There is a lot of exjws who have been out 10-20-30-50 years, but for some reason, when they see a group of Jehovah's witnesses, sitting by their Carts, drinking coffee, scrolling through phones, laughing, something inside happens.
Most can't explain it. Some say it makes their blood boil. Others say hatred swells up and they just want to yell at them. Some say it elicits flashbacks, intrusive memories, nightmares, severe anxiety, and
avoidance of reminders related to the traumatic event.
Sometimes other symptoms appear. It
may involve negative changes in mood and cognition, as well as
heightened arousal responses like irritability and difficulty sleeping, that can last for weeks.
So here is one way an Ex jw explains it;
constant_trouble
You saw the cart like a trapdoor in the sidewalk, it opens and the
past rushes out—guilt, fear, that old Watchtower voice whispering
that Jehovah is watching you, even as you measure a window.
You didn’t flinch. You smiled. You answered. You left. But now
your hands shake and your chest is tight, and you’re wondering why
two bored sisters in polyester skirts can ruin your afternoon.
Here’s why: it wasn’t just a cart. It was a landmine. A trauma
totem dressed up as spiritual literature. An altar—not to God, but
to control. Judgment. Shame.
That wasn’t a normal interaction. That was religious
trauma, plain and simple. Like brushing past Scientology
recruiters and realizing they still know your real name. Like running
into Moonies and remembering the chants. But worse—because this one
raised you. This one taught you how to hate your own thoughts.
You didn’t leave a church. You escaped a psychological warzone.
And your nervous system still hasn’t gotten the memo.
So you ask, “Do we all have complex PTSD?”
Let’s turn it around: when a group tells you your friends are
bad, your questions are rebellion, your thoughts are dangerous, and
your beard might stumble angels—what do you think happens to the
human mind?
You’ve been rewired to see them not as strangers, but as
gatekeepers to your worth, your family, your salvation.
That’s the trick. It hijacks your brain and calls it spiritual
sensitivity.
Of course we carry scars. Of course the ghosts show up when the
cart does.
And here’s the mental shift that saves your sanity: stop
thinking of them as holy people. Start seeing them for what they
are—street recruiters for a spiritual pyramid scheme. Like
Scientologists with clipboards, just with longer skirts and less
charisma.
You’re not crazy. You’re recovering.
And recovery feels weird.
Like window-cleaning while ducking ghosts.
And you’re still here. Still building. Still free.
And they’re still handing out magazines for a kingdom that never
came.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1ko0r36/good_luck_with_that_whole_exexjw_thing/
