As we have a gross material body, we also have a subtle body composed mind, intelligence, and what is called in the Sanskrit language “ahankara” or “false ego”. This is the false sense of self, based on identification with a temporal material body. The basic understanding of spiritual life is that “I am not this material body; I am an eternal spirit soul.” This means “I am not white, I am not black, I am not man or woman, I am not healthy or ill, Neither am I American or Russian, etc.”. This is because all of these designations apply to this temporary bag of skin and bones that is filled with blood, bile, mucus, vomit, stool and urine. When we leave the body, it is buried or burned, thereby returning to the earth from where it came. (ashes to ashes, dust to dust). The spirit soul is eternal…the real person. As soon as the spirit leaves the body, it begins to compost. It is never alive. Dead matter, like the earth in your front yard is never alive. But when the spirit soul, the eternal being, is inside one of these earthly containers it runs around. “False ego” is the aspect of the subtle body that causes us to identify with the skin and bones bag, and to feel and think, “This is me. I am Mr Jones, I am Miss America, I am Donald Trump, etc.” We are none of these things. They are all fabrications of the dead material energy. But because we identify with this bag, we carry the conviction that I will be happy if and when I can give pleasure to this bag. This is the service of Mammon. But service to the bodily senses and the false ego of worldly reputation, etc. never satisfies the spirit soul inside. The spirit soul can only be satisified when he/she experiences a living relationship with God. Therefore the saints in the different traditions demonstrate a marked indifference to the demands of the flesh. The is not because they are being artificially austere. It is because they understand, by direct perception that “I am not this bag of skin and bones.” This is called self realization. They are, like us, seeking pleasure. But they have realized how to have spiritual pleasure rather than material pleasure.
The schizophrenic person usually, due to drugs, and intoxicants, has damaged a subtle protective coating that covers the subtle body. In this way the subtle body becomes available to disembodied spirits (ghosts), who are caught between material existence, but are being punished by having no material form. But because they are not spiritual evolved, they have the desires of the flesh, but have no gross body through which to pursue these desires. This is why they “haunt”, or take possession of people who have gross material bodies. In this way they can induce the haunted person to do all kinds of immoral things, take intoxication…even commit suicide. Many, many people are influenced like this. If someone is having a relationship with a man or woman, the evil spirt can become jealous, and cause conflict between the lovers. they can break up families. These things are going on. Jesus knew how to deal with such mischief, and could expel them from people bodies.
However, these spirits are repelled by good spiritual energy. A person who is haunted should not leave the church. He should associate with the church and with Godly people as much as possible. The evil spirit will try to convince the haunted person to leave, so that they can do all nonsense with such a person.
Therefore we should avoid intoxication, alcohols, psychedelics, etc. as these things make us more susceptible to being “possessed” by these evil disembodied spirits. And we should protect ourselves by being as close to the church and to prayer as we can.