Did You Refuse To See A Doctor Or Therapist Because You Were A Witness?

by minimus 27 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Big Tex

  Oh yeah they were, but realize this was in 1985. I haven't talked with any of them in over 10 years.

  I will say that despite the Societys' stand on the subject, I never once hesitated to see a psychologist. I even saw a hypnotherapist for a while. He was great and it helped a lot. I remember Nina calling up Brooklyn and asking them if it were okay, and naturally they said no. I still went back and it didn't bother me. I was still going to meetings at the time, but I thought Jehovah would not have a problem doing what I have to do to get help in whatever form that it takes.
• 

  minimus

  While you were at it, you should've conulted a few spirit mediums and some witch doctors too.....only kidding old Tex.
• 

  Big Tex

  few spirit mediums and some witch doctors too

  I damn near did.
• 

  unique1

  I had always heard that you were encouraged not to see a worldly psychologist because they do not always give you instructions that are in harmony with gods laws. It is very frowned upon in my area.

  I finally decided to see one after years of being miserable. I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I had avoided seeing one for a long time, despite thoughts of suicide, merely because I knew it was frowned upon. Even when I finally went I didn't tell my JW parents.
• 

  Balsam

  I know here in the south it is not encouraged. I remember one sister who was terribly sick with cripping arthritis began to have severe mental problems. Her doctor had her committed to a mental hospital for treatment with her JW husbands approval in the late 70's I think. Well all the JW 's in the congregation thought this was dangerous doing this and talked about how it would being reproach on Jehovah. I knew from seeing how mentally sick this sister had become there was no help for her unless a professional stepped in. After treatement she was some better, but even up till she died she was bitter with JW's and perhaps with good reason. Few of us JW visited her in the nursing home after her husband died, and when we did she would turn away from us. I think I understand some of the things she might have been feeling now. I am sorry I didn't understand better when I tried to visit her back before she died.

  Yes getting help of any kind from mental health is a sure way to get a questioning looks. I went to a therapist just before I left my husband. The most profound thing she asked me and hit home. Why do you feel you must stay in a miserable marriage? I said I thought God was requiring it of me. She said the bible does not require that, it allows for marriages to end. I went several times, and she helped me find my courage to fight being mistreated. I know something a few of the sisters asked me was did they tell you that being a JW was the problem. No she never said that, I told them and she didn't. But she did bring out my perception of what the bible taught could be the problem.

  When people asked me later, I just refused to discuss it.

  The society in recent years didn't say don't go just be careful to chose a therapist or Doctor who will respect the JW mentality. But in years past back in the 70's they really told us it would ship wreck our faith if we went to them. Attitude changed a little in the 80's and 90's.

  Balsam
• 

  OICU8it2

  Remember the "root-eaters"? Iridology went thru several cong.s in west central Ohio around early eighties. One sister waited too long to see an oncologist and died. Herbal poltices were supposed to cause malignancies to be expelled from the body. Herbal and coffee enemies were supposed to cause tumors to be cured. Some treatments even suggested tumors would migrate to the colon and be passed that way. A very naive brother spent a lot of money he didn't have travelling to Tennessee to treat his whole family by an iridologist. His son nearly died from diabetic shock. For a while, the cong. got divided between the root-eaters and the non rooters. They were so enamored with their colons. They were stikin' a lot of wierd stuff up rectally. One elderly sister gave my wife and I a pamphlet describing rectal relaxation techniques one of which meant inserting large things. This practitioner actually described an anxiety treatment he performed on a woman's teenage daughter in his office in which he used a broomstick handle, demonstrating how the mother could perform this on her daughter at home! I nearly left the org. over this kind of mentality. Too bad the internet wasn't in operation back then.
• 

  waiting

  Hello,

  I've read most of the posts in this thread, and the answer seems to be:

  it depends on when & where you were a jw at the time you felt you needed a mental/physical doctor.

  It was recommended to me to see a psychiatrist and/or therapist back in the 70's. Marriage counselor too. I finally got my husband to go.......and marriage counselor was so nice to that bastard. And rather hard on me. I asked another professional about my husband's demeanor in her office. I said he constantly moved, constantly - literally - swinging his leg left/right about 2 foot each time. Smoked incessently, and waved his arms around - friggin' idiot.

  The other professional looked at me and said "Thankfully she was smart enough to see a bomb close to exploding in front of her - and took appropriate precautions." Yeah right. He's still an asshole.

  Anyway..............I spoke with elders about all this - and they said what he REALLY needed was to come to the meetings more. Actually, they had tried to help him for years, as he was dumped by his parents (non-jw's) and raised by jw grandparents (grandmother was an excellent person). He was still a jerk.

  As for me? Well, they did agree that anti-depressants might help, since the doctor prescribed them and I was sitting there sobbing in front of them with 3 friggin' toddlers fighting along side of me. I was so concerned about it - I had read the negativity in the articles concerning "mind drugs" etc. lol - my first husband (the asshole) was living proof of what drugs can do to the mind. More than a few cards too short in his deck, eh?

  That was my FIRST experience of mixing religion & elders. It didn't go well. I had others........they tended not to go well either.

  waiting
• 

  minimus

  Hmmm....Recommending a broomstick handle up a rectum......I thought I've heard it all.