For me I think a whole lot of the problem lies in the control I continue to let the jw's have over my mind and personal judgement. I think if I erased the jws from my mind (hypothetically) then I wouldn't view people as a threat so much.
i hear ya, man. i have terrible social skills and i have trouble getting close to people since i left. i used to think what you said above, like there was a wall preventing me from accessing my social skills. well, i knocked the wall down and realized there were no real social skills back there to begin with. its kind of depressing.