shunned

Coming from a cult that discouraged education and that even discouraged pursuing an upward trajectory in a career, as the cult activity itself was seen as our primary career, it can be hard to know w…

Fostered by a woman in the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, little Ashley caught the eye of the person that would adopt her as a part of their family. All Ashley wanted was to be “normal”, but he…

Like the 1944 film “Gaslight”, and the resultant term “gaslighting”, those with the power around Lexi growing up tried their best to create a reality for her that didn’t match the one she had interna…

Catherine did all the things that the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses wanted her to do, but she could never find connection with it. Though she was held out at times by “spiritual men” as an example of s…

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a performance based cult that are all about “what have you done for me lately”. Your actions are everything to them. Sadly it is the same with relationships when it comes to J…

“I had these huge dreams and aspirations of what I wanted to do, where the attention was all on me. But in my actual life I was so afraid to be noticed because, in my experience, being noticed wasn’t…

Whether it was giving his first talk or becoming an unbaptized publisher or getting baptized, Nate knew what was expected of him as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. With a desire to please his parents and…

During a meeting with the congregation elders about her abusive husband, JoHannah asked the question that is the title of this episode. Trying to get the elders to understand the severity of the abus…

Harrison lived a life full of change and drama growing up. A mother that was dependent on alcohol and disfellowshipped from the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses twice, move after move after move, includin…

After a night spent with her boyfriend talking, a relationship that as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses she wasn’t supposed to have because he wasn’t in the cult, a phone call comes in from Elizabeth’s fat…

Amanda travels the United States but is not allowed to have friends as a kid, both outside OR inside of the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Amanda isn’t home schooled to further her isolation but is sen…

To participate by donating to the cause, you can donate here (I will personally match the first $200 dollar for dollar): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/shunnedrecovery You can also Venmo to @micha…

The cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses has some interesting takes on life and death. On one hand, as today’s guest puts it, Jehovah’s Witnesses give up on life before it even starts because to them this wor…

Chris comes from a large family of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Montgomery Alabama area. Being from a big family can result in big family drama though, especially when everyone is in a cult that dictat…

Sitting at a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses, during the circuit overseer’s visit, a young Dylan was facing a crisis of disconnection. As he realized that he did not belong there once again, and as he…

Coming from a cult that actively discouraged even basic education at times, it can be daunting to even contemplate trying to pursue higher education. What is it like to be a non-traditional student? …

Being raised in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses involves being taught to chase love. If a person can only be good enough, one day their god will love them. But being taught this can lead to people go…

From the time he was 12, Matt had to work. With his father’s vices taking the family’s money and groceries to put on the table, Matt stepped up. That started young Matt down the path to workaholism w…

Jehovah’s Witnesses promote men to the role of head of the family, and of the congregation. Keion, as a brother in the congregation and also as a family head later in life, faced certain blowback for…

Growing up with parents that were not only Jehovah’s Witnesses but also suffering from their own addictions and mental/emotional struggles, Aubrey felt invisible. When he realized his sexual orientat…