"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
Hallucinations
Hallucinations, in the secular world, are often misunderstood—even by medical doctors. Let's start with a common secular definition, in layman's language, of "hallucinations."
"Hallucinations are false or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. These sensory impressions are generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli, and may be seen, heard, felt, and even smelled or tasted."1
Notice two things: 1) This is a very broad definition. 2) Hallucinations are "generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli." There is, of course, no such thing as hallucinations caused by demons.
This article will focus on hallucinations that are caused by demons. But first, let's briefly discuss hallucinations that likely have nothing to do with demons or are only indirectly related.
There are many causes of these hallucinations, including:2
- Being drunk or high, or coming down from such drugs as marijuana, LSD, cocaine (including crack), PCP, amphetamines, heroin, ketamine, and alcohol.
- Epilepsy that involves a part of the brain called the temporal lobe (odor hallucinations are most common).
- Fever, especially in children and the elderly.
- Narcolepsy.
- Sensory problem, such as blindness or deafness.
- Severe illness, including liver failure, kidney failure, AIDS, and brain cancer.
This list is far from exhaustive. And, in the videos section of this website, there is a excellent video on Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a medical disorder which does produce hallucinations that result from impaired vision. This, of course, has nothing to do with the Devil.
There is a wealth of information available on the internet on this topic.
But, there are other types of "hallucinations" that really are caused by demons. And it's important to distinguish between the two.
The key to determining which type of "hallucination" you are experiencing is to remember that demons have a function in this world and their activities fulfill that function: "The thief (Devil, demons) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10 NKJV)." They have no other purpose.
Their activities will attempt to steal your peace, destroy your marriage, destroy your business, get you to violate Scripture; in summary, they will attempt to get you do things to harm or kill yourself or others.
Most demonic hallucinations are auditory. When I worked at a crisis center, clients hearing voices were an everyday experience. The voices usually said derogatory things about the client and would tell them to do things that they shouldn't do. Since it was a secular program, I couldn't tell the clients that the voices they were hearing were demonic. But I could tell them "Don't trust the voices." The clients would almost always respond "Oh, I know that!"
The content of these "hallucinations" are rather predictable. Two client examples: First client: The voices "call me stupid," "pick on me," "harass me" and tell me to "drink more." Second client: Heard voices telling him to "kill yourself," "hurt yourself" and "you need to die."
Some hallucinations are the result of a spiritual foothold—but not all. The ones that are the result of a spiritual foothold—usually anger—are harder to get rid of. In this category, I remember a young man who was molested by his psychopathic father. The young man would hear voices telling him to "kill the child molester." To get rid of the voices, the young man would need to make progress in terms of forgiving his father.
For a more extreme example of "hallucinations" involving a spiritual foothold, be sure to read my article on the occult.
But "hallucinations" that are not the result of a spiritual foothold are easy to get rid of, at least for Christians. All you have to do is pray and/or rebuke the Devil in the name of Jesus. For an example, be sure to read my article on sleep paralysis.
Never try to rebuke the Devil until you first get saved. That is potentially dangerous (Acts 19:13-17).
Hallucinations involving sexual content are relatively rare, but they do occur in both sexes. I remember a woman who told me "I get raped every night." She was, of course, not actually being raped. But she felt bodily sensations as if she was. This was clearly demonic.
In evaluating someone with hallucinations, there are several salient considerations.
First, hallucinations caused by a medical condition can quickly become emergencies. So, early medical evaluation and intervention is of the utmost importance.
Second, is the person detached from reality? If the person is insane, he/she should never be left alone. And professional help will be needed.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. As with other mental health issues, once you determine what is going on, then, and only then, are you in a position to know what to do.
1 http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Hallucinations
2 Excerpted from article entitled "Hallucinations" by Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003258.htm
|
|
By using this website you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Copyright Jim Serio 2012
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.
The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™