Sorry to hear about what is happening. Please feel free to vent. if you need to talk, PM me.
TastingFreedom
JoinedPosts by TastingFreedom
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121
Broken Heart...
by brotherdan insome of you have read what i wrote on this thread: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/200211/1/never-wake-up.
here's the final email my wife just sent me 1 minute ago:.
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14
Rescued Miners: the Psychology of Being Free
by TastingFreedom inthe story of the miners seems to be causing a media frenzy.
i actually wouldn't pay too much attention to the stories.
but i came across something that caught my attention because it may relate to our experience after becoming free from a cult.
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TastingFreedom
Is Johny, the one with the mistress and the wife, a Jehovah's Witness? Ohhhhh. If so, no wonder he was totally scared when coming out, he probably has a judicial committee waiting for him?
He will really be depressed even more with PTSD and now if he loses friends and family. If being trapped in a mine didn't kill him, the Watchtower may very well accomplish that!
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14
Rescued Miners: the Psychology of Being Free
by TastingFreedom inthe story of the miners seems to be causing a media frenzy.
i actually wouldn't pay too much attention to the stories.
but i came across something that caught my attention because it may relate to our experience after becoming free from a cult.
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TastingFreedom
The story of the miners seems to be causing a media frenzy. I actually wouldn't pay too much attention to the stories. But I came across something that caught my attention because it may relate to our experience after becoming free from a cult. Just like the miners, we may experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for some time after getting out.
So I thought it would be helpful to share it with you guys and maybe get your thoughts.This is an article on ABCnews.com:
Rescued Miners May Be Trapped by Psychological Issues
Amid cheers and celebration and a throng of loved ones, officials and media, the 33 Chilean miners emerged, one by one, from the ground.
But once the jubilation is over, experts say the men may have to confront a number of medical and psychological issues. Among the most serious of them is post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The probability they will have PTSD symptoms is very high," said Edith Foa, director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. "How permanent those symptoms are, or if they're going to develop further, is something we need to wait and see."
After surviving more than two months trapped underground and facing tremendous uncertainty, including the prospect that they could have died, experts say the miners may now suffer a number of symptoms related to PTSD and other psychological issues. How they respond to them depends on each miner's individual psyche as well as the amount of support they get from mental health professionals, their families and the community.
"Some may have depression, anxiety or phobic symptoms, some may socially withdraw, some may become hypervigilant and some may have traumatic reminders of the event," said Dr. Jon Shaw, professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Shaw said their body clocks will likely have trouble readjusting after months in darkness.
"They will have trouble with the sleep-wake cycle, their Circadian rhythms," he said.
'Band of Brothers' Will Now Break Up
During their ordeal, experts say the miners probably formed strong bonds with each other in order to survive.
"There will also be a sense of loss from the 'band of brothers' and the cohesiveness they experienced," said Shaw. "A lot of the support actually came from the group, and that's analogous to what happens in the military."
Now that the group is no longer together, the miners will need a lot of support from other sources.
"Their ability to recover also depends on if they have family support around them," said Foa. "I think these people will get a lot of support from families and the entire population of Chile and especially from the people in their hometown."
She added that relationships in the family may be difficult at first as the men attempt to adjust.
"It's possible to have strained family relationships. One symptom of PTSD is irritability and a feeling of alienation from other people, because other people did not go through the same experience they did, and can't possibly really understand what they went through."
The experts also say the miners may have trouble returning to normal life after the notoriety is gone, re-establishing their roles in the family after months of absence, and other problems returning to their regular lives.
Will They Return to the Mines?
"There may be a fear of going back to work," said Foa. "There's a very realistic risk of working in the mines. Events like this one don't happen every day, but the risk is there."
But Al Holland, a senior operational psychologist from NASA who's on the team advising Chilean officials on the rescue effort, said he doesn't think the miners will feel that way, although it is possible that some will.
"There's no reason to expect there will be any problems with work. They were trapped where they work, which is different from being trapped in an unusual situation," said Holland.
Holland said Chilean officials are giving miners access to counseling for six months so they can deal with their issues. But Foa said counseling might not be enough.
"We don't have evidence that counseling is helpful for PTSD, but there are treatments that are effective. We have treatments that are very helpful to reduce the probability of getting chronic PTSD."
But experts are optimistic the miners can recover.
"The majority of them are likely to recover," said Foa. "Recovery doesn't mean they will forget completely, because they won't, but recovery means they will go back to functioning where they won't have symptoms severe enough to cause major distress and will get readjusted to daily life."
Shaw agreed: "We should never underestimate the ability to recover from trauma."Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/rescued-chilean-miners-face-numerous-psychological-challenges/story?id=11870095&page=2
Interesting stuff that may or may not relate to our experience. Any thoughts? -
33
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
by sacolton in$79 million tax demand on jehovahs witnesses threatens freedom of religionstrasbourgon september 21, 2010, the european court of human rights (echr) ruled unanimously that the complaint filed by jehovahs witnesses in france is admissible regarding alleged interference with their freedom of religion.. the government of france had imposed a retroactive 60-percent tax on all religious offerings donated to association les temoins de jehovah(also referred to as the christian association of jehovahs witnesses of france) over a period of four years from 1993 to 1996. the government initially demanded a total payment of about 45 million euros.
the amount demanded is now more than 57 million euros (more than $79,000,000 usd), which far exceeds the assets of the association.the echr took note of the fact that throughout the court proceedings within france, jehovahs witnesses had consistently maintained that the contested tax was a direct attack on their religious freedom.
in fact, it had been imposed on them within the context of the france governments fight against so-called sects.
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TastingFreedom
This is great news, I hope other countries do the same. Screw the Watchtower!
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25
Richard Dawkins and Me,
by cyberjesus inlast night i went to caltech to listen to mr dawkins.
what a most pleasant man to listen.
intelligent, assertive, witty, funny.
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TastingFreedom
CyberJesus was in the front row.. There were a few other ex-JWs present, including my family :)
In Richard Dawkin's lecture at CalTech with my kids. Got my book The Greatest Show on Earth signed! The guy is brilliant!
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My fade is going fine thank you .
by onemore inwow!!
i never thought that it would be this easy.
i was expecting a man hunt at the hands of the elder from my cong.
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TastingFreedom
Congratulations, glad to hear that things are going well. But don't sing victory yet, they may still come after you. prepare and be strong for what may come your way, but it shouldn't matter if you're adapting and evolving into a normal person without the cult.
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Could it possibly be true that YOU.......wish.....to be......FOOLED?!
by Terry inthere is an implicit pact between the magician and the audience.. .
an audience attending a magic act is in attendance for two main reasons.. 1.entertainment.
2.the desire to match wits with a puzzle and its solution and the determined effort to be amazed when this fails.. yet, above all else, the audience does not really wish to discover the secret.
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TastingFreedom
Very interesting psychology. I think you're right! PEOPLE LIKE ILLUSIONS EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW THEY ARE NOT REAL!!
It's like a drug that gets them high, it's like daydreaming!!!
PEOPLE IN GENERAL ALWAYS WANT TO ESCAPE REALITY, RESPONSIBILITIES.
PEOPLE HATE TO BE BORED, ANYHING WILL DO!!!
Look at us here, any gossip, any bullshit will entertain us, right????
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Did You Aspire To Be An Elder Or Did You Want A Relative or Friend To Be One?
by minimus inif you were a male growing up in the congregation, it was expected that you would "reach out" for a position in the hall.
some of us did just that and others didn't want any "privileges"!.
i knew some people, especially "sisters", that really wanted their relative or good friend to be appointed so they might "change things".
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TastingFreedom
When I became an elder I started opening my eyes! Now I could see all the bullshit!
Everything starting going down hill from there on. Seeing the politics, nepotism and corruption from within was an eye-opener.
I knew they didn;t have any holy spirit, it was just like any other earthly organization run by men!
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Documented transition from being an elder to becoming a free man
by TastingFreedom init has been a year since i stopped attending meetings with the jehovah's witnesses.
as one year anniversary has passed, i thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the main events during this transition.
it may help others that are going through the same experience.
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TastingFreedom
@Mythreesons: I'm surprised how many of us have been through this. At first leaving seems like an impossible task, and even though it may present some challenges, with time things get much better, as your family and my family have demonstrated!
I think the transition out of the Witnesses brings a lot of instability initially on different levels such as the routine, emotions, adjusment with family (shunning), etc. It requires adjustment in the way you socialize, it brings insecurities because you feel uncertain about how to use the new acquired freedoms.
You suddenly feel like a teenager with curiosities, willing to explore, and that may be a threat to the partner. You guys need to talk, and define limits, set rules, and support each other along the way. Be very careful with potential addictions, alcohol, drugs, etc.
For us it was important to define a structure, to start attending community, school events, getting to know other parents my our kid's school, making new friends. You need to get involved with other activities, change your routine, take a break from the house, take turns. Go to the gym, etc. We started attending Unitarian Universalists meetings on Sunday as a family to find some sort of spiritual inspiration without doctrines, without commitment, just in an open and flexible basis.
As a couple this is the time to get to know each other ,and to be completely honest, to unite and support each other and build real trust. You need to share the responsibilities and need to give each other some space. It's not easy with the stress and the strain with family, losing your religion, and losing many friends. You may even start questioning if you made the right decision, and second guessing yourself. The void is huge ,and you need to start filling in with new meaning. But it definitely gets better. It takes time, patience and commitment.
My wife and I, along with our two kids have finally found the stability, and have settled down after the first few months of turmoil after leaving the cult. Best wishes and best of luck in your journey. You can make it!
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loosing it!
by bez inanyone else have any experience of a couple of months after leaving the org...feelings etc??.
my husband has left too and feels the same as i do.. but we just seem to be arguing constantly at the moment, though i do feel this may be my own fault!
i feel soooo angry, bitter and annoyed at how things have turned out.
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TastingFreedom
I think the transition out of the Witnesses brings a lot of instability initially on different levels such as the routine, emotions, adjusment with family (shunning), etc. It requires adjustment in the way you socialize, it brings insecurities because you feel uncertain about how to use the new acquired freedoms.
You suddenly feel like a teenager with curiosities, willing to explore, and that may be a threat to the partner. You guys need to talk, and define limits, set rules, and support each other along the way. Be very careful with potential addictions, alcohol, drugs, etc.
For us it was important to define a structure, to start attending community, school events, getting to know other parents my our kid's school, making new friends. You need to get involved with other activities, change your routine, take a break from the house, take turns. Go to the gym, etc. We started attending Unitarian Universalists meetings on Sunday as a family to find some sort of spiritual inspiration without doctrines, without commitment, just in an open and flexible basis.
As a couple this is the time to get to know each other ,and to be completely honest, to unite and support each other and build real trust. You need to share the responsibilities and need to give each other some space. It's not easy with the stress and the strain with family, losing your religion, and losing many friends. You may even start questioning if you made the right decision, and second guessing yourself. The void is huge ,and you need to start filling in with new meaning. But it definitely gets better. It takes time, patience and commitment.
My wife and I, along with our two kids have finally found the stability, and have settled down after the first few months of turmoil after leaving the cult. Best wishes and best of luck in your journey. You can make it!
I suggest your read a recent post I made about the transition to becoming a free man, I hope it helps.