Being born in, it has been and always will be this 'sore' spot in my heart. My family and so-called friends continue to shun me (on a personal level) like I have some type of disease and need to be quarantined or something. To explain the shunning process to anyone outside the org, they inevitably find it ridiculous and just shake their heads in disagreement...yet to a JW, shunning IS the best way to convince a sinner that they NEED the 'protection' of the group. The day I was DF'd, it felt like the rug was ripped out from under me: after being assaulted and abused by my ex-JW fiance, I was NOW losing my 'friends' and also eventually my own family! Not that it hurts as much as it did over a year ago when this all happened, but seeing shunning for what it is - manipulation - makes it all MUCH clearer for me. The fact that the 'love' JWs preach to everyone can be shut off like a light switch after 1 single announcement (Babygirl30 is no longer a Jehovah's Witness) is abominable!
Thankfully I have really done my research, learned more about JWs then I ever thought I would (especially since I was raised one), and finding REAL friends outside the org has completely changed my life and my thinking process. I'm now GRATEFUL for being DF'd and having the need to find out why I was treated in such a way and forced to be shunned...but on the flip side, will always carry that little sore spot because NONE of the shunning makes sense.