257. There are also spirits called natural and corporeal spirits. When these come to a man they do not conjoin themselves with his thought, like other spirits, but enter into his body, and occupy all his senses, and speak through his mouth, and act through his members, believing at the time that all things of the man are theirs. These are the spirits that obsess man. But such spirits have been cast into hell by the Lord, and thus wholly removed; and in consequence such obsessions are not possible at the present time.#
# External or bodily obsessions are not permitted at the present time, as they were formerly (n. 1983).
But at present internal obsessions, which pertain to the mind, are permitted more than formerly (n. 1983, 4793).
Man is inwardly obsessed when he has filthy and scandalous thoughts about God and the neighbor, and is withheld from making them known only by external consideration, which are fear of the loss of reputation, honor, gain and fear of the law and of loss of life (n. 5990).
Of the devilish spirits who chiefly obsess the interiors of man (n. 4793).
Of the devilish spirits who long to obsess the exteriors of man; that such are shut up in hell (n. 2752, 5990).