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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be creeped out by this even though I'm non woo

72 replies

WereNotInKansasAnyMore · 08/10/2019 18:24

So it's come to light that when I was a young child my mother (completely non woo, or so I thought) had a priest preform an exorcism in my bedroom when I was a child.

She says she saw shadows over my cot when I was crying and felt a presence. I'd stop crying when she entered and the 'shadow' would disappear.

She said one night she went in and she just knew this 'thing' was evil and had to call my dad to leave work early (on night shift) which he's confirmed did happen.

They then got an actual priest over to exorcise my bedroom and, in her words, throw water about.

Apparently afterwards I slept fine and had no more night terrors.

AIBU to be a bit creeped out by this? I'm not really into woo stuff but honestly I don't believe she's lying, she isn't the sort and my dad confirmed it too. Neither of them have ever given me any impression that they even believe in this sort of stuff!

Random AIBU I know but I'm just a bit wtf about this new information!

OP posts:

1onelyranger · 08/10/2019 18:26

she isn't the sort and my dad confirmed it too.

He confirmed that your mum thought she saw a shadow in your bedroom?

Original poster

WereNotInKansasAnyMore · 08/10/2019 18:26

That she called him home from work and they had a priest come out.

OP posts:

1onelyranger · 08/10/2019 18:27

I think that'd be creeped out learning that my mum believed this when she was looking after me when I was very young and vulnerable.

WorraLiberty · 08/10/2019 18:28

All I can say is nearly every post on Mumsnet started by a woo believer, begins with the words "I'm not into woo. I'm the most cynical person you'll ever meet but..."

So it's likely your mum was really into woo but just denied it.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 08/10/2019 18:28

Very creepy.

JumpyLiz · 08/10/2019 18:29

Well yer ma sounds woo, and you do too

anyoneseenmykeys · 08/10/2019 18:30

So it's completely out of character for your mum? Weird, but that wouldn't bother me too much - it's not like you feel you have been raised by a religious nut.

Can you just ring a priest to come and perform an exorcism? Man, they must be busy.

iklboo · 08/10/2019 18:30

Well you would stop crying when your mum came in the room wouldn't you? Remember, you've only got her word for all this.

CormacMcLaggen · 08/10/2019 18:30

I think your mum was sleep deprived, I really wouldn't be creeped out, OP. :)

Coffeeandchocolate9 · 08/10/2019 18:31

If you'e not into woo, why are you creeped out about it? Your mum did what she thought best to protect you. Was she a good mum in general? That's the only thing that matters, surely.

RealMermaid · 08/10/2019 18:31

I don't think it's a big deal. Whatever your mum saw/thought she saw, if she felt better for having the priest come over then it solved the problem. It sounds like you were really little, your mum was probably sleep deprived and on her own looking after you... Even those of us who are completely non woo have probably had our moments of panic alone in the house at night when there's a spooky noise :)

seaweedandmarchingbands · 08/10/2019 18:31

A Catholic priest? They don’t perform exorcisms on demand. Pretty sure it has to be sanctioned by the Vatican.

teraculum29 · 08/10/2019 18:31

its all about what people believe.
Is your mum pagan?or Wicca?

Franklymydearidontgiveadam · 08/10/2019 18:33

Your brave to post this kinda stuff this day in age on MN.

seaweedandmarchingbands · 08/10/2019 18:34

If a priest did come to your house, he probably did, literally, throw a few drops of water over the cot and then leave, chuckling to himself about your mad mum, but it will have done you no harm.

SmellMySmellbow · 08/10/2019 18:34

He wouldn't have performed an exorcism. It would have been a blessing and a bit of throwing water about to calm a sleep deprived mum's mind. Placebo, if you will.

iklboo · 08/10/2019 18:35

Pagans / Wiccans don't call priests for exorcisms.

Original poster

WereNotInKansasAnyMore · 08/10/2019 18:35

It wasn't a Catholic priest. One of her best friends parents is a vicar I think? I don't know all the terms to be honest so I may have got the title wrong!

I'm only creeped out because it's just not at all like my mum and the fact that she really believes/believed it is odd, for her.

You're right, probably just sleep deprivation!!

OP posts:

Notmilitantbutmycardismarked · 08/10/2019 18:36

If you were crying and your mum came into your room, you probably would stop crying.
Your mum probably did see shadows.
If the shadows freaked your mum out (shadows can freak out even the most sensible of people but especially when they are feeling delicate and/or on edge with a baby) then they freaked her out and she did sonething that made her feel better which was the right thing to do for her.
She was less tense and therefore you were less tense.
She would have been looking for cause and affect. You know like when you decide 7 is your lucky number and suddenly you see 7s everywhere? Same thing so she was looking for validation that she fixed the problem so we would have noticed you crying less even if you didn't. I've not explained that well but I hope it makes sense.
Plus, it was a long time ago and memories tend to bend to what you want them to be/Think they should be even if you don't realise you are mis-remembering.

Your mum saw shadows which upset her at a vulnerable time, she did sonething she thought wpuld help, looked for validation that it did and everyone felt better. No need to be creeped out.

Hederex · 08/10/2019 18:38

She might have had post natal depression/psychosis or other mental health issues at the time. Even severe anxiety.
It obviously made her feel better to do it, and as long as you felt looked after as a child in general I wouldn't worry about it.

BertieBotts · 08/10/2019 18:39

Perhaps she had post natal depression? Some forms of that can lead to psychosis which would explain a feeling of evil. Or it could literally have been asleep deprivation. One of the first signs of bad sleep deprivation is little hallucinations in the corners of your eyes like seeing moving dots you usually think are bugs. This can escalate to shadowy type things and paranoia is also a stage of sleep deprivation.

Were you a particularly bad sleeper perhaps?

MsMustDoBetter · 08/10/2019 18:41

Do you know what? I get this! DD1 was a terrible sleeper and just wouldn't settle without me. Toy Noises and creaking floorboards were common day and night. The most frightening was also witnessed by Dh in the middle of the night as a trombone toy and lights went off for a few minutes. We woke, realised what the sound was and he went in. Just as he crossed the threshold the lights and noise went dead. It was weird and unsettling. I hated the vibe in that house.

I know the person who loves there now and the house is calm and serene. Nothing like when we lived there.

GADA9215 · 08/10/2019 18:50

Maybe your mum was sleep deprived and had a wild imagination. Sleep deprivation can do funny things to people to. Maybe she did generally believe this happened and the priest made her feel a bit better? But an exorcism? Sounds a bit ott. Maybe the priest made a blessing?

I’m a complete non believer of this kind of stuff though.

Maybe you stopped crying because you could sense when your mama entered the room not because you were being watched by some 👻

RingPiece · 08/10/2019 18:55

Vicars can perform exorcisms. My friend's brother is a vicar and said there was a time, about twenty years ago, when he did one a month on average. I remember schools featured highly, old schools, usually private, as well as actually exorcising people, mainly people in the forces. Weird.

IwantedtobeEmmaPeel · 08/10/2019 19:00

I tend to keep an open mind on this kind of stuff, but even if you think your Mum imagined it, to me the most important thing is she took steps to protect her baby from something she believed might hurt you and that's what I would focus on.

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