Anatomy of a former JW

by Victor 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Victor

  One of the respondents on my post on Mental Illness stated that it was the same of ex JW's. I thought about this for a couple of days and drawing from my personal experience, I can say that this is mostly true.

  If one is disfellowshipped, the act of forcibly cutting off all ties to a JW's way of life is painful and in some cases inducing cognitive dissonance. In short, incoherent thinking that is at times schizophrenic. Platforms such as this, can be an aid to work through this trauma to help one understand the cultish actions and flawed theology of the WT.

  At the very least, it's a shared community of common experiences and at best, a database of useful information to get a complete education on every aspect of JW's and the journey afterwards.

  In search of meaning.

  Auschwitz survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankel was able to discover within himself a greater inner freedom and peace than his captors and find meaning to his existence. This is critical to start a journey of self discovery of persona l truths.

  Forums will never fill the need of professional help and they can even contribute to being stifled in one's healing or evolutionary growth.

  VE
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  Sea Breeze

  If one is disfellowshipped, the act of forcibly cutting off all ties to a JW's way of life is painful and in some cases inducing cognitive dissonance.

  What? "Cut off ties to a "way of life"? That sounds way too nice a description.

  They cut off ties to your family whether you are Df'd or not.... not a "way of life". All you have to do is question the Watchtower and Bam!!! You're marked.
  
  And, if you ever join another church, you'll never see your family again that's for sure. All those evil, satanic Christians out there gift giving, smiling and loving each other. Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, blah, blah, blah.
  
  They are one of the biggest violators of basic human rights in recorded history.
  
  They don't tell you that Jesus is not your Mediator when you get baptized. They hide it from you. When you eventually find out and cannot consciously go along with such an ignorant thing, they label you a heretic and an apostate forcing your family to never see you again.
  
  They can only gain members by employing deception.
  
  Please don't sugar coat this cult with a bunch of 1st level counselor mumbo jumbo. I (and many others) want death to the Watchtower Organization, its philosophies, practices and private courts... not personal growth, journey and discovery.
  
  I want this humanitarian crisis to end. I want families to stop being destroyed , kids to stop being driven into drugs and crazy lifestyles just because they reject the false prophecies of the WT and get kicked out of their house. I want the suicides to end.
  
  Got it?
  
  
  
  
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  Phizzy

  Although not DF'd or DA'd my JW family distanced themselves greatly, we were cut off from family events like Weddings etc. And all our former "friends" had nothing to do with us.

  When I actually left I had sunk in to deep suicidal depression, I was dangerously close to ending my life. The support and love that Posters gave me on here was so helpful, several of them begged me to get proper Therapy, I did that, and was lucky to find an excellent Therapist who had treated a good number of XJW's .

  I learned how to suppress and control my depression, and was shown by Posters on here how to think and research about JW beliefs, and the JW Mind Control, all along with kindly support.

  This place saved my life ! So thank you Simon, and all those Posters.

  I hope we can still keep this as a place where JW's can come and receive kindly advice, support, love and guidance.
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  Biahi

  Seabreeze, excellent post!
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  Victor

  Sea Breeze everyone is at a different place at a different time post their ex JW experience.
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  Vidiot

  Ostracism is a fundamentally cruel and punitive act in the extreme, and only someone who's actually experienced it can truly understand just how much.

  Only the very worst types of people deserve it.

  Definitely not someone who is simply unable to subscribe to an ideology anymore.
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  dubstepped

  I (and many others) want death to the Watchtower Organization, its philosophies, practices and private courts... not personal growth, journey and discovery.

  It's not an either/or situation.
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  Victor

  JW's and all other cults have always existed and always will so long as man fears the unknown and needs someone to turn to as an insurance to silence the existential anxiety. Once you have been in a cult every organization has cultish practices. I've seen it in corporate America, agencies, and even family owned businesses.

  VE