Is falling to the floor during blessings or prayers supported in Roman Catholic doctrine? In the Pentecostal Church and some other Christian movements, during blessings or prayers people often fall to the floor. This is critiqued by some people. But today I saw a Roman Catholic priest and exorcist praying or blessing someone, and that person was falling to the floor the same way as happens in the Pentecostal Church. (This was not an exorcism.)

I did not think things like this happened in the Roman Catholic Church—or maybe I did not understand what was going on.

My question:

Is falling to the floor during blessings or prayers supported in Roman Catholic doctrine (much like in the Pentecostal Church)?
Falling down could be a sign of possession, especially if it is a sort of fall that injures oneself.

In the New Testament, προσπίτνω is often translated as "to fall down," whether it be demons falling down before Christ (e.g., Mk 3:11) or a penitent sinner falling down in resignation to Christ (e.g., Mk 5:33). It could mean "to kneel," although "γόνυ ἐπουράνιος" (to bend the knee; cf. Phil. 2:10) means more properly "kneeling" or "genuflecting" (that latter word literally means "knee-bending").

St. Jerome translates προσπίτνω as procido, which carries the sense of prostration (lying face-down in adoration). This is used, for example, in the ordination rite for priests:

 

cf. also the nine ways of prayer of St. Dominic