Has anyone else out for a significant amount of time had painful flashbacks many years later? I was raised JW, and I've been out for over a decade. In the weeks leading up to our state's primary, I volunteered for the Obama campaign. They needed volunteers to canvass, so I agreed to do it, even though the idea of knocking on doors was pretty repulsive. Actually doing it though, I had an overwhelmingly sick feeling in my stomach, a knot in my throat, my heart raced and I was short of breath, knocking on those first few doors. After the first few doors, I would be okay. It eventually got a little better each time out, but the whole experience left me pretty shook up. I believed I was "over" the trauma of the JW experience, but sometimes it just sneaks up on you. I'm hoping if I continue to do political canvassing, or someday take my daughter out to sell Girl Scout Cookies or something, I can rid myself of the bad memories and replace them with good ones. Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Flashbacks
by Babylon the Great Employee 8 Replies latest jw experiences
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Finally-Free
I work for one of the caucuses in my province and we had an election in the fall. Since I work in IT I was at the campaign HQ looking after the network. During the last few days of the campaign activity at HQ slowed down and I was assigned to do literature drops in my riding. It gave me a major flashback. It was very unpleasant.
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jamiebowers
Has anyone else out for a significant amount of time had painful flashbacks many years later?
Yes, it happens with the jw door to door work and bad acid trips.
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Casper
I haven't had an opportunity to go door to door for any reason, but I did have a "flashback" feeling, not too long ago. I've been out 10 years.
Hubby and I went to a ZZ TOP concert, held in the same building where we used to have our DC's. I had only been in this building for the conventions, 13 years in a row.... so walking in there and seeing all the "worldly" people in the seats and the band set up and start playing, it really became weird in my mind for a few minutes. Kind of a dreamy feeling.
I would look around, and in my mind see where we (JWs) used to always sit, and there were strangers everywhere....No Kingdom Melodies playing, that's for sure......
Took some doing to come back to the present...
GREAT concert.... BTW....
Cas
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iceguy
Did Obama require you to write down "not at home's"
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SPAZnik
Yes, I've been there. Bizarre feeling, eh?
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Babylon the Great Employee
Did Obama require you to write down "not at home's"
LOL! Yes, actually, and we were even supposed to leave tracts in the door! It was just too much, really. I needed a beer afterwards.
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SPAZnik
LMAO ... you poor thing.
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lisavegas420
I have never gone trick-or-treating with my kids or grandkids for the same reason. I can hand out candy at the door...and I've been to costume party's so it not the Halloween aspect, it's the door to door thing.
I have the same anxiety feeling, driving by a KH. Especially when i see three or four cars...and one car is off by it's self, ...I always feel like I know there is a JC meeting going on.
lisa