Remember watching Matrix years ago, thinking how much like the JW mentality it was.
I'm many years out of the J Witless, but new to the discussion forum. It's great seeing so many switched on people here
Flossycat
JoinedPosts by Flossycat
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V for Vendetta - another great movie for faders and ex-JWs
by RayPublisher injust re-watched it again recently...wow what a powerful film and really shows up totalitarianism, mind control, etc.
of course the great wachowski's (of matrix fame) made it, so what do you expect?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chqi8m4ceey.
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Flossycat
Hi Smiddy and Broken Promises. This is only the beginning of something we/any one of us, can work on - and I'll be working on. Last year I sent a copy of my book, "A Little Lower Than Angels" to Nick and he said he looked forward to reading it. A few weeks later I sent a DVD (copied from a video I made) from Channel 9's Sunday Morning Program in 2002 called Silence of the Lambs. Does anyone remember that? Before Australia/channel 9 did their show, the US and UK had already done their's, on the problem on pedophilia not being addressed in JW congregations. I know a journalist with one of Melbourne's leading newspapers who is an exJW. He's been writing pieces here and there drawing attention to JW cult behaviour. I intend to write to Nick again. In view of the fact JWs are always out there door-to-door it's important the public gets to hear the real story/s about the WT Society.
For those of you in Queensland, maybe put together a co-signed letter to senator Sue Boyce, to begin with? For what it's worth I'd co-sign it too. I'm going to find out who to approach here in Melbourne. The counsellor I used to see encourages some of her clients/patients to read my book - she would probably sign a letter too. Think of who you can get to co-sign in the health field as well if you decide to do a letter?
Yes, it was $400 to attend the conference. Worth every cent, esp as morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea included. Found a really good B&B called Annie's Shandon in Upper Edward St on the edge of the city - cheap.
One of the stand-out things for me was the advice in how to handle those still under the spell of cults: be gentle with them and provide them with an environment where they feel safe, (even if at times you feel like tearing your hear out).
Gotta go - night
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Be a part of research about leaving the JWs...
by TerriO inhi guys,.
some of you may remember me, i've been on here before in the past and been about on the exjws forums on and off for about 7 years now.
you've probably also seen me advertising the xjw meet ups in london as well..... :-).
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Flossycat
Done. Great survey. Hope it helps at a university and community and public level, eventually.
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Be a part of research about leaving the JWs...
by TerriO inhi guys,.
some of you may remember me, i've been on here before in the past and been about on the exjws forums on and off for about 7 years now.
you've probably also seen me advertising the xjw meet ups in london as well..... :-).
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Flossycat
Will do.
(BTW, my book 'A Little Lower Than Angels' was published in the UK by Melrose Books, Ely. It'll give you a roller-coaster ride on the antics of a confused black sheep on the run and why I did the things I did. Got an email recently from exJW (30 years JW) in Canada saying it's the best book he's ever read.)
Best wishes,
Flossycat, Melbourne, Australia.
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New to the board
by jbeau504 ini'm new to this board and looking to see what it's all about.
i'm currently an unbaptized publisher and third-generation jw, so for obvious reasons i can't give my real name due to personal concerns.
so from now on people can refer to me as "jimmy".
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Flossycat
Hi Jimmy. Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz - highly recommended. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Best,
Flossycat, Melbourne, Australia.
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Flossycat
Try again...
Just looked back over coments from my Intro/joining this forum week or so ago. Thank you everyone who said hi/welcome. (Love Finally Awake and Just Ron's 'hi' - great logo.)
The Brisbane Cult conference was amazing, fabulous, and at times, horrifying. Responding to some of your requests here's some of my notes - hope it's not too dry:
There was a girl in the audiece who escaped from a satanic cult - just horrifying. Won't go into details here till I get her approval to speak publicly about it. The punchline is, after getting through a series of police investigations and court procedures, she ran into a brick wall - appears there are people in high places who don't want her story made known, nor want certain perpurtrators held accountable. Other testimonials of getting trapped in seemingly helpful New Age psychology groups made the JWs look like a walk in the park by comparison. I was the only JW there, incidentally. There were some ex-Exlusive Brethren, and some ex-Brisbane Christian Fellowship Church members (who are v similar to JWs in shunning and rigid beliefs).
It was good to see and meet many psychologists, counsellors and community health workers, and one lawyer - all interested in helping ex-cult members make sense of, heal, and move on with their lives.
A lot of recent survivors (pre-arranged testimonials) still very hurt, confused and emotional, often in tears from what they've endured - plus cyring with happiness at being among people who understand and there to support them.
Clinical psychologist Professor Doni Whislett from California was one of the main speakers. (If you closed your eyes you'd swear it was Meryl Streep speaking.) She's had many years dealing with cults and ex-members. (When I introduced myself to her on the first day she said one of her close relatives is a long-time JW and missionary.)
From a pure neuro-biological analysis, the brain's nuerons-axons-dendrite function was outlined. Babies are born with 100billion neurons. How connections are formed from babyhood and up. Over years of being in a cult, not being allowed to think for oneself many years, one's axons&dendrite wiring, withers; and stops functioning, even. However, because the brain is 'plastic' (as opposed to rusted?), an empathetic environment where the person feels safe,can help them rebuild and begin to exercise their innate powers of reason. New experiences re-wire the brain. Therapy re-wires the brain. (So, logically, places like the JW Discussion Forum help re-wire the brain and get it functioning again.)
For those who have left cults and get down on themselves for having been so gullible, or feel ashamed etc, this segment of the conference helped people to understand that the brain's hardwiring had been programmed 1/not to trust outsiders, 2/had been programmed/learned helplessness, 3/had stress responses dulled, and 4/had no sense of personal choice.
Lifton's research and 7 points of brainwashing - how the gradual process of normalising of cult's beliefs ends up resulting in 'anxious dependency.'
Lalich: 'Bounded Choice': How people in cults say their actions/deeds are done willingly - but it's not really willing when it comes at a cost, or there's a price to pay for not doing something that's meant to be done 'willingly'. At what point/s do 'voluntary' become obligations?
Some mystical groups use the term "Heavenly deception" to justify illegal/immoral behaviour. Reminded me of the JW theocratic warfare, and how other in-house terminology blankets the real meaning, turning it into something normal/right, for the 'Higher good'/glorifying God.
5 emotional signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 5 physical signs of PTSD. (I'd had nearly all during the 1980s-90s.) Ex-cult members have what's frequently called complex PTSD: In chronic trauma cortisol/adrenaline levels remain chronically high. Or, never returned to base line/normal levels. They've spent much of their lives fluctuating between chronically high cortisol levels due to chronic stress - then PTSD symptoms of chronically low cortisol. Going round and round in this way eventuates in mental and physical damage: depression/anxiety/schizophrenia/nightmares/flashbacks etc; insomnia, gastro-intestinal problems, headaches/migraines, persistant back/neck problems, anorexia.
Putting words on trauma (eg. therapy) helps bring down the terror - which is why forums such as this one are so helpful and healing for many.
NICK XENOPHON (Independent Minister) spoke with passion. He was a lawyer before he went into politics. He'd like to see the French model of the Anti Cult Act employed here in Australia - a big call. A couple of notes I only had time to note: cults equal exploitation and abuse of an individual's weaknesses. Ex-members become refugees in their own community. He urged every one of us to assist in getting community/State/Federal awareness up and running via: Local and State parliament members, (Queensland Senator Sue Boyce who joined with an Aboriginal Elder in opening the conference is keen to assist); the ACCC (Rod Simms); and especially urged to write to our new Attorney General Nicola Roxon.
Unfortunately because the conference was running about 1/2 hour behind schedule and Nick only had 7 minutes to answer questions before he had to leave for another engagement, we broke for morning tea. By that time I was almost peeing in my pants; the reptilian/survival brain overtook the neo-cortex/judgements section and I scuttled out of the auditorium, down the hallway.
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Want honest answers
by independenthinker ini've wanted to make this account for the past 2 weeks, but ive been afraid that ill get caught by posting.
do they check this site?.
im 18 years old,baptized at 14. really my problems started a few weeks ago.
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Flossycat
Hi Independent Thinker, and welcome from Flossycat, Melbourne, Australia. Just want to say hi, and agree with everyone's comments here. Good on you for taking the initialive to think, reason, and utilize your right to use your brain.
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New member
by Kool Jo ini've been lurking here since late last year...was very hesitant to join the forum because of fear that satan would control my pc.... .
i'm born in, but always had my little doubts about "the truth" since i was young, but went ahead and got baptized ect.... .
i stumbled upon this site while looking for a km and initially thought it was a jw forum, but after seeing some of the titles of various threads, i thought to myself "i'm on an apostate website".
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Flossycat
A suggestion for your first query: Just keep an open mind. And I might just say here, I'm not convinced of a God/entity-of-the-whole-universe in the biblical sense. These days I'm not religious, but very interested in all religions, and philisophical theories on life and human existence. And I'm often skeptical of what science allows us to see/hear/know, preferring to wait as the years go by for more evidence on certain theories.
You've grown up having all the 'answers' and 'reasons' to the universe set down for you on a plate. We humans are living in the third dimension. We're familiar with time having a beginning, middle and end point - cause, experiences/story, conclusion. There are other dimensions existing around us we can't see with the naked eye (and it's not about demons and angels) where time is totally different. The great thing is, you now have the freedom to use your own intelligence, your right to think for yourself. Read and research as many different fields of knowledge as you can. It's not important to be convinced on any particular 'answers'. What you experienced and knew when you were 10 years old is different to what you experienced andn knew when you were 20, and do on.
A couple of books you might like to try by Dr. Brian Wiess: "Through Time Into Healing", or "Many Lives, Many Masters". Last week I was at the annual Australain conference of Cult Information & Family Support in Brisbane. For more on how strict religions affect our thinking and reasoning the author Steven Hassan was recommended, (can't remember the name of his book - have to google it). Or "The Jesus Mysteries" by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy (published by Thorsons, imprint of Harper-Collins, UK)
Remember these are suggestions to broaden your horizons. No one here is asking or suggestivng you believe in any particular way.
On the point of my website not being accessible. I must look into it. Keep trying. Maybe I spelled it wrong? www.jehovahsmysteries.com. (divine intervention?? I know it's a revealing and at times shocking story, but really...)
Best wishes,
Flossycat from Melbourne, Australia.
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New member
by Kool Jo ini've been lurking here since late last year...was very hesitant to join the forum because of fear that satan would control my pc.... .
i'm born in, but always had my little doubts about "the truth" since i was young, but went ahead and got baptized ect.... .
i stumbled upon this site while looking for a km and initially thought it was a jw forum, but after seeing some of the titles of various threads, i thought to myself "i'm on an apostate website".
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Flossycat
Hi Kool Jo. I'm from Melbourne, Australia - was a Pioneer, 2 older sisters were Pioneers (when they were younger and didn't mind lugging huge bags of books around), and one of my brothers is an Elder. If you feel up to it, take a squiz at my websiet: www.jehovahsmysteries.com
Nice to 'see' you at the discussion forum.
Best,
Flossycat