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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:

ABCDE12344 · 08/10/2019 19:16

My children don't sleep well at al...any chance your mum still has the contact details of this priest

BertieBotts · 08/10/2019 20:09

That's really sad Ring piece - the people in the forces were probably traumatised :( they needed mental health support, not exorcism.

RONNIETRIX · 08/10/2019 20:09

Hate to say this but it's probably true that there was a spirit.

LadyAndiBella · 08/10/2019 20:11

Wooooo!!!! 👻 😝

colourlessgreenidea · 08/10/2019 20:24

Hate to say this but it's probably true that there was a spirit.

Why is it ‘probably true’?

timshelthechoice · 08/10/2019 20:35

If you believed that stuff why the hell would you leave your baby in a room that had that in it? That's what is what would creep me out.

Boireannachlaidir · 08/10/2019 22:46

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

throw water about

In her words

Oh god MN is comedy gold this eve, what was this "actual" priest's name do you know? Was it Kace by any chance?

Shelvesoutofbooks · 08/10/2019 22:48

So you say it was whole you were in a cot, were you a baby? Did your mother suffer from pnd or psychosis?

FiddlesticksAkimbo · 08/10/2019 22:53

Woooooooohooooohoooohooooo👻😱☠️

PuzzledObserver · 08/10/2019 23:24

OK, so every Diocese in the Church of England has an advisor on Deliverance Ministry, previously known as the Diocesan Exorcist.

Anyone, of any faith or none, can approach their parish priest (vicar) for help with any sort of ‘presence’, funny feeling, cold spot, things that go bump in the night etc. The priest will consult with the diocesan bod and do whatever they advise, following strict guidelines.

In most cases they will come and do a blessing, offer prayers for peace in the affected room, sometimes in every room. They might celebrate a Eucharist in the house. An actual exorcism is very rare and surrounded by safeguards. Deliverance advisors work in consultation with mental health professionals because it is recognised that some cases of ‘spiritual disturbance’ are actually delusions and need medical care alongside pastoral care - not exorcism.

In most cases (according to those in the know), what they are actually dealing with is a distressed person. But to listen, give attention, and pray for people can be enormously comforting. It is normal in most churches to pray for people who are ill or distressed, this is just an extension of that activity. If the priest leaves and the person reports the disturbance has stopped, everyone is happy. If the simplest intervention does not do the trick, further interventions will be offered.

I believe the Roman Catholic Church has a similar setup. Other denominations vary. From the Methodist Church, we would go and listen and pray, and if that doesn’t work, we ring the Anglicans.

Smileyaxolotl1 · 09/10/2019 07:38

I have a similar situation story in my house. My parents are very sensible, calm people and neither has ever suffered from a mental illness. They maintain that there was a malevolent spirit related to a close relative which was exorcised from their house and a relatives one. There were 3 or more incidents which preceded it including one related to stones and one related to physical harm against a person that the relative was not getting on with.
For what it’s worth I believe them.
To (slightly misquote) Shakesepeare ‘there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt on in your philosophy.’

Ponoka7 · 09/10/2019 08:01

I've heard antidotes from my GM (and strangers), whose house was apparently haunted. She ran a boarding house.

Some years ago. I moved into a HA house. I never liked the atmosphere in the front bedroom. It was the biggest room, but i gave it to my DD (12). There was a few things go on, but they were brushed off.

One day i came home from work and the pressure in the house was intense. It was as though noise was happening and i was being screamed at to get out. A wardrobe door did slam upstairs. I left and went round to my Mum's.

She watched the news and a man who was on trial for murder had been acquitted.

I picked my children up and we went back just in time to go to bed. My DD asked if we could stay in my Mum's, they used to when i worked. I still had a bedroom there.

I was relieved and we did that. The next day a neighbour stopped me and asked me what i had been doing in the night. I said i wasn't there. I had a cat and we put it down to that. She asked me what i thought about the murder case. I was a bit puzzled. She said "with you living in her house". The man a year later found to be guilty, on new evidence. Things calmed down after that.

I don't know what is left after we die, if it's an electrical imprint or energy. But something was happening that day.

Camomila · 09/10/2019 08:22

I agree with everyone who said your poor DM was probably sleep deprived (or maybe had PND) and the priest came and blessed the house and gave her some peace of mind.

Priests will come and bless your house if you ask, they did it for DM when she had breast cancer. DMs woo friend (years later) also sage smudged it. It's always had a lovely atmosphere :)

Velveteenfruitbowl · 09/10/2019 08:28

I’m not woo generally but sometime you do just know things. Presumably your subconscious pieces it together. People dying is a big one. I often look at people and can tell before they tell me that x person has died, it must be something in their facial expression. DH dreams about people the night before they die routinely and wakes up the next morning saying ‘oh, I think x might be dead’. While I must admit that I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits but I can’t say with any confidence that they don’t exist for a fact. Maybe they do and maybe your mother subconsciously picked up on it despite not believing. At any rate it hardly matters now, alls well that ends well and all that.

MrsBobBlackadder · 09/10/2019 08:56

@PuzzledObserver great post - really interesting to read

Bluntness100 · 09/10/2019 09:01

I'd say your mother wasn't very well mentally at this point, and whomever performed it and your father were just trying to help her. It worked, so all good. I can't see why you'd be creeped out by it, more it's better to understand your mother suffered mentally at the time of your birth.

I'm sure you understand intellectually babies cry when left alone and stop when their mothers come in to comfort them.

Mollymoo01 · 09/10/2019 09:07

Bless your dad, he probably realised your DM was terribly sleep deprived and stressed with a new baby and instead of dismissing her feelings he got a ‘priest’ in to help alleviate her fears.

I think it’s quite kind of your Dad.

Osirus · 09/10/2019 09:07

I believe the Roman Catholic Church has a similar setup. Other denominations vary. From the Methodist Church, we would go and listen and pray, and if that doesn’t work, we ring the Anglicans.

And if that doesn’t work, who do you call - ghostbusters!

Sorry, your post was great!

recrudescence · 09/10/2019 09:32

I wouldn’t worry about this ... unless your mother goes on to tell you that your head swivelled 180 degrees and you covered your cot in green vomit.

PuzzledObserver · 09/10/2019 12:26

And if that doesn’t work, who do you call - ghostbusters!

Don't know - hasn't arisen (yet) in my experience. The general advice is to turn to the experts as and when needed and not worry about it the rest of the time.

In 12 years of ministry I've received only one request of this nature, and the situation was resolved to the householder's satisfaction by simple prayers for peace. I remain agnostic about what was actually happening.

Spidey66 · 09/10/2019 12:53

What does non woo mean?

iklboo · 09/10/2019 17:18

Non woo is not normally believing in supernatural stuff (ghosts, angels etc)

Lifeisabeach09 · 09/10/2019 19:58

And if that doesn’t work, who do you call - ghostbusters!

RolytheRhino · 09/10/2019 20:04

From the Methodist Church, we would go and listen and pray, and if that doesn’t work, we ring the Anglicans.

I don't know why, but that made me

Mrsfrumble · 09/10/2019 20:24

I went through a period of seeing shadowy figures moving around our flat out of the corner of my eye. At the time I had a “challenging” toddler (later turned out to have ASD and ADHD) and a small baby (neither slept), we had just moved to a new country where I knew nobody and DH was working all the time. I was chronically sleep deprived and my mental state was not great. I was so tired and strung out the figures didn’t even really scare me. They went away as things got more settled and I got more sleep.

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