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→Healing: more detailed quote
One woman saw a lamp before icon at her house lit by itself. That happened every midnight and even in the presence of other people. She accepted that as Divine. But when she told that to her spiritual father, a known ascetic Bishop Basil (Preobrazhensky), he said: "No, this phenomenon is not from grace, but from the enemy. And because you accepted it as being from grace, I am giving you a penance: do not receive the Holy Mysteries for one year. The lampada will not light itself again". Truly, the lampada did not light by itself from that day on.<ref>[http://www.alexey-osipov.ru/english.doc A.I. Osipov. Search for Truth on the Path of Reason. P. 190.]</ref>
Sometimes in monasteries people suffering from prelest are also given ignoble obediences to humble them. Work therapy decreases pride and demonic attacks that cause prelest. St. Joseph of Optina advises writes in one letter to the abbess of some monastery about some a deluded woman nun by the name of Mavra. He writes that she Mavra should wash dishes or peel potatoes - it can decrease the pride that caused prelest. He also writes that she should not take Holy Communion often - the spiritual father should first incline her to humility and self-abasement. At the same time, solitary life should be completely forbidden for Mavra - otherwise she will go completely mad.<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://www.optina.ru/starets/iosif_letters_chart_69/#695 St. Joseph of Optina. Letter 695.]</ref> The same is true for the lay people living in the world: washing dishes, laundering, dusting and cleaning everything, doing usual household work makes pride lower and can help to switch from the thoughts that cause pride and prelest. Also it is important to have a strict everyday schedule and to alternate mental and physical work as it was shown by an Angel to St. [[Anthony the Great]].<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life234.htm Living of St. Anthony the Great.]</ref>
Nevertheless, even with Divine and human help, as Saint [[Ambrose of Optina]] notes, "It is easier to turn every sinner to repentance than to bring a deluded person to reason".<ref name="ambr"/>
