Twelve Step Program

mapleaf18

I borrowed a copy of "Jehovah's Witnesses; Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement" from the library and my never-wuz-a-dubbie boyfriend saw it. He looked a little pissed off and said to me "you've wasted 40+ years of your life with this stuff, i don't see why you have to waste even more time with this; but if you do, it's your choice."

I guess you have to have been there. . . They were all out of Crisis of Conscience.

I think my boyfriend thinks i'm acting like some sort of recovering addict or something.

prophecor

Addict?

Maybe not.

Recovering?

For me ?

Without question.

BrendaCloutier

Oh, I am a recovering Jehovah's Witness. Recovering from severe behaviour modification prgramming. Not really different than Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) work, especially if you were raised in the troof like I was (daughter of a long-time elder).

I am also a recovering alcoholic/addict. Genetic, not JW induced. I was adopted and my JW parents are "normies".

Kevan, my "spousal unit" (8 year unmarried relationship) a couple times has suggested moving on, but I was out 30 years before I found this place! I aint leaving.

Keep at it Mapleleaf. Your boyfriend had the privledge of being raised without cult control. It's amazing how it can still affect me.

Hugs and love

Brenda

mapleaf18

thanks for the backup B.C! i don't make a big deal of it, but i don't think my boyfriend realizes how "new" everything is to me, even silly stuff like wrapping presents! a daunting task for someone who seldom, save a 18yr old wedding here and there.. .

BrendaCloutier

Hey, Mapleleaf, looks like your a Saggitarius like me! Just a couple years younger....

Satanus

Spending time inside the wt leaves a lot of the same scars as booze drug addiction. People who haven't experienced it can't understand that.

S

mapleaf18

bc,

actually a scorpio

Ticker

Spending time inside the wt leaves a lot of the same scars as booze drug addiction. People who haven't experienced it can't understand that.

Couldn't have said it better so I qouted it. It is hard for others who have not had aquantance with a high pressure control group to understand what it is like to experience and move on from such groups. I myself have faced ridicule for posting here and wasting my time with discussing my JW past, they just don't understand that its part of a process of letting go and healing from your past. As for me this site has been invaluable as I have been able to recover and remove the JW logic fully from my mind. I now possese a freedom I never imagined possible. My attempt now is to help others in reaching this same goal, thus returning the favor I was granted.

Ticker

rebel8

There truly are phases people go through when healing from being a JW. Like others have said, it is not unlike ACOAs. Being a JW is like being in a really big, toxic, dysfunctional family--except much worse. I noticed the phases in my own recovery and when I was a therapist for JW patients. I wrote a step recovery book for JWs based upon my own experience and observations.

People in many types of support groups are often told they should just "get over it" and not waste any more time on it. I really think that's none of their business. Everyone has their own pace. If it's not harming you to read books and talk on a forum, then there's really no problem with doing it.

BrendaCloutier

told they should just "get over it" and not waste any more time on it

The same concept as telling an alcoholic to "just drink like a gentleman" or "lady". Interestingly, one of my fears of giving up alcohol cold-turkey was getting the DT's. Didn't get them, but I had enough psychosis' from both alcoholism and jw-ism.

Twelve Step Program

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