How Long Have you Been Out of the Witnesses ? Have you Moved On ?

flipper

I have been out over 5 years now. How about you ? I feel we all start healing at different speeds depending on how much hurt we went through in exiting ; and how much we've educated ourselves about how and why we were sucked in by a mind control cult. At first I felt anger towards the organization , but after learning about mind control within 3 years of leaving the cult I felt sorry for those who are still trapped inside the witnesses being deceived. Thus I turned my anger into trying to help people exit the witnesses. What helped me to move on in life was reading books like , " Combatting Cult Mind Control " and " Releasing the Bonds " by Steve Hassan - and of course the old standby " Crisis of Conscience " by Ray Franz.

So how long have you been out of the witnesses ? And what has helped you to move on ? Or- If you have not moved on what do you feel will HELP you to move on ? Let's share some thoughts here. I send my love and peace to all who have suffered

Blithe Freshman

I started my exit 11 years ago.

My brain clicked on at my baptism.The Father, Son , & Org. statement did it.I went under screeming in my head "No, forgive me Jehovah!"

I spent 18 months slowly being sickened & angry at meetings , dropped from tms &service.

Then took advantage of a situation to stop meetings, assemblies & conventions, but continued to rage inside.

Several years later I was brought to a JC, knew enough to keep my mouth shut or be labled apostate.

I was relieved to have it over with, going through the JC enlightened me in how wrong they were in everything, my anger ebbed.

I was still LUI (living under the influence) , family leaving slowly.

The end of last summer began research that has brought almost all of us out the cults influence. We are a just a normal american family now.

I read for about 3 weeks on the internet, Here,Freeminds, Silent Lambs, following links devowering it all from Christian sites to Athiest blogs to the morphing green lizard people stuff. Then I read CoC, the next week In Search of Christian Freedom, the following week I was off to an EX Witness for Jesus convention.

I plan to read Steve Hassan soon , I have 1 child left in the cult, but lives at a distance so we have been able to move on because of the distance.

Attending the convention & excepting Christ healed me.

Oh, I first studied 28 years ago but after some bad experiences didn't "Progress" after the first year. LUI till taking it up again, cult influence at work.For my family the bad experiences were at least short lived and so somewhat easier to recover from . We had a before JW life to fall back to.

It will be hard for my remaining child, married into the cult with !@#$ inlaws.

villabolo

Twenty eight years out of the witnesses. I am very fortunate that I did not have family in the religion as that would have complicated matters.

I have moved on in the sense that I am not like many former witnesses who simply "fall out of the 'truth'" and feel guilty because they think it's still the "Truth" and that they are inferior. I was df'd for apostacy and proud of it.

Still there is a lot of resentment towards that baby killing, child excommunicating, God f@$^* religion. In fact I live in a large apartment complex full of them so I am reminded every day.

How do I move on? I believe part of the answer is participating here.

Priest73

last meeting was 1998. Whoo Rah!

free2think

2 years ish. I feel like i have moved on, they dont mean anything to me and im not scared of their poweranymore.

IP_SEC

physical near 4 years

mental near 4.5 years.

moved on? Wouldnt recommend you letting mrs flipper near me yo!

megaflower

Out for 15 months now. It is day by day as far as moving on, it all depends if I run into one of them. What has helped me is reading most all the books you have mentioned. In addition, my family has embraced me with open arms after 20 years of being a part. Life is rich and rewarding now and trying not to look back.

dinah

Ippy I've got to go back and read how you got out. I'll bet it's interesting.

I was booted out in 1986, my mind finally left about 7 years ago.

Once you lose the fear and guilt, you are free.

Priest73

2 years ish. I feel like i have moved on, they dont mean anything to me and im not scared of their poweranymore.

We should figure out how to "cost average!"

Big Tex

Left in 1989, before the Internet. For years I believed I was the only one who had a problem with the 2 eyewitness rule regarding child abuse, or so I was told, and I believed I was the only one who left god.

It took me 10 years before I made it okay with myself and begin to give myself permission to feel okay about leaving Jehovah's Witnesses.

Chris

How Long Have you Been Out of the Witnesses ? Have you Moved On ?

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