I just finished reading ch 4 (paranormal) and also ch 6 (demons). Those are very interesting ideas.
I have sometimes wondered if there is a feedback relationship between mental state and external paranormal stimulus. I became mildly psychotic for a few weeks after a weekend of weird experiences. Were the weird experiences a result of psychosis or was the psychosis a result of the weird experiences? Do material states in our brain make us more sensitive to non-material stimuli?
Just wanted to mention that idea to consider with your other good ideas.
Well the other issue that plays into this question: Is this a real occurrence or is it just in the person's head? Sometimes that's easier to determine than others.
Now, as you read; I don't believe everyone who has mental health crisis / issues is possessed by demons. Some I think are; but I don't think mental illness and demon possession are mutually inclusive phenomena. On the flip side of this though; there are people I would label as "demon possessed" who would not "rate positive" for identified mental health clusters of behavior. But than again; those people just might be good at "beating the lie detector test" so to speak.
Now, I do acknowledge that some "paranormal activity" is "verifiable" in that it's recordable and has no obvious explanation. (Like "shadow people". I have no idea what a manifestation of a partial human form would be, other than demonic.) Unless of course the footage really has been manipulated and they won't tell us that. I don't discount that's possible too.
So giving the "benefit of the doubt" that the footage isn't manipulated, there are cases where what happens certainly doesn't have a natural explanation (or at least not one that I'm aware of). Some of the natural explanations that I'm aware of were actually stumbled across in the course of many many years of watching documentaries on different stuff. Not because I was specifically looking for
that answer. Much of this sort of thing is sleuthing together puzzle pieces and trying to make the best determination as I can; (based on what I know of Scripture) as to what is possibly authentic and what clearly isn't.
I'm always "on the hunt" for more information though so.
And yes, you are correct that material states in our brains do make us more susceptible to "non-material stimuli". (Given if the stimuli is real; but most certainly in the realm of "non-material experiences".)
Lack of sleep is a big "material state of the brain" that causes psychological breaks with reality. Matter of fact, lack of sleep I would say is the largest and most obvious "monster under the bed". More obvious, but (maybe) less common is consumption of chemical substances. This includes side effect to prescription medication, even when taken as prescribed.
My son has hallucinated on ADD meds. Whereas when he has a hallucinatory seizure; it's brief with a distinct beginning and a distinct end which he is aware of. His hallucinatory seizures are only seconds long; not hours, or days as what happens to him with a med reaction. That's why my first "go to" if that happens, is to take him off the meds and see if this phenomena goes away. If it doesn't, I know that would represent a change in the state of his psychological health. That has never happened though.
Mental health though, is also connected to how we think about things and how we perceive our role in the world and the roles of others around us. The paranoid schizophrenic believes other people are controlling him; but that is not reality.
Even in the absence of identifiable mental illness; it is still possible that how we perceive things isn't reality. If we think that everyone around us must be able to see how big of a loser we are; that's a self imposed "reality", that actually isn't real at all. There's no way "everyone on planet earth" would see person X as "a loser".
So, there's that aspect of this too.
And the realization that our perceptions aren't necessarily reality, is a hard lesson to reconcile. We lie to ourselves all the time. And realizing when we are lying to ourselves (such as the "I'm a loser" example) can be very freeing.
So yes, external influences on the brain can impact how we think; but how we think about what we think can impact that also. (Sounds kind of weird - I know.)
Recently I was watching some documentaries on LSD experiments done in the 50's. Prior to seeing this; I always assumed that if the drug left the system the brain would "return to homeostasis". I'm not so sure of that any more. I know chemical alteration can produce permanent changes over decades; and so the "reset" for some patients can only "time machine" to "point of last broken". Yet acknowledging that patient determination to recover plays a role here too.
Now I have seen some remarkable changes in personalities of people who've genuinely been born of the Holy Ghost; but that process can take years still.
The LSD experiments I found interesting because those who it had been used on in experimental treatments, who had a positive outcome (as opposed to a "bad trip"); it was quoted to be on the level of "religious experience". They found it that life altering.
Yet usually on the "other side of the trip" they still felt empty (if not even more empty) because the realization of their recognizing the futility of life, they couldn't "un do". It's like going off to war, or becoming the victim of a profoundly violating crime. Once you've seen the experience; you can't "unsee it". You are changed forever. The LSD experience forever changed these people. Either for the "better" outcome of "I guess life really aint so good"; or the much more negative outcome of the confirmation of all their fears.
Yet the difference between the LSD induced "awakening" and a genuine spiritual awakening; is the one who has the genuine spiritual awakening now has hope in God. With drug induced states though; there's no substance to "hold on to" and this is why participants keep repeating the trip and often become addicted to the substance.
Watching those studies were interesting and they did give me more insight into the mind of the addict, that I didn't really understand before.
If an individual is "so far down" on the "ladder" of spiritual awakening that they mistake what the substance does for the source of any inkling of awakening they may actually really experience; it makes more sense to me why people become addicted. I've heard people in AA meetings describe this; I just didn't see how the puzzle pieces fit together, until I watched these documentaries on LSD research.
Which - just had another thought.....
When I was in the car accident in 2010; I did have religiously orientated hallucinations in the hospital. I was sure Jesus was walking in material form around the hospital. He'd been physically sitting in my room next to me. I was convinced of that in my mind. Of course none of the staff or anyone else saw Jesus physically walking the halls of this hospital; but I was sure He was materially present.
Yet I didn't actually remember those hallucinations until about 4 to 6 months after I got out of the hospital. I knew they happened though based on both recollection and what I read in the medical records.
I understand now that those were likely the result of the drugs I'd been given. (Which were really heavy duty pain killing sedatives on account of the fact that I had serious breaks of multiple large bones. No spine or torso injuries though - Thank God!)
I did sustain a traumatic brain injury; which has more affected my ability to mechanically manipulate parts of my body, than it has affected my personality, or the way I reason.
Psychologically, it has brought greater percentiles of PTSD manifestations to the forefront; but I'd also learned good managing skills before this accident happened. So, it didn't throw me psychologically for a "really big loop".
Now if my injuries had been the result of intentionally criminal human behavior; I'm sure the manifestation of PTSD symptoms would have been more psychologically disabling. I've always concluded that I faired much better psychologically in that accident than I faired physically.
Which again, getting back to your statement about factors affecting state of mind.
No trite, quick and easy answer in all this; is there?
You raise thought provoking questions!
