The definition of oppression is prolonged cruel and unjust treatment or control. Mental pressure or distress. This a good description of what it is like to be under a spiritual attack. But it is also vague. It gives you the gist but not the details. I’m going to give you the details so that you can more clearly see the tactics of the enemy. Not everyone will experience all of these symptoms, but this information will help identify them, which is essential in the fight against the enemy. It is also important to mention that oppression lasts much longer than a few days. I was attacked day and night for about three years with very few reprieves. That is because the devil doesn’t stop. Steps need to be taken if the person is going to regain control over their life. So the attacks are long, unrelenting, and extremely malicious. Some sufferings remain even after a person has been freed from the attacks. I am still healing over twenty years later.
The spirit of oppression attacks a person from the outside through their health, finances, relationships, and more. There can also be physical attacks on the body. Some of the signs and symptoms of demonic oppression include: scratches or bite marks on the body, vile odors, hearing things that cannot be seen like banging, footsteps, or demonic voices, also seeing demonic images in the mind, or they can appear physically. Sleep is affected in a few ways. Through night terrors and sleep deprivation, which both cause extreme fatigue leaving the person unable to function or think clearly. Both of these can occur together. Meaning if the person does fall asleep, they will be assaulted with violent demonic dreams until they wake up. Demonic oppression can also cause illnesses that often affect the head and stomach but are not limited to them. So you can see the person is relentlessly tormented in various ways.
It is easy to see that these symptoms afflict the whole person, body, mind, spirit, and emotions. Demonic oppression is a very broad category, having a wide range of sufferings that vary in degree, with some being more severe than others but all being detrimental to the victim. Oppression can increase negative thinking patterns, obsessive thoughts, and suicidal thoughts. And it almost always forces the person into isolation. The effects of oppression impact the person’s emotions, causing confusion, fear, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and despair. They can also experience panic attacks, hopelessness, and constant feelings of guilt, shame, worthlessness, and so on. Oppression can also be described as a heaviness that weighs a person down, dulls their senses, and causes them to become inactive or unproductive. It is a loss of freedom for the afflicted person.
The symptoms of oppression and spiritual attacks are not a normal part of a person’s personality since they are caused by demons. Because of this, the person doesn’t understand what is happening to them. They have lost themselves, and they don’t know what to do. Overwhelmed, the person tends to focus on the symptom or symptoms that are most dominant on any given day. For example, let’s say the spirit of depression is aggressively attacking a person. The victim is going to fixate on the depression. They will obsess (another demon) over it and do everything in their power to figure out why they are experiencing such depression. They will be so confused and overwhelmed by their current state that they withdraw from pretty much everything and everyone. Once a person is suffering this extensively, the spirit of oppression has successfully isolated them and has almost total control over them with little to no outside interference. He has torn the person down and intends to keep them in bondage. The way I see this, the spirit of oppression is the chief demon, the head guy. He sends out the lesser demons, or those under his control, to pick away at the victim piece by piece, destroying every trace of who they are. Once this is accomplished, the demon no longer needs to conceal its identity but boldly takes center stage.
In my case, I experienced many of these symptoms. I was pushed and had injuries because of it. I physically felt a heaviness or pressure on my chest while I was in bed at night. It was terrifying. There were black shadows that roamed around the walls of my bedroom at night. I saw evil images in my mind and had demonic dreams. I experienced electric-like sensations all over my body that caused me to shake and kept me from falling asleep. My health was extremely affected by the lack of sleep. I couldn’t think or comprehend information. I was severely weakened in every way just because of sleep disturbances. The last time I saw the witch, she gave me a cookie. The cookie was cursed and I have had stomach problems ever since. I have other illnesses that are directly connected to the demonic attacks. They have affected our finances through the cost of doctors and medications.
” The Lord is my Light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh; My foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear.; Though war be waged upon me, even then I will trust.”
Psalm 21:1-3
As long as the attacks are kept secret, the person is cooperating with the devil. In this way, the devil is given permission to continue to control the victim. This is all a lot to digest, and I don’t want to leave anyone feeling lost or hopeless. My objective is to help people see what is happening to them so they can begin to break free. The devil works in the dark. He will do anything to keep people isolated, stuck, and stagnant so they can never find freedom. That means the person must take a step forward toward Jesus. It is only through Jesus that healing and freedom are found. So the person must be brave and run to the Church and the sacraments. This is where these tortured souls will find the help they so desperately need.
Cleanse Me Lord
May the most Precious Blood which flowed from the most Holy wounds of our loving Lord Jesus pour over me, to wash, cleanse, purify, heal, guide, and protect me from all evil, harm, sickness, and bless and make me as Holy as I can be. I ask this in the Holy Name of Jesus and through His most Precious Blood and His most Holy wounds. Amen
Prayer Against Oppression: Father Chad Ripperger
Most Blessed Trinity, by the authority given me by the natural law and by Thy giving these things and rights to me, I exercise authority, rights, and power over my N. (income, finances, possessions, etc.) and anything else that pertains to the oppression. By the merits of Thy Sacred Wounds, I reclaim the rights, powers, and authority over anything which I may have lost or conceded t any demon and I ask Thee to remove any demon’s ability to influence or affect anything in my life. God the Father, humiliate the demons that have sought to steal Thy glory Thee by oppressing Thy creatures. We beseech Thee to show Thy great glory and power over them and Thy great generosity to me, Thine unworthy creature, by answering all that I have asked of Thee. I bind all demons of oppression, in the Name of Jesus, by the power of the Most Precious Blood, the power of the humility with which Christ suffered His wounds, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Virgin Most Powerful, Saint Michael the Archangel, The blessed Apostles, Peter, and Paul, and all the saints, and I command you to leave and go to the foot of the Holy Cross to receive your sentence, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Wendy,
So nice to read your post. I have always been interested in the Catholic Religion however I believe there is one faith and that is in Jesus Christ. Jesus did not have a certain denomination which is what I see “Catholic as” not a different faith. I go to a Baptist Church not because I am a Baptist but I go because I like that they teach out of the KJV Bible and most of the time reference all that they say. Saying things without a reference is clearly hearsay. I do have questions about what the Catholics know about demonic oppression and oppression because in my history as a Christian I have not been taught much about it. I have read and studied a lot of the Bible. There are more parts of the Old Testament that I have not read than the new testament. Aren’t there other books in the Catholic Bible? What are they, and how far back do they date? Like do you know where the first written scrolls of the Bible are located? Also if it is not in the Bible it is not so. Someone can say there are demons but I have not read much about how to recognize one and the symptoms other than some physical and mental details as discussed in the gospels in the New Testament. It does not get as detailed as some of these post I read. Just saying something without a reference is ridiculous. In the Bible, Jesus taught people everywhere and does not recognize any denomination but rather faith in Him leads to salvation thru repentance and to the Father. Im interested in what you have learned as a catholic though.
Hi Rachel, there is a lot here that needs to be addressed here. Some of your questions I can answer. Others, I cannot answer as thoroughly as I’d like to so I will add a link so that can more fully answer your questions. I use scripture in some articles to support my point, others I have not. When I was attacked by witchcraft, there was no one, including priests who understood what was happening to me. Thankfully, that has now changed as many priests today are being trained in deliverance and also the rite of exorcism. My experiences with the demonic were long and scary, and I had no understanding of what was happening to me. I found healing through the sacraments of the Catholic Church, and through a great deal of research. I looked to the bible constantly for answers and encouragement. So once I was healed, I decided to start this website to help others. The article on oppression, and others, are written from my personal experiences. I wanted to help others who are suffering, and identify what is happening to them since I had no help when I was under an attack.
Jesus may not specifically refer to the demon of oppression in the bible, but it is clear that the people who came to Him were oppressed by the devil or demons (and also possessed). You can see that they were also afflicted physically and mentally. So just because it wasn’t said in plain direct words, doesn’t mean it isn’t understood by the stories that are told in the bible. Demons can afflict us in many ways. With fear, anxiety, confusion, and so on. In the bible, when the possessed man goes to Jesus, He asks him what his name is. The man responds “My name is Legion.” (Mark 5:9) Which means there were a lot of demons possessing that man. Is there a demon that specifically oppresses people? I think all demons oppress. Is there a demon that specifically causes fear? I think all demons use fear, etcetera. There are a lot of demons and they work together to oppress and sometimes even possess people.
You can learn more from a lot of different sources. Fr. Gabrielle Amorth, Father John Hardon, Fr. Robert De Grandis, and Fr. John Hampsch, all of whom I have studied and learned a great deal from on the subject of deliverance and demons. Adam Blai is also an excellent source of information on the subject. Spiritual books from the St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila are all amazing books that deal with the devil and demons. Dave VanVickle is also very good. EWTN, which is a Catholic cable channel, you will learn so much about the catholic faith there. USCCB is also a great way to learn about the catholic faith. And of course, the Catholic Bible, which has seven more books than the protestant bible.
The following link will talk about the differences between the two different bibles. Thank you for your interest Rachel. You really put me to the test today. I hope I have answered your questions.
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/why-does-the-catholic-version-of-the-bible-have-more-books-than-the-protestant-version/
USCCB
https://bible.usccb.org/bible
Hello. I was wondering if demonic oppression can cause illness in pets? I have pure-o ocd, had psychosis as a kid and have low grade but persistent depression, sleep problems, weird bodily symptoms. Also in the past couple months I’ve smelled weird and gross smells, have had lots of anxiety and heaviness around sleep, family issues etc. Now my pets have begun to fall ill. My cat just died from an illness she shouldn’t have been able to have–very suddenly. My chinchilla has developed lumps on his jaw very suddenly that indicate teeth problems that will probably be fatal for him (I pet his jaw all the time so this has happened quite suddenly). My diabetic cat has begun wheezing and my other cat has a weird scab on her chest. I haven’t been able to find anything that has said whether animals can be afflicted like this.
I really don’t know the answer to that question. I know that pets can sense the demonic but to be afflicted by them I am not sure. If you are being attacked and the house is infested then you need to address that first. Once you take control and are able to get rid of them you should feel better and you’ll see if the cats do as well. My suggestion would be to contact a priest who will bless your house with an exorcism blessing and he can also bless your pets. I am not sure if you are catholic or not but you don’t need to be catholic to have your house blessed. If you are catholic, consider going to confession and Mass regularly and using the sacramentals in your home. Some would include holy water, oil, and also candles. All of these can be blessed with an exorcism blessing. You should spray the holy water all over your house, and you can sprinkle the salt in the corners of all of the rooms, put it in the vents, and cook with it. Also, put it around the perimeter of your home. You bless yourself with the oil in the morning and also before bed. You can read my article How to Obtain Grace and Spiritual Protection: The Sacramentals to learn more about them and how to use them. I would contact a priest who can help you through this. If he is not familiar with exorcism blessings and deliverance you can contact the diocese in your area and they should guide you to a priest who is educated in the demonic. One more thing, get Father Ripperger’s book on amazon, Deliverance Prayers For Use by the Laity. Prayer and fasting are essential to combat the enemy. I hope this helps.
Wendy, another great article. Thank you !! Some of our youth are dealing with these same spiritual issues. One thing that my wife and I did was evaluate our home to see if we had anything(artifacts, souvenirs, etc) that would have spirits associated with them. If so we burned it. Also we destroyed a lot of movies that were demonic(evil, sex, violence, scary, etc) from our home too. We understand that we hold the key to the spiritual window, and our eyes are the gateway to our soul. We fight with the word of God, prayer & fasting. We don’t have any specific prayers, but we have a “Praying the Word” book that our Pastor prepared for us to actually prayer God’s Word against any attack. The devil is NO match for God’s Word. I quote scriptures when I get tempted too as a recourse. We also have scriptures posted around our home. Have you read this book: “Strongman’s His Name…What’s His Game?: An Authoritative Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare”? It highlights a lot of spirits with associated symptoms. Some of our spirits are generational curses that have been passed down through the generations, and they have to be dealt with accordingly!!
Praying scripture is powerful you are right. I have not read that book you referenced, but I have read others. I stick with my Catholic faith when researching these topics. But Years ago, I read a book by Jonas Clark called Exposing Spiritual Witchcraft, and it confirmed for me at the time, that I was being attacked by witchcraft. I was very grateful to finally understand a little what was happening to me. Thank you for your insights James.
My mom has “seen things” all my life. It’s just normal…she is 93 and lives with us now. We got the deliverance prayer book by Fr. Ripperger and have been praying the binding prayer he suggested most every day. She doesn’t see the things anymore! She has attacks of depression still. But seems stronger. She won’t embrace the Catholic faith….still hopeful.
Those prayers are very powerful. I’m so glad he put that book together for the faithful. And look how it helped free your mom from seeing things. That is so great. God’s mercy is endless. It is so true that as we embrace our faith more fiercely, we want everyone we love to be catholic. All we can do is pray and hope as you said.
It’s not about being a catholic. It isn’t about religion AT ALL. It’s about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. A real relationship so that he will know you and you will know him. Follow Jesus Christ not religion. Please pray with a sincere and humble heart that is open to truth and correction. If you’ve read the Bible completely yourself you can verify what I am saying is scripture not my opinion.
Hi Jeannie, first, I’d like to say that you’re right it is about a relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the center of the Catholic faith, and participation in the Mass and the sacraments help foster that relationship, as well as prayer, adoration, and scripture reading. Scripture is the living word of God, and it is also central to the Catholic faith. I am not here to judge anyone or any religion. I speak about the things that happened to me from a catholic standpoint because I am Catholic and it is where I have found healing. Reading the bible is very important, but without religion or any kind of hierarchy to help people understand and discern scripture, it leaves it open to misinterpretation. The Catholic faith is truth, and it has guided me my whole life. The Church and the sacraments saved me from the evils of witchcraft and helped me heal from those attacks, so nothing will change the love and commitment I have for my God or the catholic faith He has so kindly given me.