Being Under Cult Mind Control is a Psychological Disorder - Steve Hassan

by flipper 89 Replies latest jw friends

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  flipper

  WOBBLE- You asked , " If JW's are suffering from a psychological disorder, are they in any fit state to take life threatening medical decisions, i.e. refusing blood transfusions, not just for themselves, but for their children ? "

  Well if you ask me, I would say NO they are not qualified or in a fit mental state to determine if their children should have blood transfusions or not. JW parents are being duped and mind controlled to think blood transfusions are bad- when they are not, they are lifesaving. So yes , I have said for many years now I believe the WT society causes members to become insane. Some to more degree than others- but insane nevertheless. In fact child protective services have at times taken JW children from parents to make sure the needed children receive blood. So yes - insanity reigns supreme in WT land.

  MICKEY MOUSE- That would be great if you could loan SWeeney you Hassan book ! Good for you
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  onemore

  This is a good post.

  bumping it up for the benefit of the new members.
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  flipper

  ONEMORE- Good idea. This is important information for newly joining members to hear of and be made aware of to understand what they've been through exiting the witnesses. All comments welcome
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  flipper

  Wanted to bump this up for newer members of the board as I felt it might be helpful to some. All comments welcome . Thanks, Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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  Band on the Run

  I haven't read the books yet. My time here has convinced me that the officials of the wts are running a destructive cult, masquerading as religion. It may be a true religion for the rank and file. Cult is a perjorative term. They didn't stumble onto cult control technique. Rather, they are cunning as foc. I fled when I was tween. I did well academically and love people. My inner gut told me God must be love not a crazy lunatic wiping his creation out with violence. My local brothers were not educated. I kept catching reading errors and wondering if I would die for sinning against the Holy Spirit.

  JWs are particularly cruel and vicious to children. Armageddon is hard for a child to imagine. It destroys any sense of personal safety and autonomy. I never heard about God's love only his abominations such as Abraham and Isaac, slaughter of children for not being Israelites, and Armageddon. They became demon heavy when I hit adolescence. I live in terror to this day. My time was consumed being on a demon alert--checking the spaces behind door hinges, in closets and behind shower curtains. Nights were the worse. I eyeballed my room continuously until I fell asleep. Looking for them prevented me from recalling precious moments of that day or how my dolls were doing. Decades later,my sister and I discussed this recently. She was seven years younger. She patrolled our room, too. We could have coordinated our efforts to get more sleep.

  I have advanced degrees from an Ivy League university. My life is very worldly. Walking away was hard in many ways. I completed feared rejection. B/c of my father's abuse and hatred of education, I had to face a court battle to stay in high school. My classmates were off to Paris and London. My inner self told me to run. Rationally, I had nothing but condemnation after taking a college course that required me to read the bible consecutively. What liars. If I face bad anxiety today, my fear of demons returns. Bad weather might make me fear Armageddon.

  Once I read my Bible, there was no way I could ever return under any circumstances. All the pain of my childhood was for naught. The only thing I can do is embrace today. Bitterness is present. My soul soars with my precious freedom. Now I can respect God rather than view him as my enemy. She loves all.
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  flipper

  BAND ON THE RUN- Very interesting perspective you have. I agree- he Jehovah's Witnesses are very dangerous. Whether we view them as a cult or not- ( which I do by the way ) - the WT society is more dangerous psychologically to it's members than many people are aware , outside the JW organization and inside the organization. And people need to be informed about that danger. It appears you know about how dangerous it was from all your chilhood experiences being a Witness. I'm glad you gained your freedom ! Keep treasuring it. It's priceless
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  wobble

  You have to be sparing in using the Cult word to JW's. they immediately go in to "We are not a cult, cults blah blah blah"

  Now, according to mine and many persons definition, they are, without doubt, a cult, but so as not to get sidetracked by the word, it is best to mention simply "mind-control" and how that is practised by the WT, and how and why it works, if you can get them to read an excellent thread such as this, great !

  Thanks for the thread, and the bump, Flip.
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  flipper

  WOBBLE- Pardon my delay on responding to your post. I hadn't realized you made another comment 29 days ago. My apologies. You are correct- when talking to JW's we have to be very careful to not use the " cult " word when talking about Witnesses. But once people have exited the JW's- most will acknowledge that they are a cult. But your point is well taken
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  Mad Sweeney

  All words can be slippery. Even "mind control" has connotations of Sci Fi style hypnosis among those not familiar with how experts use the term.

  That's why we need to keep defining "cult" and "mind control" over and over. It isn't about doctrine or very much about structure. It is what organizations DO that make them a dangerous cult or benign.
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  moon84

  I know this subject was posted over a year ago but this is the reason I found this forum. I had been looking at personality disorders caused from cult/religion and it brought me here. The book being discussed seems really fascinating to read and I will have to try and get my hands on it. I came to the realization 2 nights ago that I am suffering from borderline/dissassoiative disorder due to growing up as a JW. I never wanted to admit to have having some sort of personality disorder but all the proof is there.

  I study Psychology as my major and I just recently received an Associates degree in Psychology. While studying the subject a person can not help but sit there and evaluate themselves. I have been taking math for the last 6 months so I have not been able to concentrate on further figuring out my condition. But in those 6 months I have seen myself flip off the handle and just go postal at times. I've seen my mood change rapidly, becoming disconnected, extreme depression, and other various symptoms.

  They say that this condition comes out more after losing a parent and that I did. My father passed away 4 years ago when I was 22. He suffered a massive stroke and was on life support for a day when my brother and I had to make the decision of having him taken off. I remember the coldness from the brothers and my own brother and his wife.

  I have been out of the "truth" since I was 17 years old. I never was baptized because I knew I wanted out since I was 5 years old. They had no reason to treat me so coldly. But they didn't even acknowledge me at the hospital and the only reason my brother hugged me is because I hugged him. Just imagine standing there in the hospital with your dying father in front of you, having to make that choice to end his life, and not a single person there to comfort you, not even your own family. All I got was coldness and grief from everyone.

  Ever since my father's death I have noticed a long nagging depression that has lasted for long periods of time. Also I have recalled forgotten memories, extreme nightmares, and really extreme mood shifts. But the one thing I have realized out of all of this is that I don't ever recall being happy or feeling loved and accepted. I don't know if I feel it more than others because of my loner personality which was my way of escaping the JW reality I grew up in or if it is common among many that grew up that way. All I know is something is wrong because my interpersonal relationships are stormy and making friends is a very difficult process for me.

  So I want to know how some of you members have dealt with some of these issues or if they feel they have the disorder as well, and if so how they have dealt with it? I really look forward to getting to know everyone!