Posts by Introspection

19

tears of sorrow, tears of joy

by Mommie Dark in

jw
friends

coming out of this religion nearly killed me.

every single core belief i ever held has been mangled, strangled, drawn&quartered, dipped in pitch and burnt and reduced to carbon ash.

my mind and heart got buried in the soulquake; a protoplasmic blob of rage of pain of stifled grief was all that remained of the human who was born me in lodi ohio.

Introspection

Mommie Dark, I am so glad you have come to this point. I truly believe love is the essential ingredient for true healing. Thank you for sharing.

Mark

MD wrote: (btw how do you quote?)
----------
Recently I find myself filled with a deep love for all you other people: the survivors, the strong ones, the hurt ones, the confused, even the stubbornly blind ones. I find that for the first time in a long time, there are other things to feel besides rage and contempt for others or self. It's an interesting sensation. I had almost forgotten what 'feeling' other things was like.

11

Psych professionals?

by Introspection in

hi everybody, i'm wondering if there are any members here who are psychologists, because i am considering changing my major back to psych.. although i think there can be improvements in the dsm-iv and such, i do want to be of service in this capacity.

of course, i'm also interested in hearing from other members with similar interest.

thanks.. mark

Introspection

Well first of all Larc, as far as my major I've changed my mind with everything from math, physics, philosophy, and psych - and now I'm back to psych. The problem I see with the DSM is actually not limited to the field. Basically, I think there should be a type of "functional medicine" where the focus is on health rather than disease in the mental health field. It's been said that we have a sick care system rather than one that actually focuses on health care. As for what I would do as a psychologist, I hope to touch peoples lives.. I would do that through "religious" channels, but I'm sure everybody here can appreciate my apprehention in that area, I'm not much for dogma.

Wendy, in addition to the above I want to say that I hear what you're saying regarding the frustration. Of course, I think it's a matter of keeping things in perspective and realizing that you cannot help everyone in the world, but if you can play a part I think it's worth it. I will probably take some humanity classes whatever I decide to do. I'm still not sure about psych at this point, but I know I want to do something to be of service. BTW, I also thought of going into the medical field, specifically naturopathic medicine, but I think that ultimately we do need to educate ourselves in that way as well.. The etymology of the word doctor means teacher, so I think for things to really change for mental and physical health is education to empower the individual.

11

Psych professionals?

by Introspection in

hi everybody, i'm wondering if there are any members here who are psychologists, because i am considering changing my major back to psych.. although i think there can be improvements in the dsm-iv and such, i do want to be of service in this capacity.

of course, i'm also interested in hearing from other members with similar interest.

thanks.. mark

Introspection

Hi everybody, I'm wondering if there are any members here who are psychologists, because I am considering changing my major back to psych.. Although I think there can be improvements in the DSM-IV and such, I do want to be of service in this capacity. Of course, I'm also interested in hearing from other members with similar interest. Thanks.

Mark

16

Pedophiles and Child Molesters

by Seven in

the following is an excerpt from a book written by a new rochelle, ny.

police detective, mark gado.

pedophiles and child molesters: the slaughter of innocenece.

Introspection

Waiting,

Even as a man, I think that I would feel obligated to inform the mother even with the possibility that I may be accused myself. Tact is certainly called for, and even if there is denial on the part of the parent atleast they will have been informed..

Mark

11

Does God Help?

by d0rkyd00d in

jw
friends

i don't know how far back i was thinking about this, but it came to mind once again as i spoke to my father, who was addicted to marijuana for 27 years.

it took everything away from him, including his family (myself, my sister, and my mother).

he says a higher power must have helped him through these times and caused him to stop (4 years clean this december; wahoo!

Introspection

Larc, I've appreciated your posts. Just curious, are you a psych student or..?

34

Moving on

by Introspection in

jw
friends

i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

Introspection

Casper, again there is a difference between leaving the organization and leaving God. It seems to me you already know this, so it's a good start - but there will come the realization. Another way to look at it too is God cannot be limited to a human organization. Those experiences of synchronicity we used to hear about in connection with field service, it happens all the time, all over the place. In a way you may look back on this experience and see it as spiritual growth, because your relationship with God is no longer limited by an organization. Keep this thought in mind if they do end up calling on you.

Mark

34

Moving on

by Introspection in

jw
friends

i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

Introspection

Casper,

For now I would say keep praying, just know that praying to Jehovah is not even the same as being identified as a Jehovah's Witness. (as we know that was not always used in a descriptive way) I didn't have any issues with the teachings when I left either, and I also had some reservations about the statistics fixation. As far as what you can do with your daughter, you can continue to support her spirituality as well. Basically you'd be doing the same thing for both yourself and your daughter, focus on the personal relationship with Jehovah.

Sometimes you go through a dark night of the soul, I myself felt the holy spirit left me at one point. However, if you do know that it is a lack of love you can keep things in perspective. Seek out new associates, some are bound to be kind and even spiritual persons. I was probably by myself a little too much. You want to distinguish between the sense of belonging of being in a social circle from true agape, and certainly kindness as well as family love. Strive to give the same to others, and you should have a fairly gentle transition. After all, isn't love what it's all about?

Mark

4

Do you want them to leave?

by comment in

jw
friends

tonight, memorial night, i was thinking about what some people have said about helping their families to see the "truth about the truth.".

i've felt for some time that it may be preferable for my mother and father to remain witnesses, to be honest.

my mother grew up with it, while my dad got involved in the late 1980's.

Introspection

Comment, I appreciate your thoughts on this. For some I don't think it's necessarily wise to coerce them to leave. However, in your sister's case it may be okay to ask honest questions. I think any honest person will eventually process that in their mind and THEY will be the one to take any action, just be there to support them when they do. But I think I am basically on the same page with you there. Fortunately none of my family is in the organization, but I have chosen not to disassociate myself for the same reason.

34

Moving on

by Introspection in

jw
friends

i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

Introspection

LovesDubs I really appreciated that post. I do think that we need to support others wherever they're at, and of course people will "move on" in their own time.

I guess maybe a better way of expressing this is that we are now taking responsibility for ourselves and our decisions. Regardless of our current thinking on religion I think we can agree on this point. I don't think of myself as being one against the organization, but one that has moved beyond it in a way.

34

Moving on

by Introspection in

jw
friends

i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

Introspection

It's interesting but when I run into witnesses around town, they either do not see me or does not confront me in any way. I suppose that can change, but at this point I'm ready for it.

Casper, my first thought to you is why do you feel guilty? Try to get to the root of the feeling, the thought behind it. If you're going to be to yourself anyway you can in fact understand such things better if you want to spend some time at it.

The reason I posted the thread about current spiritual practice is because I see that many do want to continue to have some kind of spiritual life. I don't know if the scientific, rational thinkers would include themselves in that description, but it is one possible choice. If you do choose to continue seeking some kind of spirituality, then my advice is to honestly seek, don't judge yourself because even by the JW belief system it is God that judges. Judge instead the paths you consider and do so with discernment, and I'm sure I'm not alone in offering my support.

Mark