5 stages of dealing with TTATT?

by El_Guapo 23 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BabaYaga

  Hello, El Guapo!

  Oh, yes, you'd better believe it... all the stages of loss and grief apply to losing all that we sacrificed by walking away from what we knew.

  I'll tell you a little secret... my "denial" stage went on far, far too long. Mine was a "pre-Google" exit, you see... so there wasn't any support group to be found or research to be done. When I stumbled upon this site so many years later, I still balked at the idea that I had been raised in a cult.

  With this support group and information, all the stages go by like a picnic.

  Welcome.

  Love,
  Baba.
• 

  rip van winkle

  The blues and substance abuse IS depression. Great name BTW

  LisaRose-Thank you. I agree that I have a great name(LOL) It perfectly suits me!

  I respectfully disagree with your assessment that the blues and substance abuse= depression. It didn't for me. The blues are a sadness that didn't interfere with my life. Depression is an illness that can be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain ie, too little seratonin. There is a marked difference between clinical depression and having the blues.

  http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/an-introduction-to-depression/

  http://psychcentral.com/library/depression_blues.htm

  http://well.wvu.edu/articles/eight_myths_depression
• 

  Phizzy

  I agree that most of us seem to go through most of the stages.

  Someone posted on here that they have a theory that to get to the "fully recovered" stage, (in parenthesis, because do we ever fully recover ?) it takes a month for every year you were in, so, if you were in for 36 years, look for a real break-through around 3 years after leaving.
• 

  shopaholic

  I went through all five stages and have just reached the happy and freedom part of acceptance.

  LHG, the most difficult part for me as well was the acceptance of death and no living forever. OMG, that was almost enough to drive me insane.