It’s called learned helplessness, and it is an actual psychological issue. It genuinely IS harder for people like her to suddenly be thrust into a life like that with no prior experience when you have had the advantage of nearly 20 years of living as an actual responsible adult. Not to mention the fact that she also had not one, not two, but three children who depended on her, and you had no one depending on you.

Imagine being dropped in the middle of the Amazon jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization, without a clue how to survive out there, and meeting an indigenous tribe who have only known the jungle life and are therefore expert-level survivalists. Yes, you can learn to be a survivor too, and maybe even thrive, but you still have to LEARN. They don’t. Life is tough for them out there too, but it is the only life they have ever known, and they have mastered it.

I have known both people in your position and people in Louise’s position, including several relatives, and there is simply no contest. Two friends who suddenly had to fend for themselves ended up having breakdowns; one ended up being taken in by in-laws while the other checked into a psychiatric hospital for a few months because neither could deal with all of the responsibilities of uncoddled adulthood bearing down on them after decades of total ignorance and freedom from it all.

I’m so happy I’m not involved with this religion any longer. While it pains me that my family will no longer talk to me, I feel much better about my life. I’m about to graduate college, I’m engaged to a wonderful man, and I have a fulfilling life.

Going to the kingdom hall is so stressful for me and field service is a nightmare, how can I possibly take ‘good news’ to people when I feel awful and sad inside. And remember I AM FORCED to do this, as an elder’s wife I some how have to keep appearances. I am realy tired, it would’ve been better if I didn’t have depression. But my condition is making things worse and very difficult for me to just go with the flow and point blank pretend.
Whats even more sad is that my hubby does not take it and always tells me to hang in there and “wait on Jehovah.” I once tried to reason with him on the blood transfusion issue, I have never seen him that angry with me in all the 8 years we have been married and we ended the conversation with him labelling me an apostate. I vowed from that day onwards to never bring up any thing against the governing body, whom he clearly confuses with God. What a mass I’m in! I regret the day I got baptised at 13 years old!
Thank you so much for the therapy it means a lot to me, sometimes I go through your blog and read your uplifting stories DURING meetings just to keep my mind off. I hope one day I will master the courage to leave and risk my marriage but for now I am still a trapped wife.