I woke up mentally in mid 2007. I rebounded, returning to super "spiritual" immersion as a last ditch effort to put my skepticism to the test 2008-2009. Thank the FSM for the internet because any vestige of faith in WBTS or belief in their tyrant god was gone by 2010. By then, I was successfully faded, 100% mentally out and 95% atheist. Now in 2012, I'm 100% atheist, bordering on anti-theism. A therapist would probably tell me that the rage and hate I have for all religion isn't healthy, but I try to relieve the pressure in a variety of ways: exercise, creative projects, discovering new hobbies and adding to my roster of "worldly" friends. Talking about it and sharing my story with others helps too.
The depression, anxiety, insonmia, lethargy, paranoia and non-stop obsession about friends and family still inside has waned quite a bit. It was rough 2009-2011. From most books I've read and with many people on this forum, others seem to go through the mental and emotional steps of the exit process at a much faster pace. I've seen some people fly thru the phases in weeks! Mine take months or years.
Since September, I've noticed a lot more anger. I hate what the men in this organization do to people. I hate them for what they've done to me. However, I've managed to preserve rational thought. I don't take it personally. I can't. There are 12 million other victims on planet earth. But each time I learn TTATT or discover a fascinating historical, scientific or archeological fact that contradicts JW doctrine, I feel so enraged. How dare they prevent me from discovering these things much earlier? How dare they quote mine, data bomb, misrepresent, misquote and mislead me by tweaking their reference sources to get me to think the way they want me to think? How dare they deprive me of precious memories with my non-JW friends and relatives? How dare they strip away my individuality, self esteem and confidence? How dare they make me work so hard for them, only to endure increasing crap at the local level everytime I rose in rank? How dare they screw me up so much in the head that I'll never enjoy a normal sex life--or even know what one is like! How dare they tromp around on that stage at the annual meeting and dish out more bile and venom--new light--that they call "meat in due season?"
I hate them on a deep, personal level. I hate those men. They've got the blood of thousands on their balding heads. They've got the protection of the US Constitution to continue their dangerous and deadly operation. They're permitted to freely and openly prey upon the masses while calling "foul" on anyone who dares to stand up and question or refute them. They're small enough not to be newsworthy but large enough to destroy generations of people globally. They're permitted to publish hate speech. They're permitted to target children with the most sinister use of new media. They're permitted to keep things secret from the rank and file. They're permitted to mislead unsuspecting people in their recruiting process. They're permitted to send people to their deaths, destroy families and prevent people from pursuing their dreams. They're permitted to change their mind and edit their own history.
No other corporation on earth would be permitted to engage in this behavior. They wouldn't dare to. WBTS does dare. And the only reason is because they know they can get away with it. The most heinous forms of emotional, sexual and physical abuse get a free pass every time if it's done in the name of religion. JWs aren't the only ones. You all know that. Religion is a systemic cancer on this planet!
Upon my mental exit, I felt so alone. In reaching out to others, I've noticed the global trend of awakening has increased dramatically--especially since YouTube and Google arrived on the scene. Even though I have many friends and family on the inside I'd love to rescue, part of me takes comfort in the fact that I too at one time was an uber-dub. If I can "fall," they can too. I'm positive they've seen opposing views on their google searches. Back in the 80s and 90s, it took work to find "apostate" literature. You practically had to go to them or stand there and listen to the scary guy behind the bullhorn at conventions. Not the case anymore, is it? From the privacy of their homes or on the go, they can access the same info that woke me up from their computers or smart phones. I am confident that the awakening is a lot larger than what we are able to discern visually. I believe there is a huge number of closeted JWs who are awake and are just now entering the phases I began in 2007. I believe this is only the beginning. I believe in the near future, there will emerge an even more powerful force on YouTube (a new personality to reach millions of views, not just thousands). I believe new books, new podcasts and perhaps even a new TV series (similar to "Breaking Amish") or South Park episode will arrive (that South Park about the Mormons woke so many of them up!!!).
One thing that helps me keep my anger suppressed enough to not blow my cover around friends or family is to stay "regular in my reading." Most of you may facepalm at that, but I do enjoy reading the current magazines! For the first time in my life, I actually look forward to their release and I read everything all the way through. It's enjoyable because I read them, not to "be fed," but to analyze, critique and locate the logical fallacies. But the real benefit in reading them is, it puts me back in their mindset. It reminds me what my friends and family still think, feel and believe. It allows me to perfect my cover and act as a double agent. When I've got my "dub goggles" on, I understand how friends and families stuck inside would react to an angry tirade. It would scare them to death--I would've been terrified to hear an anti-JW rant a few years ago! In this case, it's kind of like teaching a kid to ride a bike. If you're with them every step of the way and explaining how you learned, it will drive them crazy--perhaps even discourage them from wanting to ever learn! The best way is to let them take their bike out on their own and learn things their way. That's what I'm going to do. I'm invested in the long term. I've suffered silently this long and, I have to admit, I've really brushed up on my acting skills with this double agent gig! I'm a pretty good thespian! They'll eventually learn TTATT. And because I've been there/done that, I know what kind of clues to look for. When I see the change in stamina, behavior, mood and lower frequency of JW activity show up, I'll draw them out. Privately. Gently. Lovingly. One thing that helped me is finding a friend who agreed that "anything I say is to remain secret--even if it shocks, scares or offends." I will offer them that assurance. I know this will happen with family members and soon. Once I have one relative on my side, I'll feel much better about coming out to the rest of them. Strength in numbers, I guess. That's what I'm waiting for.
RE: "double agent" life...
I feel like the spaniard in "Atlas." I feel like Ben on "LOST." I feel like the bad girl on season one of "24." I feel like Gustavo Fring on "Breaking Bad." They're all characters who had a totally hidden double life and when it was revealed, it shocked the audience. I always admired them, even before waking up. Their "real" selves were the ones in the hidden double life, but they sure had to spend a lot of time immersed in the life they knew they'd eventually escape. I feel like that. I have a golden key into this mental paradise of freedom and happiness, but make frequent visits back into this dystopic reality in a desparate attempt to hold that door open for them when they wake up and decide to run. I'll be there like Harriet Tubman and her underground railroad. We will all play under the sun and sip champagne someday. That's MY new system and THIS is my new ministry. I have something new for which to hope.
Thanks for reading. I'm spent.