference, it is important first to understand the unconscious.
The Unconscious
A brilliant French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan, has explained the technical aspects of the unconscious better than anyone. Lacan emphasized the relation of language to unconscious functioning. Language, being metaphoric and symbolic, is one step—one large step—removed from “reality,” and in the gap between the symbolic and the real is all the deception, lies, and fraud of human social existence.
Although it might seem, on the surface, that our lives are structured simply by conscious thought and speech, we are really more influenced by that gap between the symbolic and the real—or, in other words, by what is “missing” from our lives simply because we filter all our experience through our social dependence on language and the realm of the symbolic. Therefore, the unconscious is a side-effect, so to speak, of our separation from raw reality because of our use of language. The unconscious can be thought of as the unspoken—and hidden—aspect of our speaking lives. Consequently, the unconscious holds the deepest—and often, the most ugly—truths about ourselves.
Many persons fear the unconscious—some persons are afraid of even the idea of having an unconscious—because they fear truth itself. Nevertheless, let us be clear about what the unconscious is not.
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The unconscious is not something alien to ourselves.
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The unconscious is not, in itself, sinful.
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The unconscious is not, in itself, evil.
Because of our unconscious functioning, however, we are vulnerable to being influenced by evil.
Vulnerability to Evil through Psychological Defenses
You are vulnerable to the influence of the devil and other demons in proportion to the extent that you are influenced by unconscious psychological defenses. That’s a powerful statement, so let’s explain it. Your psychological defenses, like the psychological defenses of all of us, were created in your childhood to protect your pride and ego in the face of assaults [2] from the world. Unless these defenses are altered through deep personal scrutiny or psychotherapy, however, they will continue on into your adulthood, like sealed time capsules within your unconscious mind, where they cause you, no matter how old you may be, to act with the selfish desperation of a frightened and angry child. For some individuals, defensive functioning becomes the predominant aspect of their being; thus they lack “well-being” and are said to suffer from mental “illness.” Now, when you act with the selfish desperation of a frightened and angry child, you are acting with a raw self-interest that is very similar to the demonic refusal to serve God. In this desperate state of mind you are thinking only of yourself; you aren’t thinking clearly, and you certainly aren’t thinking about God, and so you are vulnerable to falling under the influence of demons (UID). Note that many defenses are created specifically because of the intense emotional pain of family dysfunction and hypocrisy. Quite commonly, when a child is hurt and angry because of the failures of his or her father, these defenses often seek the unconscious satisfaction of undermining all paternal authority—including the Church and, ultimately, God Himself.
The Desire for Revenge
The easiest opening the devil can follow into your heart is the path opened by your defenses in the desire to get revenge for injuries inflicted on you. If the injury came from God (as a rebuke or a spiritual lesson), you, while Under the Influence of Demons, will be angry at God, in spite of the opportunity for purification He is giving you. If the injury came from wickedness, you, while Under the Influence of Demons, will seek revenge against those who hurt you, and you will use the justification that “The devil made me do it!”—and most likely, because of spiritual blindness, you will feel angry at God as well. Because this desire for revenge is often unconscious, rather than conscious, especially in regard to childhood traumas, some persons might even say that because they live such pious lives they are certain that they don’t want revenge on anyone. But unconsciously they do desire revenge—and any of those behaviors that “the devil made me do” are the evidence of UID, right along with all those sins that keep getting repeated despite repeated confessions. So, do you need an exorcism? Well, actually, you can “exorcise” yourself simply by creating an environment within your “house” that is boring to the devil. It’s like when a neighbor always comes to your house and helps himself to the soda or beer in your refrigerator. You can put an end to the mooching just by not keeping soda or beer in the fridge. Therefore, in regard to the devil, don’t keep “revenge” in your house. That is, purge from your house anything that breeds on revenge: sports, television, politics, newspapers, video games, and so on. Even though these things are accepted hook, line, and sinker by our secular culture—and even by those who claim to be Christian—they have no spiritual value and are just breeding grounds for the desire to get revenge on others. The same for addictions (smoking, drinking, drugs, gambling, eroticism); these things breed revenge because by hurting yourself your unconscious intent is to sabotage authority; e.g., your parents and God.
What Can You Do ?
Well, on the one hand, if you are carrying in your heart all sorts of bitterness about past injuries and injustices, then, when new trials afflict you, all that unconscious bitterness in your heart will gush forth in anger—along with envy, and rivalry, and pride, and on and on—and you will fall right into all the snares of self-sabotage, disobedience, and sin that the devil has laid out for you. On the other hand, if you live a chaste lifestyle, if you have detached yourself from the worldly need to defend your pride, if you respect yourself and your body, if you are free from self-punishment and believe that God desires your salvation, if you can face everything with patience and humility, if you pray constantly for those who hurt you, if you have really died to the world as the early Church understood the term—in short, if you have set aside the illusory protection of your psychological defenses and trust completely in God to protect you—then you truly are serving God from the depths of your heart, and, like an alcoholic convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol who finally accepted treatment in a rehabilitation program and became clean and sober, you will no longer be Under the Influence of Demons.
Do not let the sun go down on your wrath; do not give the devil a chance to work on you. —Ephesians 4:27
Three Final Points
1. Not everyone who is mentally ill is under the influence of demons.
2. Not everyone who is under the influence of (or even possessed by) demons is mentally ill.
3. Some individuals are both mentally ill and under the influence of (or even possessed by) demons.
ism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Pica, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic embitterment disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Primary insomnia, Psychotic disorder, Pyromania, Reading disorder, Reactive attachment disorder, Retts disorder, Rumination disorder, Schizoaffective disorder, Schizoid, Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform disorder, Schizotypal personality disorder, Seasonal affective disorder, Self Injury, Separation anxiety disorder, Sexual Masochism and Sadism, Shared psychotic disorder, Sleep disorder, Sleep terror disorder, Sleepwalking disorder, Social phobia, Somatization disorder, Specific phobias, Stereotypic movement disorder, Stuttering, Suicide, Tourette syndrome, Transient tic disorder, Transvestic Fetishism, Trichotillomania, Vaginismus