Traditionally the Church treated exorcisms as a confidential matter not in order to protect the exorcist from demons (since the demons already know who is doing the exorcisms in any parish anyway), but to avoid the type of popular sensationalism and superstition that Ripperger appeals to in order to get attention. A lot of people in the conservative wing of the new church are highly superstitious and think demons cause every natural event that is a little weird, and think everyone is possessed by demons (I think they have invented the word "oppressed" by demons now, to avoid that accusation I just mentioned). So when people like this hear a priest (invalidly ordained) going on and on about demons all the time and how many people are possessed, they eat it with a big spoon.

Traditionally, the Church is always extremely slow to say anyone is possessed by the devil (and I'm not aware of those terms "demonic obsession" or "demonic oppression" being used before Vatican 2, I don't think they're traditional). In fact, the very ceremony of exorcism in the Roman Ritual, a liturgical book, says as much, and says that priests should be very reluctant to believe anyone possessed, and not unless they can either speak many words in a foreign language, reveal hidden or secret information unknown to them, or do things physically impossible. And it implies people should do more than one of those things, or more than once. Ever hear Ripperger tell people this?

The Catholic idea is to assign natural causes to things. Thus, if you see a devil in your imagination as you pick up a book about devils, that is probably your imagination. If have a nightmare, that is your imagination. That is how people should think, and that is what is taught by the true Catholic mystics and teachers of the spiritual life.

Yes, Fr Ripperger has explained numerous times actual possession is rare. Less than 1%. And he indeed explains the conditions you list. So yes, people who follow him are told all of that.

As far as imagining devil's I'm sure there are many who do so. One can become obsessed with worry about them. It's psychological obsession. And it's a crisis that is an opportunity for a demon to attack the person's imagination. And then diabolic obsession is in the equation. Demons can attack us in dreams as well.

Regarding the term diabolic obsession not used prior to VII, it is because it was previously known as Circuмsession. 

Obsession is indeed a traditional form of diabolical influence discussed in spiritual theology.

The traditional divisions of diabolical influence in the manuals are: 1) temptations, 2) obsession (interior or exterior), and 3) possession.

Fr. Antonio Royo Marin, OP summarizes the traditional theology well in his manual Teologia de la Perfeccion Cristiana.

Mgr. Ribet discussed these three divisions more extensively in his 1883 work La mystique divine. Fr. Pierre Thyrée, SJ was the classic author of demonology, witchcraft and occult extraordinary phenomena, especially his De daemoniacis, 1594.

The Catholic Encyclopedia article is good: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12315a.htm

St. Thomas discusses diabolical influence generally in various places, e.g. ST Ia, q. 114; In II Sent., dist. 8, q. 1. There are also many other saints who discuss these matters with more or less depth.

The 1917 Code was absolutely clear that laity and even unauthorized clergy were forbidden to attempt an exorcism (c. 1151-53).

There is increasing discussion of "generational spirits" among some exorcists or people interested in this topic. I've never spent time looking into it, and it doesn't seem to be mentioned in the traditional manuals as far as I know (but I don't know much at all in this topic). But what I mentioned above is clearly laid out in the traditional sources.

Regarding generational spirits, I'm thinking the fall of Adam and Eve and the resulting original sin would be an example. 

Fr Ripperger goes into it in Dominion  but I've not made it that far yet. It's about a third of the way into the book. It's in the chapter covering Structure of Authority.

Did you experience any sort of demonic retaliation after praying the Auxilium Christianorum prayers. I did 3 times not far apart but they subsided. Then I started praying Servite rosary along with the other daily prayers as required by the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the Doloran Fathers aFr Ripperger is part of. Now I've had them come at me again.

The worst was one night I was reaching for my copy of Deliverance Prayers For The Laity and I envisioned the most repulsive image of a demon I've ever seen in a painting or otherwise. It didn't frighten me but I immediately made the sign of the cross and it disappeared.....

This would tell me, not sure why it doesn't tell you, but this would tell me in no uncertain terms that something I'm doing is wrong. If I tied it to Fr. Ripperger as you do, then that would be the immediate end of him for me. 

Some years ago I listened to a few dozen of his sermons / talks and they were good, but, not sure how I would describe them exactly, maybe simply saying that his are sermons given by an indult priest is the best way to describe what you will hear. But thankfully, I did not experience what you did.

 

Anyhow, his book Dominion has allowed me to figure out what type of demonic influence drives my habitual sins. In my case it's demonic oppression.

We have zero, I repeat, zero reason to delve into the source of our temptations any deeper than to know the devil is tempting us. This is a curiosity that is not only dangerous to delve into, there is something a bit perverse about it as well. What you describe strikes me, or is likened to him writing about us trying to figure out a particular devil's personality, scary for him to even publish such a thing, even though these days I think most would disagree.

What we need to know, and *all* that we need to know, is the best methods to avoid temptation so as to not sin. 

I could go on about the reasons why I stopped listening to him, suffice to say that there is a lot he says that does not need saying, a lot that does not say, and some things he should say that he does not, just the same as many [indult] priests. I used to wonder if the revenue he generates for his order has anything to do with it, but I don't really think that's it. I think he waves both the trad and NO flags - as do all indult priests, and this is what came out in the sermons I heard.   

Obsession is indeed a traditional form of diabolical influence discussed in spiritual theology.

Nobody's denying diabolical influence or activity, just the EXTENT of it.  Traditionally, inclinations toward sinful behavior are attributed to one of THREE sources, the flesh, the devil, and the world.  It's almost as if Father Ripperger ignores the other two causes and seems to imply that it's all caused by the devil.  If someone is addicted to pornography, it's not because his great great great grandfather committed sins of impurity.

I have listened to his videos and they were helpful.  

I never prayed any of those deliverance prayers.  

Regarding the term diabolic obsession not used prior to VII, it is because it was previously known as Circuмsession.

Typically circuмsession (Lat. circuмsessio) referred to the relations of the Three Persons of the Trinity and their mutual indwelling. Circuмsessio is different than obsessio, but some of the spiritual authors note that earlier authors, before the advent of neoscholastic systematic theology, used various terms interchangeably. However, I'm not well read in the books on demons... The manualists seem not to use circuмsessio to refer to diabolical influence because this term is already used in reference to Trinitarian theology. Tanquerey and Royo Marin (and the authors they cite) tend to use obsession and possession as the main divisions when discussing the relationship of diabolical influence to the spiritual life.

I am also very skeptical of referring to Original Sin and its consequences as an example of "generational spirits," since no traditional theologian that I have ever read does this. Could you furnish a concrete example of a theologian who does so, or perhaps one that Fr Ripperger references?

Typically circuмsession (Lat. circuмsessio) referred to the relations of the Three Persons of the Trinity and their mutual indwelling. Circuмsessio is different than obsessio, but some of the spiritual authors note that earlier authors, before the advent of neoscholastic systematic theology, used various terms interchangeably. However, I'm not well read in the books on demons... The manualists seem not to use circuмsessio to refer to diabolical influence because this term is already used in reference to Trinitarian theology. Tanquerey and Royo Marin (and the authors they cite) tend to use obsession and possession as the main divisions when discussing the relationship of diabolical influence to the spiritual life.

I am also very skeptical of referring to Original Sin and its consequences as an example of "generational spirits," since no traditional theologian that I have ever read does this. Could you furnish a concrete example of a theologian who does so, or perhaps one that Fr Ripperger references?

No, original sin as an example is totally an notion of my own. I'm wide open to correction on that.

I just took a quick glance at the chapter where he discusses generational spirits and there are quite a few footnotes and citations. One is from Mark 9:20 Where a man brings his possessed son to Jesus, and the man is asked how long his son had been this way. The man answered "from his birth". Fr Ripperger then proceeds to speculate on causes. One of which is while the infant was in the womb the mother may have committed a sin which granted access to a demon.

Just scanning over the text I noticed St Thomas mentioned. Fr Ripperger offers another way demons can get access to children which is by means of the sins of parents. And the children can commit those sins by means of imitation.

I'll have to wait until later this evening and read the entire section on generational spirits.

The St. Michael's prayer and the Rosary are really all you need, practically. I have first-hand experience of the St. Michael's prayer's efficacy. You don't need a book full of spurious prayers from some celebrity exorcist.