Not Everyone Escapes

You may remember the story about the ex-Jehovah's Witness (JW) named Lauren Stuart and her family, who were all JWs and had left the organization but Lauren never seemed to mentally leave the JWs. 

I blogged about her earlier this year and the link is here:

https://exjwquietactivism.blogspot.com/2018/02/its-sad-when-they-leave.html

I found through the YouTube Channel of Kim/Mikey, video dated November 19, 2018, that the TV show called Investigation Discovery actually covered Lauren's story and provided a reenactment of how the police and detectives believed the murder/suicide unfolded. In case there was any doubt at the time about the reason for Lauren killing her family, her dog, and then turning the gun on herself, is detailed in that TV show. Yes, she started having doubts about leaving the JWs and essentially believed they were right about the end times, that the Great Tribulation and Armageddon were right at her doorstep and about to happen at any time. She felt that the only way out of their predicament of being ousted from the JW organization was to take the lives of her family and herself, since then [according to JW rules], her family would have a chance for everlasting life. Her fate would be in the hands of their God Jehovah who most likely would take pity on her for what she had done. However, this is up in the air with the JWs since they leave that up to Jehovah but would not conduct any type of memorial service for that person who committed suicide, even if they were still an active member of the congregation.

The link to the YT channel is below where Lauren is talked about and a link to the TV program that covered her story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=641nA_HVvFw

https://vimeo.com/301515222

As we are now in the holiday season, many persons deal with depression and assessing their lives as we close out another year and move into the new year. Even active JWs suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts and many carry that out, my own cousin being one such victim of suicide as I have blogged about here before. He was born and raised a JW, went on to serve at Watchtower headquarters in New York called Bethel, where he had various positions until finally being assigned to the former Brooklyn headquarters as a tour guide. He came back to his home state, married, became an Elder and served for years before I found out much later that he suffered from depression and was deleted as an Elder. In 2017 he committed suicide and there was no JW memorial, nothing, he didn't exist in their eyes and I only found out about his suicide weeks after it happened. Since I am no longer a JW, I was not invited to his gravesite service just held by family members, no official memorial was held by his congregation.

Do not let the JWs steal your life now or your future. If you have finally made that decision to walk away from the JW religion, be proud you made that step to start thinking on your own. If you believe in the Bible, then that is your strength and resource. If you want to explore various spiritual paths, do that now. If you have anxiety around this holiday time of year, let that go now. Calm down and relax, you have no one pushing you to celebrate anything. Do not be intimidated by JW relatives or family that you need to return to Jehovah, but be kind in your responses. Tell them the JWs do not own "the truth", and that truth is found in Scriptures, not in any church of Christendom, which the JWs are a part of. All churches claiming to follow the teachings of Christ are a member of Christendom.

If you feel depression settling in, reach out to trusted non-JW friends, relatives or co-workers. Maybe join a gym, start a daily walk in the park or around your neighborhood and consider adopting a cat or dog to take the focus off of you and onto another living thing that needs your time and focus. Start writing down your feelings and impressions in a private journal that only you know about, maybe carry it in your backpack or keep it in your desk.

This is the time of year to take stock and think about planning a new path for yourself. Don't fall into bitterness or start thinking the JWs are right after all. They have been wrong for over 100 years of existence before they adopted the JW name and changed up the corporation that exists today that is very much involved in this system of things, their so-called Satan's world. Yes, the JWs are profiting off Satan's world and have amassed great fortune while the membership suffer and die, sometimes at their own hand.

If you feel you need to speak with someone, do not be shy about contacting your local suicide prevention center. Sometimes volunteering at a homeless shelter or animal shelter can help you put life in perspective and you will see how lucky you really are right now. You can and will be that person who escapes from the walls of the Watchtower corporation and you will be a success and inspiration to those around you. 

The first step is to detach emotionally from the JWs, then work on the physical and plan your walk out of that Kingdom Hall and never return. They are wrong in their teachings, policies and beliefs. Convince yourself first, then introduce this concept to loved ones. But in the end, we can only save ourselves.

#laurenstuart  #jehovah  #JW

#activism  #society  #a&e #buddha

Waking Hypnosis

I came across this phenomenon on a YouTube channel that I have as a suggested resource for ex-Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) [in the footer of this blog], and then expanded my research on the topic on various sites on the Internet. 

The video was done by Gordon Smith-Duran a few years ago and it may help as an introduction to this topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-cZfRfCEc

When we were all JWs, we were strictly banned from engaging in any sort of hypnosis techniques and were banned from watching any type of hypnosis session whether it was something performed on a talk show on television or as a game in a nightclub setting, and obviously were further prohibited from performing any sort of self-hypnosis or meditation and yoga on our own. Why is that do you think? The JWs say it has origins in the occult, that you will let some sort of genuine demonic being enter your body and you will be haunted and driven insane. Okay, stop and think why the JW leadership would put these types of fears into its membership, especially since birth. I have clear memories of being terrified of demons, I suffered from night terrors, and nightmares of the time of the end that is talked about ad nauseam at their public meetings and in their literature.

So why fear hypnosis? Why fear meditation and introspection unless you are chanting some verse about Jehovah God or staring at a paragraph out of Watch Tower literature and meditating on the words or in passages of their own Bible translation? Because you will see how easily the human mind is influenced and you will start repeating rhetoric in your day to day life that was placed there by a third-party. They are no longer your own true thoughts or beliefs. If the Watch Tower corporation allows you to engage in hypnosis sessions with a therapist, you will be influenced in a positive direction, an independent direction away from the mind-numbing influences of the Watch Tower corporation. Now I say this with the intention that therapists are well-meaning persons, having your best interests at heart and want you to become an independent self-reliant individual and deal with whatever problems that are holding you back from that goal of achieving your life's purpose.

Watch Tower will tell you that your life's purpose is to serve only them and to have a job to pay your own expenses, yet give a monthly stipend to your local congregation, plus an amount that goes straight to Watch Tower headquarters to keep their "worldwide" work going of amassing real estate and employing unpaid labor to do their bidding. Yes, their permanent residents at their headquarters in New York and other locations around the world at Branch Offices, they do get a monthly stipend, but it is only to cover immediate expenses. When you either decide to leave on your own or are no longer of use and evicted, then you are at ground zero in your life and have to figure out how to support yourself, maybe a spouse, and most just move back home with their parents since they have no other options. We are talking about grown adults moving back home with mom and dad, one man I knew personally was evicted from the Watch Tower headquarters in New York since they were eliminating his job [as well as others] and consolidating. This man was about 35 years old at the time and had zero college since he went straight to work at "Bethel" as the JWs call it, the headquarters in New York, and only worked for them. He was unprepared for the real world and just lives with his mom trying to figure out what to do with his live inside those walls of the Watch Tower.

So what is waking hypnosis? It's what happens at every meeting of the JWs. They lead you down a path. For example:

Speaker: I remember when I was a boy, I used to play outside and my mother never worried about me. Our neighborhood was safe. Television had fun cartoons and good movies were available that supported a strong family unit. Nowadays, you see how everything has changed, even in your own life, right?

Audience nods their heads in agreement. The room is silent save for the humming of the sound equipment, glaring overhead fluorescent lights make you blink a bit more often than usual.

Speaker: Now think about what you see on television news reports. Violence in your own neighborhood. You could never go out as a child now and play on your own, you may be kidnapped, you may suffer being hit by a drunk driver, violence is now a part of our regular life and it frightens us.

Audience nods their heads in agreement.

The speaker eventually leads you to a path that only the JWs can save you from this dilemma. Our world is so violent, we are in danger every day of our lives. We start to feel anxious and confused. The speaker offers you the solution of the Watch Tower as the only way out. Read, study, and speak only of Jehovah God, read only the JW literature, be fearful of reading any other material that may lead you away from the JWs beliefs.

The speaker will then throw in the fear of Satan the Devil. Oh, he is out to get you personally. Do not open yourself up to any type of therapy, instruction, or counseling outside of the JW literature or talking with your Elders in your congregation. You are slowly becoming aware of waking hypnosis. 

In contrast, in most cases you've got to agree with your boss if he/she is a domineering person and one-sided and you've got to hang onto your job. So your boss would say, "ordering updated computers is a really bad idea, RIGHT??" And you would say, right! I agree. That is not waking hypnosis. You are making a conscience decision to agree with your boss since you are in survival mode to keep your job.

Waking hypnosis is when you are led down a path, you hear a long story you can relate to, then the speaker convinces you they have the only one solution. Don't go thinking on your own or searching for answers for yourself, no, stick with Watch Tower, that is your only path to salvation.

Now obviously, if you identify as a Christian, you may need to switch up your thinking that the Bible is the path to your salvation, not any group or organization. Research many different Bible versions and start discovering what is right for yourself in this life. If you are non-Christian, then the JWs are not an issue with you, since you would be rejecting all organizations that use the Bible in their teachings. 

Waking hypnosis is what the JWs practice on each other when they learn their new language and jargon. When you are studying with someone to become a JW, you immediately start picking up on their terms, "worldly people", "out in the world", "fear the demons, they want you to turn away from Jehovah", all fear tactics and the JWs start to implant thoughts in your head that never existed and you would not entertain on your own.

Start thinking about your true self. Why were you put on this earth? What do you personally like to do? Becoming introspective is not a bad thing. It will start to clear the fog inside of your brain put there by years of indoctrination as a JW. Fear is a huge factor you have to deal with. Are you afraid of meditating on anything not coming from the Watch Tower corporation? Why? How about listening to calm music and lay down or sit still for 15 minutes and think about what you are afraid of. Who put those fears inside of you?

When JWs start to wake up from their self-hypnotic state, it can be frightening. Like, waking up a child who is sleep walking and you startle them and they run and hide. Why do you think so many ex-JWs on YouTube are posting videos of their protesting against the JWs? It's a break in their programming and we all react differently when we are waking up to our hypnotic state of mind, a state we have been living in for many years.

I am not against any active protesting of the JWs at their conventions or Kingdom Halls since the persons doing the protesting have little control over how they will react to the waking up process. Some prefer to just walk away from the JWs, and that is perfectly fine, you never have to do anything. Don't think you have to jump in front of a YouTube camera and start pouring out your heart to strangers online, trying to get their approval for leaving the Watch Tower corporation. 

You need to heal yourself first, and then take small steps to clear your mind of the thoughts and impressions placed there by the Watch Tower leadership. Again, I have suggested books and websites on this blog site to get you started. I do not suggest you access any sites that specifically target the Watch Tower corporation or obsess over their monthly podcasts. That will not clear your mind of the JWs mindset or beliefs. It will keep you trapped and stagnate. You want to move away from the Watch Tower corporation and seek out ways to improve your own situation right now, and plan a good solid foundation for a future away from all the programming that was placed inside of you by the Watch Tower corporation.

#watchtower #jws

#society  #organization

#activism  #jwactivism

Who Controls You?

If you are still an active Jehovah's Witness (JW), then you must honestly answer that you are not in control of your own thoughts, actions, or beliefs. You may feel secure in the fact that you are not in control and can't move right or left, but must face forward and be focused only on the JW organization. You may like to simply sit back and zone out and listen to the instructions from the JW literature and from the weekly public talks and the regional conventions that are held throughout the year at various locations only to find out that you are stagnate in life, having no real friends, a job instead of a career that you actually enjoy, and maybe a family that is only with you because of the ties within the congregation.

Other persons are literally starting to wake up to the reality that the Watch Tower Corporation knows little about how to guide you in this life, to prosper physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You may think I am wrong in saying this. Well, compare where you were five years ago and where you are today. You are the same, right? Still doing the treadmill of weekly meetings, door-to-door recruitment activities or standing my a JW literature cart thinking this counts as preaching the good news of God's Kingdom to the public when you are just staring down at your phone reading text messages waiting for your mandated hours to be up and you can go home and sit and wait for the next JW meeting at the Kingdom Hall.

Where will you be in five years keeping up this same JW routine? You will be the same. You will be stagnate in life. You may think this is fine, I am still young - uh, right, that is the point. The JW leadership of men at the headquarters compound in the New York area, want to steal your youth and destroy any chance you may have in this life. Once you reach 30, 40, or 50, and see that your life meant nothing but pushing JW literature in peoples' hands, and your own life is stagnate, never growing, learning, prospering financially so you can work towards a safe, bright future, no, the Watch Tower has stolen your dreams from you and now that you have woken up at maybe 30, 40 or 50, you see you can no longer afford to go to college and may not have the strength to go to college. Even if you decide to go back to school and you are past 40 years old, no employer is hiring a college grad at 40, they are hiring that 21 year old or the 25 year old who completed college in a profession they chose.

How do you stop other people from controlling you? How do you start making your own decisions? Obviously, if you still live at home with your parents, you must obey them. However, it doesn't mean you can't start planning now for your future. High School and community colleges offer career counseling. Don't be afraid if your parents threaten you with eviction. Start now and think about forming some solid friendships outside of the JW culture. You can do this by confiding in a friend now, tell them your plans. You need a solid foundation in this life first, then you can explore other options once you are stable in your life.

If you are an adult and decide to think for yourself, it can be very scary. Seek out non-JW online self-help videos and websites. Seek out friends at work who may or may not be religious. Religion really has nothing to do with this. You can be a spiritual person and realize that a Grand Creator or Godlike Being made this earth and all life without joining any religious group.

Are you constantly watching the official JW Broadcasting videos? Have you noticed the large blue screen behind the speaker? It has wavy lines going through the constantly moving image that can cause a hypnotic effect upon the viewer as you listen to the speaker's rehearsed and scripted lines that are meant to draw in the viewer to start agreeing with the statements made. They show a video of someone crying to get the viewer to cry or show you a sad lonely person who needs JW literature crammed on bookshelves in order to be happy. They may show you a vision of their manufactured scene of the "new system", a future world they think they can promise will happen, but they can't. No human has power over your life or your death. No human can give you everlasting life on any paradise in heaven or on earth. Yet, this is what they are selling to you. Click off the JW channel and you will slowly start to think more rationally.

The blue colors, spheres, and images are commonly used by the U.S. Government,
the United Nations, and by the Freemasons, as well as in their logos as do the JWs.
That video screen behind the speaker is constantly in motion.
Image is from JW.ORG

The monthly JW broadcasting videos are designed to funnel you into a specific direction:

1) Calm, slow way of speaking.
2) Hypnotic background.
3) May include an experience from a third-world country to make you embarrassed about how much you have in the U.S. and in Western societies.
4) Get you to feel sad and start to cry over some poor JW in another part of the world having to walk barefoot for miles to a Kingdom Hall.
5) Then, their vision of everlasting life on an earthly paradise.
6) Finally, donate to their world-wide work.

Hey, I don't listen to those JW videos! I watch only commentary on them by an alleged ex-JW who views himself as an expert on the JW religion! Wrong. Turn off the commentary videos and websites too. They are designed to sucker you into their own world of mind control techniques, getting you hooked on their YouTube channels, clicking on their ads, and getting you hooked on every word that comes from the JW headquarters and somehow, making you feel you need to know what they are doing or saying at every moment. Trust me, you don't. You need to turn away from these types of YouTube channels and start focusing on that one person that needs to get moving and get on with their life, that being you, dear reader.

The JW organization never changes. They come up with new schemes, new videos, new gimmicks, all designed to make you think they are moving forward, when they are moving in circles, desperate to come up with more cash grab schemes from recycled gimmicks that worked decades ago and they update them for today's membership. They want you sitting home and afraid of the outside world unless you have JW literature in your hand or pushing a JW literature cart around a mall. Same with the constant ex-JW YouTube commentary videos that seem to get longer and longer in length, making you sit there for 2 hours or more listening to their opinions or simply insulting the Governing Body and their monthly broadcasts creating frustration inside of the viewer. Turn off these useless videos and start looking towards something that will bring you away from the mind controlling techniques used by Watch Tower and those who feel they have left yet are still obsessed with their every move. The JW leadership fuel ignorance and so do some ex-JW YouTubers, as if you can't think for yourself. 

Start a journal and get your thoughts on paper. Spend time with yourself away from interruptions for at least an hour per day. Ask yourself these questions. They may help sort things out for you and provide you with new clarity in your life:

1) What are you attracted to that you take for granted?

2) What repels you?

3) Where did your reactions to these questions come from in the first place? Where did your opinions come from? A mental barrier goes up with certain words with a negative association. Ask yourself why you react in a certain way to words, thoughts, or impressions. Not just related to the JW organization, but to life. Where did your world view come from?

4) Are you not open to other beliefs or opinions? Why can't men cry? Why do women have to be cooks and housewives? You get the message here.

5) How can you change your response to the paradym?

6) How does it affect your health and energy?

7) What is the path to greater awareness or to your own self-destruction?

Get to the root of why you feel a certain way. Is it taken for granted, something good or bad? Have a fresh perspective on things and form no opinions at first. Explore new things in your life away from hearing someone else give their own opinions, whether it's critical or not of the Watch Tower teachings. Don't let other people give you an opinion, start with looking objectively at an issue or policy of the Watch Tower organization. 

Don't keep looking for validation for what you choose to believe or not. Take things one step at a time, there is no rush to leave the JWs, but you can start distancing yourself by missing meetings, stop going out in their preaching working, take a step back and tell people you need to sort things out for yourself and take a sabbatical. Do not let threats of death and destruction sway your decision to leave the JWs, but again, there is no hurry. Work at your own pace.

The Bible and many belief systems are freely available to anyone. Fear is the first thing to set aside, including, being on your own. I was on my own when I first left the Watch Tower Society. I made my own way and continue to express myself in this blog and seek out new interests and read many books all the time. I have suggested YouTube channels in the footer of this blog from ex-JWs and non-JWs alike. I sometimes link to a good video from an ex-JW in my blog entries that I think are helpful.

A link to a very good NON-JW video to watch on this subject of mind control is below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhQaFtYEz58

Once you stop being afraid to separate yourself from the JW mindset, you will find your life path starts to reveal itself to you. You will not regret it as you free yourself from the mind controlling effects of the JWs.

#mindcontrol  #matrix
#control   #freedom
#freedomfromwatchtower

The Truth In Four Parts

The Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) have what they call a scriptural reason for demanding that there be at least two witnesses to any wrongdoing to convict one of their brothers [or sisters], and one of those scriptures is found in Deuteronomy 19:15. However, what the JWs refuse to acknowledge, is that even if there are two witnesses to such an abhorrent crime as sexual abuse of a minor, no conviction will be sought against the perpetrator, even if that person confesses. This is the sneaky way the Watch Tower leadership avoid their own so-called Scriptural policy. The Watch Tower corporation's goal is to protect themselves from having their corporation's name smeared in the press, in the court systems, in the congregations, and protect their belief they have a clean religious order that was chosen by God himself about one hundred years ago.

As you may be aware, a small group of ex-JWs participated in their own form of activism at the JW headquarters in Warwick, New York. A quick YouTube search will bring up many of their own video diaries on that event that happened last November. What many may not be aware of, was that a Canadian news team followed them around and documented what happened on their quest to awaken people in the township of Warwick, and finally approached the Warwick headquarters and asked to speak to a member of the Governing Body [the top religious rulers of the JWs]. Of course, when they approached the guards at the compound gates, the police were summoned and the ex-JWs holding up signs and banners, had to congregate on the opposite side of the street from the actual compound because a guard at the gate stated that it was "private property".

The Canadian news team has released their four-part video series exposing the JWs for allegedly having a long history of covering up sexual abuse against minors and revealed the truth behind those Watch Tower walls at Warwick, that they are simply hiding behind a few scriptures so they don't have to deal with sexual predators within the congregations worldwide. If they are forced into the court system, the Watch Tower attorneys have a history of simply paying victims to go away and placing a gag order on all parties in the case, so nothing can be revealed in the press about the details of the matter.

As many of us who were born and raised in the JW organization, we know first hand that they throw the burden upon the members themselves, upon the victims, when dealing with any abuse and must suffer in silence. They tell victims to read a few benign Watchtower-published materials, or face being evicted and labeled as a trouble maker if you speak up and go to the Elders in the congregation and reveal what happened. Many victims are often forced to leave not only their own congregation, but the religious movement, since the alleged perpetrators rarely if ever are removed from the congregation. The victims have to run and hide and feel ashamed, while the alleged perpetrator can continue to be welcomed in the congregation. Sometimes, a perpetrator may confess, so what, they may be on what's called restriction for a short time, not able to engage in the door-to-door ministry work, or have duties within the congregation. All this is temporary, and they can be restored to having all their privileges back while the victim is there suffering in silence, and this is especially dangerous when the victim is their own child. The abuse will never stop.

There is no justice for the children inside the walls of the Kingdom Halls, masonic halls of injustice, non-Christian halls of stoic men and women who have their personalities and basic human emotions stripped from them as their God Jehovah demands that they be silent when facing crimes against minors. Even adult victims of abuse must suffer in silence, never taking that abuser to court unless the victim wants to be shunned and ousted from their congregation, and even from the religion itself.

I hope you take the time to click on the link below and watch this incredible broadcast from Canada about the JWs and their two-witness rule.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/sex-abuse-survivors-allege-coverup-by-jehovah-s-witnesses-for-failing-to-report-assaults-1.3854274

To see the series as one video without commercials, you may access it here at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjatriVR0aQ

If you have suffered inside those Kingdom Halls and were abused, no matter if it was yesterday or 50 years ago, talk with a trusted non-JW friend, a non-JW relative, a counselor, your teacher, a supervisor at work, look online at various associations in your city and talk with someone. Many therapists offer low cost counseling services and it helps to just talk about it. No one is forcing you to speak publicly. You don't have to do a YouTube video, nothing is required. It is just helpful to talk to a licensed therapist, a physician, and perhaps when you are ready, you can take that next step and seek legal advice on how to proceed with bringing to justice the person(s) who victimized you. It is never to late to be happy. Your life is yours to live and you cannot be afraid of some God called Jehovah. No loving God will destroy you for seeking truth, justice, wisdom, and love. I hope that you can and will find the courage to take one small step and reach out and share your story with a friend, and perhaps it can lead you to finding lasting personal peace and happiness.

#jehovahswitnesses  #jw.org

#twowitnesses

#watchtower

The Empty Chair

Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) are generally discouraged from getting any type of therapy or counseling from anyone who is not a JW. When I was a JW [born and raised in the organization] seeking help from anyone not a JW was against the rules and you will quickly find yourself on the opposite side of Elders in your congregation in a shepherding call [the first step in their court system, which is just a fact finding mission]. If the Elders don't like your answers it could proceed to a formal Judicial committee meeting where you will be judged as to your standing in the congregation. It might lead to a probationary period, or full out disfellowshipping depending on your crimes, meaning, how much you have gone off course from the JW teachings, rules, rhetoric, and ever changing policies.

Therefore, the programming is in place to be fearful of seeking any type of formal therapy out in the "world" which of course means anything not sanctioned by the JW leadership who set the rules for the entire global organization. However, many JWs exiting the mind-controlling organization often miss this step in their recovery process and acclimating themselves to the outside world of reality. If you miss this step, you find that you might not deal with the rest of the population in a rational way. You might take things too seriously, or not be able to read someone's intentions. 

A few years ago I did some research and came across the fundamental principles of a gestalt. It's a German word meaning shape or form and was developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. People tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes. A football team can be considered a gestalt because it works as one unit, not as individual players.

This principle can be applied to persons who are Jehovah's Witnesses (JW). Their whole social structure is one unit. The membership all think alike, act the same way, and have a unified belief system. To break free from this JW gestalt, you need to replace it with a new one. I know, it's not as easy as it sounds. But when a person decides to leave the Watch Tower corporation, they can't simple exist as a healthy, whole person and move on with life as if nothing happened to them. 

A common mistake many persons make when leaving the corporation, is they continue with life as a JW, yet are not going to the meetings anymore, they no longer believe in the tenets of the Watch Tower Society, and they may be disfellowshipped or just simply fade away from their congregation and never return.

Why is this important? Well, you are still a JW if you don't realize you have changed. If you made that decision to never return to the JWs, then you probably came to a conclusion that the JWs are not the one and only true religion, that the leadership are not emissaries from God or Christ. You should take that next step and realize that no religious or non-religious group knows for a fact how us humans ended up on this planet; it's all conjecture and what you choose to believe. Yet if you don't establish a new social gestalt, it is impossible to heal and recover from JW indoctrination. This will prove true with being associated with any high control group.

For myself, I had no idea I needed therapy at first, until I found myself going around like a zombie, going to work everyday, handling my personal affairs, but not acting much different than when I was a JW. I had a few non-JW friends, yet was still living a life as a JW just sans the meetings and field service. This was leading to an empty life with no direction. 

So what do you do? You need to seek therapy. Now I know that sounds scary and aside from that, maybe you just don't have the funds. Then go online and start your research. I have links at the footer of this blog that will get you started on your deprogramming journey from the Watch Tower Society. As you take a look at the video suggestions, then start looking at various books to read on the subject of psychology and how the human mind works. If you are having problems dealing with social and work situations, then seek out books on the subject from a non-JW perspective. Broaden your scope and you will discover a whole host of people ready and willing to offer help, and will push you onto your next level of success in your work and personal life.

The therapy that helped me along my journey to personal peace, is called the "empty chair". It's one form of therapy where you sit or stand facing a chair and imagine anyone in your life is sitting there and you vent your feelings and pent-up frustrations to that person. You can do this with anyone in your life and then switch places and imagine you are that person and defend yourself which can be quite revealing since it forces you to consider why that other person acted the way they did.

For example, I could place my mom in that chair and tell her off, then when I switch places with her I can say, "I thought I was doing the right thing," or "I was raised very strict and raised you the same way," whatever the case may be. It can be a very cleansing type of therapy and is often used along with hypnotherapy, where you are sitting with your eyes closed imagining anyone you want is in that chair, even God.

Therapy and self-help videos will be that link to a new social gestalt. If you have unresolved conflicts, trauma, or suffering severe emotional or physical abuse, then please seek help from a licensed psychiatrist. I suggest you don't speak to anyone you know since some past trauma and abuse might be embarrassing and some friends or family should not be privy to all of your personal feelings. If you do have a trusted non-JW friend to speak with, then start there. Ask them to help you select a psychiatrist in your area and many licensing boards have online verification of the license to see if any formal disciplinary actions have been taken against that doctor.

When I finally found the courage to walk away from the JW organization as an adult, I was truly lost and simply having people tell me to now go out and celebrate Christmas and birthdays, was not the solution. It was like telling someone whose house had just burned down to go the movies and forget it. Don't over-simplify what happened to you as an indoctrinated JW. So I sought out self-help videos online and in books, mostly unrelated to the JWs. As you progress through your own personal therapy, you will find you are less invested in tracking everything going on with the Watchtower corporation. You can have a healthy detachment from them, even if you have family still in the organization. So when you hear something is going on, you will not react emotionally, but can listen and take it with a grain of salt. You are out of that organization, you come first, then if you can, help others to leave by helping them find a new social gestalt to replace the old one when they were a JW.

As you progress through your personal development, you may find that there was a hobby you used to do before you became an indoctrinated JW or maybe engaged in recreational activities while you were a JW that you can explore further. Maybe you had a love of animals, painting, drawing, or you enjoy helping people, maybe teaching or volunteering at a local charity. You need to develop a new social gestalt after leaving the JWs to restore your mental and emotional health, and it will lead to promoting good physical health too.

Self-discovery and cleaning out the cobwebs of useless information implanted there by years of Watchtower indoctrination, can only benefit you and you might uncover the reasons why you may be reacting to everyday life in an unreasonable and negative manner. You might find where you are struggling and why you can't come to a resolution and feel lost in life. 

But, don't put undue pressure on yourself. The first step is just realizing you were indoctrinated and conditioned as a JW. You were their recruiting robot that went door-to-door coercing people to join, to skew the beliefs of the JWs to attract people into the organization. Think about it as a journey to a new you and becoming a better person and to not think solely in black and white, but in shades of grey. 

This universe is a vast storehouse of knowledge, information, wisdom and beauty. Start exploring the world you are in and don't be afraid to dig into your personality and find that awesome person hidden inside of you that is just waiting to get out and explore the planet. Start sharing what you have learned with other people that are just like you, on a spiritual and personal journey to freedom.

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#freedomfromwatchtower #selfhelp   #thrive  #therapy #gestalt