Preoccupation with Occult

I don't think anyone knows how to answer you're question.

I don't know much aobut Asperger's Syndrome.

Any chance you can ask the shrink about how to handle these converstations.

It's not that people don't care, it's just such a hard thing to answer. I know I don't like to come between parent and child. Things for you to consider, is it the only thing he will talk about? I know folks with this disorder tend to become focused on one thing. If he doesn't think he is worshiping the devil, then I don't think he is either. I am a Christian and do believe in good and evil forces/beings and he could open some doors to some nasty stuff. A lot of kids seem to be going through these things, they always leave it when they get older, well almost always. How this disorder plays into things I don't know. Seems like the shrink wants it to be removed from him.

Try setting out some easy to read Bible stories maybe he'll focus on those. Probably not, he's 15 and he wants to rebell. Maybe set out some books on computer programming and turn of the internet. Maybe he'll focus on that.

My thoughts and prayers will be with you.

Give him a copy of "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. The book is all about the mysterious ways that we may be deceived into doing wrong. It would teach him an important lesson, that appearances are not always as they seem.

Very good idea. Read that yeas ago, I should probably read it again. Wonderful ending.

lamberthunter wrote:My son, who is 15, was just diagnozed with Asperger Syndrome while being in a hospital behaviorial unit for suicidal thoughts.

Sorry to hear that, hope he's alright.

His preoocupation with the occult has grown and includes spell making and praying to the numerous gods. He insists it is ok because there is no satanism involved, however, he has a prayer to Luther who I was taught to believe was the devil, but he insists it is not so.

Nothing wrong there, we all have different paths we choose in life, and many of them lead to the same place. Even a few who do worship the devil are going in the same direction, seeking to find moral and social good as well as spiritual awareness, albeit from a different camp of thinking.

The fascination is so intense that he truly believes that "dead is not dead".

That might be worrisome... most religions do demonize suicide, since their establishment that the afterlife is better than the mortal life makes suicide an all too attractive proposal. Worshipping a religion that condones suicide brings to mind comets and cults, and funny tasting KoolAid(c).

Even after 5 days of treatment, he still cannot stop talking about mysticism ideas.

Exactly what treatment is he getting? Are people trying to force him to stop talking about mysticism, or trying to convince him to change his ways? Those rarely work, as people are quite resilient to such psychological assault, and are hardly justified since nothing about mysticism itself is bad to talk about. The suicidal, obsessive and antisocial parts are the problem perhaps. Probably better to compromise and give him his freedom as long as he doesn't mess with other people, which includes the responsibility he and every person has not to kill themself.

I cringe each time he mentions it and of course with Asperger Syndrome - changing the topic of discussion is impossible because he keeps coming back to it. He has created this cult thinking on his own through the internet and his library of books.

Maybe he just likes the subject? I am constantly amazed how my mother will tolerate me gabbing on about complex mathematical formulas and the kinetic energy of falling mustelids and such. Being tolerant might be a good idea, as long as you set your boundaries and let him know when you really can't take more on that subject. Just say, "Alright, I've had enough of talking about that today."

He is ready to come home and the doctor has advised me to "destroy all the books" and ban the internet.

I wouldn't ban the Internet myself, and certainly not destroy books! Are you sure your doctor isn't trying to push his morals before his diagnosis there? Obsessive thought is one thing, but trying to control someone by destroying their sources of information is uhm... not nice. It will not end well.

What do I do when he starts talking about astral travel or certain gods? He has done this at school also and the kids are afraid of him because of these ideas he freely states. The principal called and said my son's preoccupation with death and death like subjects is causing unrest and he could be expelled. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Not sure how to help there, he might be trying to assert himself among his peers. Shy sensitive types are often the target of violence and persecution, we're a lot like seagulls in that respect. One coping mechanism is to adopt a frightening appearance, impressing people with your uncomfortable words, and spooky manner of dress. The principal is saying something though? That smacks of a serious problem, not just with your son. See if you can find out if he's being abused or mistreated at school, even by the faculty in worst cases. If at all possible ask him how his religious studies have helped him with school problems. I'm not normally one to recommend home schooling, but in this case it might be the best solution if even the principal can't tolerate his frame of mind.

Mmm, yes and the Screwtape letters are pretty good reading I suppose. I prefer the Narnia books myself, but it is an interesting perspective of how a devil goes about (and fails) to corrupt a mortal soul. I would myself recommend perhaps some works by Robert Ingersoll, notable among them "Some Reasons Why I Am a Freethinker" to help your son avoid any dangerous paths that go against all reasonable and rational thought, but trick the heart and soul to want them anyway.


Starling

Hi, I'm 19 years old and have Asperger's Syndrome.

I was diagnosed when I was 14 or so. I come from a Christian background family on both sides, but my parents are not devote. I am also not a devoted Christian... I still don't know what I am but my Grandmother sends me a card once a month with God on it, the last one was:
What Matters to You, Matters to God
Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you." I Peter 5:7 TLB

don't know what the last letters mean but thats what she sent me. Anyway, they're good.

I too was fascinated by the Occult at an early age, along with other things like Scientology and Free Masonry. I loved reading the material, I loved thinking that there were forces at world throughout the world, the universe and whatever is beyond the boundery of my mind.

When I was 16 years old I got into 2 fantasy subjects. Dungeons & Dragons and a PC Game called WarCraft. Dungeons & Dragons has a huge stigma about it, which I won't go into, but for me it helped me pass the time, make friends, and shy away from the Non-Fiction section of these things and I placed all Occult related matters into the strict FICTION section of my mind.

If I may, If he likes reading this kind of thing try and get him to focus slightly away from the Non-Fiction, get him to the CS Lewis books, or the fantasy books written by R.A. Salvatore. These books were great for me when growing up with such an active imagination. As were computer games. Books are better though, especially if he has difficulty with schooling. I was a real terror at school, but books calmed me down while computer games made me want to skip school and get back to playing whatever game interested me.

The worst thing to do is ban the internet. He could well focus 100% more strongly on mysticism, magic, and the occult.

Books are what turned him to this subject, and books are the best thing to make him turn his back on it.

As a person with Asperger's Syndrome I love to talk about what I am interested in. I used to bring up these things with my mother, she'd roll her eyes and/or sigh and I'd get upset for sure - I mean she did not want to listen to me - and without an audience I focused on more contemporary fantasy subjects so I could once again have an audience at home, and outside, when it came to these things.

I don't read much fantasy anymore... I'm a big Science Fiction fan now hehe. Want to delve into that kind of thing in a professional sense - either as a novelist or in a field of Science Fact somewhere along the line.

I gather that Christianity is popular in America. If you are Americans, and Christians, it may be that your son's interest arises from rebellious issues due to being unable to connect with this spirituality. Also, the doctor who suggested burning the books and banning the Internet may be Christian and personal issues with his or her faith could be clouding their judgement. I don't think that opposing your son in this way would help him. Rather, it would more likely deepen his isolation and preoccupation with this subject. If you are worried he may be putting himself in danger, it will be best to find a specialist experienced in dangerous obsessions (I've heard of this being done with AS children with special interests about weapons, poisons, etc) in order to eliminate or significantly lessen this interest. It involves finding a suitable replacement interest and encouraging the child to explore this.

Christianity is a very polarised religion -- it is centred around a belief of 'absolute good' and 'absolute evil' with no shades of grey between. In this way, it is a lot like a lot of fiction with heroes and villains. As a child, I found that the only characters I could connect with in films were the villains. A typical hero is popular and charismatic. The villain has attributes considered to be nasty, and probably does not have any friends. AS children are noted for their poor ability to empathise with people different from them. AS children may even have been told by their peers that they are 'nasty' or 'evil'. I think it is natural that, when forced to choose between something so black and white, the child with Asperger's will most likely sympathise with the villain.

Interests in AS tend to come and go. Perhaps if your son had another interest before this one, you could try and rekindle it. You might be able to introduce him to more benign gods, such as the Norse or Egyptian deities, which as Pagan gods, demonstrate more 'areas of grey', and are all interesting characters with realistic character flaws and their own stories. A computer game I used to enjoy is 'Age of Mythology'. This may not seem an obvious choice as it is a war strategy game, but it has a very detailled in-game information system about the gods of the different cultures. Maybe an interest in these kinds of gods would help the interest to become more about knowledge rather than death.

If you are worried that your son may attempt suicide, I think it is very important that you find a specialist in your area first.

starling wrote:

lamberthunter wrote: I'm not normally one to recommend home schooling, but in this case it might be the best solution if even the principal can't tolerate his frame of mind.
Starling

I agree with this. Obsessive regressions into interests can be due to extreme stress, and you may be able to get the situation better under control if the sources of stress are removed at least temporarily.

This thread was nearly a year old. Your attempt to solve this problem will undoubtedly have come too late.