Amazing and inspiring story - thank you for sharing. Impressed with what you have accomplished.
From Pioneer to Professor: My Story
by laverite 85 Replies latest jw friends
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Scully
Hi La Vérité
Thanks for bumping your story so I could enjoy it all over again.
I wonder - given that your area of expertise is psychology - if you'd ever be inclined to write a book about how cults and other manipulative, exploitive groups, organizations or individuals operate in order to seduce people into being exploited. I'd certainly read it, because I have my own theories based in social psychology. Perhaps, too, it would be a way to incorporate your JW past into your present.
It was embarrassing for me, too, when I left the JWs in my 30s and started my nursing courses in college. I didn't want anyone to know about my JW past; so much so that I decided to use my middle and maiden names professionally, rather than the name I was known by to most JWs. It was hard to disclose because I didn't want to be perceived as weak-minded (how could anyone be so dumb to join a cult?), but it was a very pleasant surprise to me how well the information was received by my colleagues. I still use my "nom de plume" so to speak, but now that I have shared my JW past with colleagues, it is as an expert, not as a "victim" or "survivor". They come to me with questions on how to discuss certain issues with JW patients, and it has been quite successful.
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LisaRose
Thanks for your very inspiring story, it's simply amazing that you were able to do what you did. It may not be possible for some of us to go back to school, but there is nothing stopping us from learning all we can. I am approaching retirement age, but I am realizing more and more how much I don't know. I know that many universities now offer free online, non credit courses, so I have been thinking abut that. When you think of education as the goal in of itself, and not a stepping stone to a career, it opens up a lot of possibilities.
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Justitia Themis
Also, I am protective of my professional status. I have published several books now that are used nationally and internationally at many universities. I am working on a fairly high profile book for a big publishing company right now as we speak. I worry that others will find out about my JW past. The thought of others finding out I was a JW makes me want to hang my head in shame. But maybe I have a bit of a "free pass" given I was "born-in" and didnt' have a choice? "It wasn't my fault!!"
I too wish I could hide my JW past, but it is precisely what adds value to me in my field. ...sigh... Unlike you, I remained a JW well into adulthood, and I wonder if some judge me negatively for that.
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mamochan13
Great story, Laverite. In a way I'm envious of those who woke up early and went to university to earn a Phd. It's something I doubt I'll ever acheive. I was born in and went pioneering instead. Didn't leave till my 40s, and that's when I went to university. I only earned my masters a few years ago. Financial reality (and a huge student loan) means I'm caught in the endless treadmill of working multiple jobs just to survive, and don't have time to even complete the requirements to register as a psychologist, let alone try a Phd. It's still part of my goals, but I'm starting to take a realistic view.
Regarding being ashamed of a JW past - I'm not sure it's necessary to feel that way. I mean, there are many famous people who were raised as JWs, and when I hear their story I don't think any less of them. In fact I admire them for successfully leaving. When people learn about mine, it's more curiosity because most people know nothing about the cult. When they do learn more, the curiosity generally becomes admiration for having the courage to get out.
It's especially valuable in a psychology field, I think. I went through many psychologists when I was still a JW, and any benefit I was getting from therapy stopped the moment I had to start defending my religion in the face of their shock at my crazy JW beliefs. A psychologist who understood the cult would not have put me in that position. I would love to read your books, Laverite, once you are ready to put your name out there.
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Quendi
Thank you for your kind words, laverite. I have also sent you a PM.
Quendi