Next Life

I wanted to follow up on my last post with some helpful tools for dealing with emotional flashbacks. If you have left a high-control religion, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, there’s a very good chance you will experience some of the symptoms of Complex PTSD (C-PTSD). This is different than PTSD and is more emotional in nature. When we hear about PTSD or flashbacks we typically think of the movie or television portrayal of vivid images engulfing someone. In those scenes it shows the sufferer experiencing a traumatic event all over again, complete with pictures, sounds, smells, and whatever else accompanied the initial event. Individuals who suffer from C-PTSD have emotional flashbacks. Instead of experiencing sensory reminders of an event, they feel all of the emotions associated with the initial trauma. So if you were abused verbally as a child, hearing harsh criticism can bring on all of the feelings of being a small, defenseless person seeking safety and receiving none. There is a wide

Well, I hit a really rough patch. These are normal in life and I expect them. But, this one was particularly dark and it was related to my JW days.  We just went through a long, intense move to a new place. I’m happy we made this move and I think it’s going to be so much better for us in the long run. But, it really drained all of my energy. Plus, I feel like I’m still recovering emotionally and mentally from leaving the organization and those that I loved. So, my defenses were low. Then, I made a big mistake. I listened to a YouTube episode that discussed recent developments with the JWs. Part of the coverage included a leaked Zoom meeting announcement someone recorded. Just hearing the phrases and arrangements being made pushed every dangerous button in my head. Suddenly, I was questioning everything about my life. Had I made the wrong choice in leaving the religion? Was I going to die at Armageddon as a condemned apostate? Why had I wasted my youth and potential as a JW if I was j