We all know waking up from the cult and trying to leave is a very scary and life changing experience. For many it's traumatic and few find the transition easy.
We have to deal with families cutting us off entirely or keeping us at arms length at best, lies being told about us by the organization, ex members gossiping about us and finding ourselves in a world very different from what we're prepared for.
For this reason, I've decided to start writing a self-help book informing JWs of what to expect when they leave the org. I'll be explaining what will happen, why, how to deal with it, how to behave when you first leave, the mental processes you're likely to go through, where to find support and digging into the elders letters and Shepherd book so they can see that trying to make them feel miserable is orchestrated by Watchtower.
I'm not sure about the title yet but some ideas are:
- What To Expect When You Wake Up.
- What To Expect When You Leave The Jehovah's Witnesses
- How To Cope After Leaving The Jehovah's Witnesses
- Wide Awake!
For a few weeks now I've been writing notes in a little notepad i carry around with me about ex-JW problems we face, the reason those problems are there and how i (or others) managed to deal with them. I've found that if i i dont write them down i quickly forget them.
One thing that i noticed about 3 weeks after leaving was that many JWs looked for reasons to hate me. They were shunning me and because they didn't know why they had to justify it in their minds so they would bring things up that happened years ago or create rumors.
By the way, the book will be FREE. I'm planning on releasing it digitally to make sure it can be easily distributed and shared.
My psychology degree studies are really helping. I'm used to backing up claims with references, making academic arguments and leaving emotion at the door. Although the last one can be a challenge when dealing with a subject so close to my heart.
I reckon it'll be done before Dec 2018.