Demonic Possession and Mental Health: Rediscovering Forgotten Truths

Biblical Insights on Possession and Healing

The Bible provides numerous accounts of individuals suffering from afflictions that today would be classified as mental illnesses but were then understood as demonic possession.

In Mark 5:1-20, we read of the man possessed by a legion of demons. He exhibited behaviors akin to severe psychosis—self-harm, isolation, and uncontrollable fits. He was so troubled that he was often bound with chains and shackles, akin to what we would describe as an inmate by today's standards, but it was only Christ’s divine intervention that brought him healing.

Similarly, in Mark 9:17-18, a boy suffering from demonic possession who was seized by the demon and thrown into the fire, was freed when Jesus, by the finger of God, cast out the demon tormenting him. These passages suggest that mental disturbances are not merely physiological but spiritual in nature.

Despite this, the rise of medical science has led society to dismiss these scriptural truths. The Industrial and Scientific Revolutions placed an increasing emphasis on observable, testable phenomena, sidelining spiritual explanations. The 19th-century discoveries of Paul Broca and others in neuroscience further solidified the notion that mental illness and other was brain dysfunctions has a scientific explanation, deviating from divine understanding. Yet, even as trepanation faded into obscurity, the underlying question remained: were ancient peoples truly mistaken, or did they possess insights we have since neglected?

The Shift from Spiritual to Secular Explanations

Trepanation, though crude, was likely an attempt to address both the spiritual and physical dimensions of suffering. The dual perspectives of Broca and his colleague P. Barthelemy Prunieres—one attributing the practice to superstition, the other to pragmatic medicine—mirror the ongoing tension between faith and science today.

The church once stood at the forefront of healing, offering prayers and deliverance for those tormented by unseen forces. Today, that role has been relinquished to psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies. Yet, despite all our advances, the mental health crisis continues to worsen. Rates of depression, schizophrenia, and suicide are at all-time highs. The question arises: have we ignored the spiritual realities underlying many of these afflictions?

The Call to Reevaluate

Christians must reconsider the possibility that modern mental health disorders are not chemical imbalances but manifestations of spiritual oppression. While medical intervention should not replace spiritual discernment and deliverance. The early Church recognized this, as seen in Acts 16:16-18, when Paul cast out a spirit of divination from a slave girl, immediately freeing her from its influence.

James 5:14-15 instructs us: "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up." This passage suggests that healing is not merely a physical or medical process but rather a spiritual one.

Conclusion: Returning to Truth

Our modern world has distanced itself from the understanding that demonic forces play a role in human suffering. Ancient cultures may not have had the language of neuroscience, but they possessed an awareness of the spiritual battle that still rages today. Yet, is not recognized in our world today. We have FALLEN from the TRUTH.

As we navigate an era where mental health struggles are on the rise, let us not be quick to dismiss the truths our ancestors held. It is time for the Church to reclaim its role in healing and deliverance, standing firm in the authority and TRUTH of Christ, who alone has the power to heal those afflicted by demonic possession know to our generation as MENTAL HEALTH.