Lee has had so much training and experience over the years, how could I pass it up asking her to share some of her past and present questions?
We welcome you Lee!
Randy Watters
INTRODUCTION 5/7/2010
So you might be wondering what this is all about.
Simply put, it is about recovery.
There are some people who can walk away from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower Society and go on with their lives with few scars. They are the minority. Like any person who has been subjected to a long-term assault on their actions, feelings and thoughts people who leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses will most likely walk away with scars – issues that need to be dealt with after leaving a high control group – a cult.. I will briefly address these issues.
I was a Jehovah’s Witness for 22 years. I was married to a Jehovah’s Witness who eventually became an elder. After I left him and the religion I went to school (T.S.S - professional counseling degree from Dawson College and a BA in Applied Social Service Program from Concordia University) and became a counselor for abuse victims, first working with incest survivors and later with battered women. I also did some counseling with ex-cult members, and some ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. I worked in the field of trauma counseling for 16 years before I retired so have a lot of experience to draw from both personally and professionally.
The issues that abuse survivors experience are the same issues that people who leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or any similar group, experience. Many suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, feelings of abandonment, low self-esteem, difficulty in deciding how to live their lives without rules to dictate every thought, feeling and action.
Not everyone is the same even though that is how we were treated as Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are individuals. We each need to find our own path to recovery. I will provide pointers. Some of what I say may help. Feel free to ignore what doesn’t work for you.
See you soon.
Lee Marsh
