Warning: this post contains images that are graphic that one may find disturbing.

Here is another possible symptom of demonization: engaging in self-harm or self-injury. The secular world has its explanations as to why some people may do it, and they may be valid. However, at least in some cases of self-harm, can be attributed to demonization.

Recently, I have been getting a lot of contacts from people who are concerned about a significant other who has been involved in self-harm. We’ve discerned that something demonic was going on. One father told me his son, who is believed to be demonized, super-glued his eyelids shut. Thank God there were no permanent injuries.

I can recall one woman who I prayed for who was heavily demonized, the demons would manifest through her and would cause her to pull out her hair when the demons were directly prayed against. It was quite disturbing.

Now, I’m not saying every instance of a person who is involved in self-harm has demons inside of them. However, what I am saying is that the underlying cause or influence can be demons. If that’s the case, then the person should have the demons cast out!

What is self-harm/injury?

It’s the act of deliberately harming one’s body, but it’s typically not a suicide attempt (although in severe or long-term cases of self-injury, it may lead to purposefully attempted suicide). It’s also called nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), self-inflicted violence, or self-injurious behavior.

Self-injury behaviors may include:

• Cutting
• Scratching
• Hitting (such as self-punching)
• Burning
• Pinching
• Inserting objects under the skin
• Pulling out hair (trichotillomania)
• Skin picking
• Biting
• Bone-breaking
• Needle sticking
• Self-poisoning
• Head banging
• Carving
• Interfering with healing
• Rubbing objects into the skin
• Excessive body piercing

Cutting is the most common form of self-injury — more than 80% of people who self-harm choose this method. Head banging or hitting is the second most common method, followed by burning. The most frequent sites of self-injury are the hands, wrists, stomach, and thighs, though self-injurers may hurt themselves anywhere on the body. Teens and college students are more likely to be involved in self-harm than any other group, but anyone from any demographic can engage in it (Sources 1, 2).

According to a secular source, a person engaged in self-harm may be trying to

• Manage or reduce severe distress or anxiety and provide a sense of relief
• Provide a distraction from painful emotions through physical pain
• Feel a sense of control over his or her body, feelings, or life situations
• Feel something — anything — even if it’s physical pain, when feeling emotionally empty
• Express internal feelings in an external way
• Communicate depression or distressful feelings to the outside world
• Be punished for perceived faults

A Biblical case self-injury/harm can be demonic

Do we have any Biblical evidence to support the notion that self-harm can be demonic? Most certainly! The Bible reads in Mark ch. 5 about a man who had many demons (called Legion) who cut himself, but the Lord Jesus delivered the man:

“² And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,³ Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:⁴ Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,⁷ And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.⁸ For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.⁹ And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many…”

Self-injury/harm in other contexts

Self-injury is also commonly practiced in association with religion, magic, and ritual. The Maya priesthood performed auto-sacrifice by cutting and piercing their bodies in order to draw blood (source). Some indigenous cultures’ shamans believe that endurance of pain serves to increase spiritual power. In ancient times, some people worshiped the false god Baal instead of the one true God, and religious rituals typically involved cutting and bleeding to please Baal. We find such an instance written in 1 Kings 18:20-40. God didn’t want the Israelites to emulate the pagans, that is part of the reason under the Old Testament law, self-injury, especially self-cutting, was condemned (Leviticus 19:28). In Catholicism, it is also practiced. It is known as mortification of the flesh, or more specifically self-flagellation.

Examples of people in the news believed to be demonized who cut themselves

For at least some of the following people who have cut themselves, one can easily discern they were/are likely demonized, as they had/have other symptoms of demonization:

• Nikko Jenkins, a serial killer, who claimed the snake god Apophis entered him to kill four people, was reported to cut his face and lips with a razor while in a prison cell. He even cut his male member to look like the Egyptian snake god (Source). Is there any doubt this person is demon-possessed?

• Recently, there was one of the worst mass shootings in American history in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children were murdered. It was reported, that the murderer, Salvador Ramos, had cut his face with knives repeatedly. He said he did it for fun. This is very reminiscent of the demoniac who cut himself with rocks (Mk. 5:1-20). One person who encountered him before he entered the elementary school noted that he had an evil look on his face. I would say without a doubt, the mass murderer, Salvador Ramos, was demon-possessed.

• Another mass shooter, Nikolas Cruz, reportedly cut himself before he ended up committing his mass murder. Psychologist Dr. Michael Brannon testified that the Parkland school shooter told him that he worships the devil, and hates God, Jesus, and Christianity. He also scrawled “666” on the prison cell wall with his own blood, and said he heard a voice inside his head (it’s interesting this voice doesn’t come against Allah, Buddha, or Krishna) who called himself “Swaz” told him to commit the crime. Definitely demonic.

• Marilyn Manson, a self-proclaimed anti-Christ “shock-rocker” singer who once ripped a Bible during his performance, reportedly cut himself on stage with a razor blade during a performance. It seems to have been unplanned. What spirit was working behind him?

• Singer Demi Lovato was involved in self-harm. It seems that Demi checks a lot of the boxes for signs of demonization. She once announced that she is ‘gender-fluid’, and should be referred to as ‘they/them’, but changed her pronouns again to she/her. Moreover, she once sang to ETs, claimed to have seen 3 ETs waking up, and believes her house is haunted. She attempted to alleviate her depressive symptoms by using a combination of alcohol and illicit drugs, reportedly cocaine, as a way to self-medicate and also admits to struggling with bulimia.

She said “There were times I felt so anxious, almost like I was crawling out of my skin — that if I didn’t do something physical to match the way I felt inside, I would explode,” she explained her issues prior to entering a treatment center in late 2010. “I cut myself to take my mind off that. I just didn’t care what happened. I had no fear.”

She also was intrigued by death at a young age: “The very first time I was suicidal was when I was seven. I had this fascination with death…. I have experienced things that I have not talked about, and I don’t know if I ever will talk about. But at seven, I knew that if I were to take my own life, that the pain would end” (Source).

• Billie Eilish, who was exposed here, was involved in self-harming. She said she went “through a whole self-harming phase — we don’t have to go into it. But the gist of it was, I felt like I deserved to be in pain” (Source).

• Lady Gaga, who was also exposed here, reportedly said that she had a dream where an entity (likely a demon) told her to cut her wrist:

“I have this recurring dream sometimes where there’s a phantom in my home. And he takes me into a room, and there’s a blond girl with ropes tied to all four of her limbs. And she’s got my shoes on from the Grammys. Go figure — psycho. And the ropes are pulling her apart.

I never see her get pulled apart, but I just watch her whimper, and then the phantom says to me, “If you want me to stop hurting her and if you want your family to be OK, you will cut your wrist.” 

Sadly, it looks like she followed through:

“… I was a cutter for a long time, and the only way that I was able to stop cutting and self-harming myself was to realize that what I was doing was trying to show people that I was in pain instead of telling them and asking for help,” she said (Source).

More evidence self-injury/harm can be demonic

Self-injury can be a symptom of psychiatric illness. According to a source, self-injury behaviors can be a symptom of mental illnesses, “such as personality disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.” Interestingly, these disorders can be symptoms of demonization. As posted here, a lot of cases of mental illness can be attributed to demonization. If a person is involved in self-harm and has other symptoms of demonization, then it’s very likely there is an underlying demonic cause.

Interestingly, one source reads “People who harm themselves often do so while under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs.” Drug use is a huge demonic door opener. It would make sense if someone was under the influence that the person would engage in a self-harm act.

The devil wants to destroy us

Jesus Christ said the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. It’s no surprise that satan’s kingdom would want people to harm themselves (or allow others to). I believe the enemy has a motive to mar the human body, since we are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Scripture reads we ought to use our body to glorify God; if you are a Christian then your body (which is really God’s body) is the temple of God:

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s”  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The solution

While the secular world has its methods to treat such issues (e.g. medications), which may or may not be effective if the underlying issue is demonic, turning to the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving deliverance prayer may be the remedy. God is not far from any of us who seek Him (Acts 17:27). Even if you don’t believe there is a demonic element, the Lord can still deliver and heal. God loves you and cares for you:

“¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:18-19)

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

“⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)

“²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins, just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”