Posts by ShaunaC

Wow, how fun this is to "see" some of you again. Of course I remember you Mouthy and Seeker. Gopher, good to see you too! I got a pm from Harmony (peaceloveharmony) yesterday too. What a blast from the past!

Last night I was telling my husband about reconnecting on here and it brought back a flood of emotions and memories I hadn't thought about in a quite some time. During those early years this site (and others before it) were so important to my healing. I found people who knew exactly what I was going through. I read your stories and your experiences with family and friends and many times felt it could have been my own story. Having that support and knowing that someone KNEW your pain and struggle, made it so much easier.

But I realized last night that more importantly you all provided a sense of family I had lost when I left the Borg. In that time when I no longer belonged to my family or that organization, and I still didn't know myself well enough to truly belong to myself....it was to all of you that I felt I belong. Having that security, even though I never met most of you in person, gave me the strength to move on. It was if I had this Board to fall back on if I needed advice, encouragement, a slap across the face, a shoulder to cry on.

This oddly enough feels like a family reunion. But a good one!

30

An ancient poster stopping by to say HI!

by ShaunaC in

jw
friends

hello al!

i am an old poster from this websites early days.

i was here a lot during 2001-2003. during the days of posters like:.

ShaunaC

Ozzie!!!! So good to see you. Hope you and the wife are doing well.

Yep, those really were the days. Like when silentlambs (Bill Bowen) broke onto the scene. I still remember getting a very loving email from Bill, like one from a loving father, that meant so much to me. Through this site I created friendships with ex-JW's all over the world. All of you guys meant so much to me as I learned to truly break away from the borg. It's great to see you are still helping the newbies.

I've been away long enough that I finally don't feel like the borg was the majority of my life and it feels wonderful to have my own identity away from that life. But it still is a very big part of me, not only molding who I was being raised in it, but the act of breaking free from it also plays a huge role in the strong, opinionated, passionate in my beliefs person I am today.

I'm also able to think about the fun times I had growing up with my family. Although my kids may never meet my parents, they will grow up with pictures and stories. It wasn't all bad. In fact, my childhood was pretty great. Even my husband comments that he wishes things could be different because my parents sound like wonderful people. And they are, I know that and can see that even through the JW bs.

Anyways, nice to see an old "face". And thanks for the welcome from rest of you too. Funny how we are strangely still a family.

30

An ancient poster stopping by to say HI!

by ShaunaC in

jw
friends

hello al!

i am an old poster from this websites early days.

i was here a lot during 2001-2003. during the days of posters like:.

ShaunaC

Thanks Willy.

And sorry for accidentally posting this twice.

3

An ancient poster stopping by to say HI!

by ShaunaC in

jw
friends

hello al!

i am an old poster from this websites early days.

i was here a lot during 2001-2003. during the days of posters like:.

ShaunaC

Hello al! I am an old poster from this websites early days. I was here a lot during 2001-2003. During the days of posters like:

Englishman, Welshman, LDH, Simon, Prisca, Joelbear, logical, SixofNine, somebody, Ozziepost, unanswered, Gopher, Norm, JanH, Kent, somebody, AlanF, Amazing, Silentlambs, Hillary-step, minimus, ISP, bigboi and many others.

If any of you are still around, thank you all for your part in helping me deprogram myself all those years ago. I've been free for almost 10 years and am truly happy. I recently married a wonderful man and we're hoping to get pregnant with our first baby very soon. I was just 26 when I first posted on H2O, Freeminds and here. Now I'm turning 34 next month! How time flies by!!!

I still have no relationship with my parents but have fully come to terms with that. I re-read posts from those early years and see that I had so much hope that the rift would be repaired at least a little bit. But that never did happen and now we go years in between any communication. The pain over that has now subsided to disappointment. I focus now on creating my own family and vow to show my kids the unconditional love the JW org prevented my parents from showing me.

To any of you who are newly out, it does get better if you look at life as a set of experiences to teach you something about yourself, the world and those around you. Don't be bitter, don't carry the anger. It will only hold you back from becoming the truly remarkable person you already showed you are when you decided to leave the JW's. It takes a lot of strength to do that and you'll continue to use that strength (even though at times you'll doubt you have any) to learn who you really are apart from that organization, your family, and those brainwashed ideas. You can do it and you will be happier for it.

I hope you are all doing well and are happy in your freedom. Freedom of thought really is worth any cost we have all had to pay.

Much Love,

Shauna

fomerly ShaunaC (Shauna Titterington-Collins from Fresno, CA)

30

An ancient poster stopping by to say HI!

by ShaunaC in

jw
friends

hello al!

i am an old poster from this websites early days.

i was here a lot during 2001-2003. during the days of posters like:.

ShaunaC

Hello al! I am an old poster from this websites early days. I was here a lot during 2001-2003. During the days of posters like:

Englishman, Welshman, LDH, Simon, Prisca, Joelbear, logical, SixofNine, somebody, Ozziepost, unanswered, Gopher, Norm, JanH, Kent, somebody, AlanF, Amazing, Silentlambs, Hillary-step, minimus, ISP, bigboi and many others.

If any of you are still around, thank you all for your part in helping me deprogram myself all those years ago. I've been free for almost 10 years and am truly happy. I recently married a wonderful man and we're hoping to get pregnant with our first baby very soon. I was just 26 when I first posted on H2O, Freeminds and here. Now I'm turning 34 next month! How time flies by!!!

[IMG]http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg88/sb2nsf/DSC_00791crop.jpg[/IMG]

I still have no relationship with my parents but have fully come to terms with that. I re-read posts from those early years and see that I had so much hope that the rift would be repaired at least a little bit. But that never did happen and now we go years in between any communication. The pain over that has now subsided to disappointment. I focus now on creating my own family and vow to show my kids the unconditional love the JW org prevented my parents from showing me.

To any of you who are newly out, it does get better if you look at life as a set of experiences to teach you something about yourself, the world and those around you. Don't be bitter, don't carry the anger. It will only hold you back from becoming the truly remarkable person you already showed you are when you decided to leave the JW's. It takes a lot of strength to do that and you'll continue to use that strength (even though at times you'll doubt you have any) to learn who you really are apart from that organization, your family, and those brainwashed ideas. You can do it and you will be happier for it.

I hope you are all doing well and are happy in your freedom. Freedom of thought really is worth any cost we have all had to pay.

Much Love,

Shauna

fomerly ShaunaC (Shauna Titterington-Collins from Fresno, CA)

46

How Does One Just Go Back To Family & Friends After Leaving The "Truth"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you've left all your family and friends for "the truth" and then you realize how everything you did was for nothing, how do you just go back, especially, if it's been 25 years???

my wife is going thru this dillema right now.

my daughter just went to a family member's birthday party for the 1st time yesterday and my wife feels as though she is unable to be involved because "what will the family think of her after all the birthdays and celebrations" she missed?

ShaunaC

The first time I attended a family's celebration after leaving the JW's was my cousin's 21st b-day party at my aunt's house. Us girl's ended up in the bathroom discussing the situation. I apologized for my stupidity (one that I was ingrained with since birth) for all those years which kept us from being close like we were when we were little kids (my aunt was raised a JW too but left when her kids were little). I cried and they embraced me. They related how odd it was to have me there too. They had spent their whole lives almost pretending to be someone else around us JW family. They too felt wierd at now being able to break down those walls and act naturally around me, to talk about their lives, to use certain language, to drink and party in my presence. I realized we both had to adjust.

It may be uncomfortable at first, but she needs to appreciate that they will need a brief time to adjust too. However, that's not because they don't accept and love her, it just that the bond needs to be reacreated to some extent after being away for so long. But she shouldn't expect that to take too long. They are just as happy to have her back as she is anxious and happy to have them back in her life.

I wish her well!

38

Drugs?

by be wise in

jw
friends

i think this is my first debatable topic.

for anyone who has experimented with recreational drugs or who knows about someone who has how do you think they can change you for the better as well as for the worse?

i know a few ways in which they really changed me, i was very shy and never felt compfortable around people until i had my first experience and felt totally unhibited around a room full of people (talking in retrospect) and i never forgot what that felt like - it opened my mind and i learned to become much more confident.

ShaunaC

Valis, could you please describe your experiences with mescaline and peyote? What are the effects while taking and the after effects the next day? Price and availability?

Thanks!