“Your coworkers invite you out for a quick drink after work, and you panic. You can’t think about anyone in your family without becoming overwhelmingly sad. No matter what you do or what’s happening around you, you’re always agitated and angry. You mistrust anyone and everyone you meet, and don’t feel confident in anything you do. All of this tells you what you may already know … that a huge part of your life has been stolen from you. Well, now is the time to get it back! If you were raised in any type of high-control environment, and especially if you’ve spent time in an actual cult or with a domineering partner, you now need to unlearn the hurtful thinking habits that have kept you a prisoner all these years. Anti-cult activist and wellness writer Alexandra James has put together this comprehensive guide for breaking free from what’s going on inside your own head, so that you can learn how to reclaim your life and finally make it truly your own!”
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Growing up inside the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not easy, as any former Witness will tell you. The religion puts incessant demands on their congregants, even the children, when it comes to their time, their behavior, their thinking, and their physical, mental, and emotional energies. Every part of your life is regimented and judged by the religion, including how you dress, your choice of entertainment, your friends, how much of that time you spend recruiting, and even if you’re happy enough to impress outsiders. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you also know that abuses are also rampant in congregations, including domestic violence, abusive physical punishments for children, and even child sex abuse.
Because of these constant demands and this controlling, insular lifestyle, as well as these horrific abuses, many Jehovah’s Witnesses come out of the organization feeling angry, depressed, anxious, and just generally miserable. They struggle with the thinking that kept them trapped in the religion, and that keeps them from moving forward.
I’m certainly no mental health expert, but after talking to dozens, if not hundreds of former Witnesses, and after carefully considering my own struggles after coming out of the religion, I’m happy to introduce my book, “How to Reclaim Your Life When It’s Been Stolen From You.”
Inside this book, you’ll find:
“Your Feelings Are Real, and Valid, and They Mean Something”
Don’t dismiss your feelings, or let someone tell you that “fear isn’t real,” or that you “should” feel happy and positive. There are many good reasons why you have the feelings you do, and many reasons why they need to be validated, not dismissed.
“The First and Most Important Step”
If you have a hard time letting go of the past, it may be that you’re overlooking one very important step that needs to be taken, before you can move on to a happy, healthy future. This step may surprise you, as it certainly surprised me when I discovered what it was!
“The Problem With Forgiveness”
Has someone ever told you that you just need to forgive your past abuser? Has this advice worked for you? If not, there may be some very good reasons for that! Rather than forgiving, consider something else that can help you to let go of that painful past.
Also in this book, I discuss the trap of archetypes, labels, and patterns, as well as feelings of both anger and sadness, how mental filters are created, and how to rebuild trust in yourself and in others. Also presented are three mistakes that just about everyone makes in moving on, and some advice from my friend Bo Juel on how to let go of things you cannot control.
I’m hoping this book helps people to live their truest, most authentic life, one that they’ve chosen for themselves and that’s full of health and happiness. To pick up your paperback or Kindle copy, visit Amazon at this link. Thanks, and please feel free to share with others!
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