Father Dan referred to something in his talk which was taught to me when I was in community in the 1970s.
Dissociation. Psychological disassociation is the state of a person being detached from reality. Father Dan used an example, almost the same type used by my spiritual mentors forty years ago.
A friend of mine in 2008 and I experienced this type of caused by demons.
But, this state is exhibited either because a person is detached from reality by serious sin and demonic influence interiorly, or by exterior demonic influences.
Two examples--the external influence first. A person in a room says something important to another person and that person hears something completely differently--the demons of the air have taken the words and either twisted these, or interfered with the hearing of these words.
One can correct this oppression by repeating the sentence or words clearly and by unmasking the demon of the air -- which is what I was taught years ago to do.
In the second example, this dissociation is caused by interior chaos, sin, trauma, shock, and the person separates from reality either as a coping mechanism, or as a complete retreat from reality.
Christian families can be infected with this demonic influence. Many people who have been abused experience dissociation.
Father Dan noted that porn causes dissociation. I would go farther and state that obsession with computer games.
I extrapolate.
Dissociation stops spiritual reality from sinking in.
I have met people who have fallen into dissociation. The result is a tragic loss of humanity and identity.
Fantasy and living lives which seem holy but are really facades as one is living beyond the grace of God, pretending, may also be symptoms of dissociation.
Prayer must be intense and real. Conversion and complete abandonment to Divine Providence.
All those dissociated people in power will try to make our lives miserable.
to be continued....