True believers -- tales of being possessed<\/p>\n
By Maria Kegel<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"Rose\" considers herself a typical young
\nCanadian. She does not go to church and never believed in the
\nsupernatural. But two years after her scuba diving holiday in
\nManado, North Sulawesi, she is still trying to find a logical
\nexplanation for the events that followed.<\/p>\n
It was her first time in Indonesia, and one night her scuba
\ninstructor asked her for a lock of hair.<\/p>\n
She complied, thinking it was a sweet gesture, but when she
\nconfided in a local friend, she was shocked by her reaction.<\/p>\n
\"My friend said she didn't want to scare me, but I should get
\nmy hair back.\"<\/p>\n
Rose scoffed at the suggestion her friend was making, and did
\nnot think about it again.<\/p>\n
However, after she left Manado, she suffered insomnia for five
\nnights. Upon her arrival in Hong Kong, she found she was unable
\nto return to Canada. The next day she flew back to Manado and
\nstayed two more weeks.<\/p>\n
At home finally, she grew disinterested in life. She quit her
\nwell-paying job, dumped her boyfriend of five years and enrolled
\nin a college program to become an English teacher.<\/p>\n
Fifteen months later, she was living and working in Jakarta,
\nand returned to Manado four more times for holidays.<\/p>\n
One of her private students, a devoutly religious Arabian
\ndiplomat, told her he had performed numerous exorcisms. After
\nlooking into her eyes, he stated that she was possessed.<\/p>\n
\"He was dead serious, and he offered to get rid of whatever
\nwas inside. I just laughed at him, and avoided the subject
\naltogether.\"<\/p>\n
Some time later they were having a class over lunch in a busy
\nrestaurant. Without warning, her student reached across the table
\nand grabbed her left arm with his hand. At the same instant he
\nbegan rapidly speaking in Arabic in a low voice.<\/p>\n
\"This is no lie. I began to become strangely dizzy. Voices in
\nthe restaurant began echoing, buzzing, and I was having problems
\nfocusing, keeping my eyes open. I tried desperately to keep them
\nopen, but I felt I was falling backward down a long dark tunnel.\"<\/p>\n
She said she struggled hard for what seemed to be several
\nminutes to stay conscious, frightened by the embarrassment of
\nfainting in a public place.<\/p>\n
\"He let go of my arm and stopped reciting, and I snapped back
\ninto reality. He didn't explain what he did, and I didn't ask.
\nInstead we just carried on eating and chatting. By far, it was
\nthe strangest experience I have ever had and I still cannot
\nexplain what happened.\"<\/p>\n
Bible<\/p>\n
References to people possessed by supernatural forces have
\nbeen mentioned since the days of the Bible. Hollywood has
\nexplored the theme in movies such as The Exorcist.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia there are dukun (witch doctors) and orang pintar
\n(shamans), with dukun more associated with black magic, while
\norang pintar heal the sick.<\/p>\n
In strange manifestations which disturb people or places, an
\norang pintar is called upon, as in the case of one young woman,
\nUli.<\/p>\n
After using a washroom in the back of the shop where she
\nworks, Uli felt frail and sick, and later complained of a severe
\nheadache.<\/p>\n
Uli went home, and her mother saw that she was acting
\nstrangely. The young woman had crying fits, which were
\ninterspersed with screams and bursts of hysterical laughter.<\/p>\n
\"And she was so thirsty,\" her mother said. \"During one
\nscreaming fit, Uli demanded a glass of water. She finished it and
\nsaid she wanted more, stopping only after she drank eight
\nglasses.\"<\/p>\n
The family's confusion mounted after a doctor said he could
\nfind nothing wrong with Uli.<\/p>\n
Her parents decided to consult the local orang pintar.<\/p>\n
Ibu Dewi, the 60-year-old neighbor, said Uli's case was no
\nordinary ailment; after looking at her face, she determined that
\nUli was possessed by a stubborn spirit.<\/p>\n
Before ridding her of the unwanted occupant, Dewi asked it
\n\"Where are you from?\"<\/p>\n
Uli's voice immediately changed to a lower pitch and she
\nanswered, \"I am from the bathroom at the shop where Uli works\".<\/p>\n
\"Why are you in Uli's body?\" she demanded.<\/p>\n
\"Because I love her,\" it answered.<\/p>\n
Dewi took Uli's hands and said a prayer. She then placed a
\nglass of water in front of Uli, and told her to drink it all.<\/p>\n
\"Now you have to go,\" she said firmly addressing the spirit.<\/p>\n
It was not the end of Uli's ordeal. A few weeks later Uli's
\ncondition returned and Dewi was called three more times to repeat
\nthe exorcism.<\/p>\n
Although the other times were not as strong as the first
\npossession, Dewi told Uli to keep clear of the corner bathroom at
\nher workplace.<\/p>\n
Uli's problem, Dewi said, was that she was weak, her body was
\nrundown and she was often lost in daydreams, making her a prime
\ncandidate for possession.<\/p>\n
\"She could still become possessed again if she starts
\ndaydreaming again,\" she warned.<\/p>\n
Psychologist<\/p>\n
Psychologist and human resources consultant Sartono Mukadi has
\ndealt with many cases of reported possession, but he believes
\nthere is usually a personal problem behind the claim.<\/p>\n
\"I have never seen a real case of possession. But on the other
\nhand, who is to say. There may be some honest cases, but I've
\nnever seen one.\"<\/p>\n
He said most cases involved single low-income female workers;
\nhe rarely treats men or the well-to-do. He cited some case
\nexamples, saying they were girls who were bearing the
\nresponsibility of supporting their families, or were not able to
\nhandle guilt in a particular situation, such as an illicit
\naffair.<\/p>\n
\"Because she has no one to discuss her (affair) with, she
\ncopes by claiming to be possessed.\"<\/p>\n
From his experience with these cases, he attributed at least
\npart of the problem to the victim's personality.<\/p>\n
Weak<\/p>\n
\"They are weak people, not trained to solve problems by
\nrational discussion. They are introverted, closed and not too
\ngenuine a person,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sartono said therapy was simple: take the victims into a
\nseparate room and ignore them.<\/p>\n
If you pay attention to their behavior, it gets worse, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"However, if you say you don't believe it, she will be ashamed
\nand stop her behavior. Sometimes she confesses to it, and makes
\nan appointment for counseling.<\/p>\n
\"In the East, we are not trained to solve our problems with
\nrational thinking, and this is a key factor (in alleged
\npossessions). We use a defense mechanism as it is a way to avoid
\nfeeling guilty, and instead of rationalism, or recognizing the
\ncauses of the problem, we say it is from a mystical source.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/true-believers-tales-of-being-possessed-1447893297",
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