I think that in some ways, it will always affect me. The loss of immediate family (once ma and pa are gone, that will be IT) is the hardest and has the most lasting effect on me. We were really never close with other JWs, too much time spent door-to-door, etc. to socialize a lot. It took a few years for me to let go of Harmageddon, and the religious stuff.
Reading, educating oneself about other belief systems, can be very comforting and enlightening. Open your mind to the possibilities - they are limitless. Explore philosophy. Discover where your spirituality lies. For me, that was key. My solace came from nature. The beauty of the sky, the comfort of looking into a puppy's eyes, the fluttering of the leaves in the breeze, and MOST of all the sound of water - especially the sea.
But, I have found that, as an another poster said, there were greater issues. Specifically, abuse that I received as a child (which is in no way limited to the JWs) was the real problem that I had to overcome. These issues haunt my sleep (what little I get), and have affected my health and relationships all my life. Therapy has helped me, but I was able to find someone who came from a similar repressive religious background, so she understood the isolation of the JW upbringing as well as my abuse issues.
I sometimes think of the healing process as climbing a mountain. It has been a long climb up that mountain, and sometimes I slip back on a shale slope. At other times, I take a break, set up camp and rest for a while, enjoying the view from my present position. The journey continues, but I will get there, to the top, eventually. I can see it now -- and it looks like the view of the world from from the top of my mountain is gonna be glorious!
You'll get there, Scooby. Be kind to yourself, rest when you need it. Take time out to have some silly fun whenever you can. And if you have 'other' issues, I urge you to deal with them as well.
talesin
