Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses recovery group
Real connection with people who get it
No need to explain yourself
I told the pastry chef I worked with that I had no plans for Thanksgiving, and I had no idea how to cook Thanksgiving dinner--actually, I did know how but I had never done it before and didn't have any family to have it with, and Thanksgiving really wasn't a big deal to me anyway, and oh geez I sound like an idiot.
🤷♀️ "I grew up in a cult and I didn't celebrate holidays growing up," I said to offer some kind of explanation.
“Which one?” she asked.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses,” I replied.
“Sister!” She threw her arms around me.
✨✨✨
Magic. Someone I didn't have to awkwardly explain my backstory to.
Why I hadn’t talked to my mom in six years.
That I had no idea how to decorate a Christmas tree.
That I’d never seen Star Wars.*
Meeting her felt a little like coming home.
And that is what this ex-Jehovah’s Witness recovery group is about.
*I watched every single Star Wars movie during Covid as part of my ongoing ex-Jehovah's Witnesses recovery. ☺️
The XJW Recovery Group is a monthly online event to:
🤍 Share stories about life on the other side (the hard, messy parts and the great parts, too)
🤍 Remind ourselves that we are not alone and offer support to each other
🤍 Explore the nuances and challenges of leaving the organization
What to expect in our wisdom circle
Each session will focus on a theme related to ex-Jehovah's Witness recovery, with time for guided introspection and group discussion. We will share our stories and insights as we learn from and support one another.
Being an XJW gives us an endless amount of things to explore, like how to:
➤ Navigate relationships with loved ones still in the organization
➤ Let go of the shame and guilt from being disfellowshipped
➤ Live in the world (and not feel like a freak)
➤ Redefine what 'spiritual' means
➤ Build trust in yourself again
➤ Reconcile the effects of living a double life
⚠️ This group is not a place for debating the theology of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as seen in some online spaces. It’s about creating a safe, compassionate community that honors our shared experience as ex-Jehovah's Witnessess and lifts everyone up as their own inner authority.
This is the group I wish existed 32 years ago and you're invited
I'd love to welcome you into this supportive space. Sign up below to receive a monthly reminder and participation link. You can unsubscribe anytime if you no longer wish to receive invitations.
Next Gathering: Saturday, January 10th
Ongoing: Meets monthly on the first and third Saturday*
Time: 10:00-11:30 AM CST
Format: Online gathering (via Zoom)
Cost: This event is free; donations are appreciated but not required
*Due to a special event I'm co-hosting, we'll meet in January on the 10th & 24th
My XJW Story 🦋
I was born into the Jehovah’s Witnesses and disfellowshipped when I was 19.
Freedom! 🎉 🥳 🎊
I could finally go to concerts and do normal teen things, like cruise the streets of the small Midwestern town I lived in and go to parties. I could go to college and become the artist-writer I dreamed of as a little girl without having to move. I could travel without having to marry an elder and become a missionary. I could have FUN and live my life ON MY TERMS.
So I did.
Except I didn’t realize how deep the conditioning went. The voices in my head constantly judging me for not being perfect. Always feeling like something was wrong with me. Never fully relaxing because I was trained to be hyper-vigilant for Armegeddon, Satan and my own sinful self.
For years I felt shame, self-doubt, and the nagging feeling that I didn't belong anywhere. I wasn't a JW. But I wasn't a normal person, either. I was an orphan. In exile. Orbiting.
It took years of exploring new ways of looking at life, unlearning the programming and slowly building important skills I never learned as a Jehovah's Witness to trust myself again, to know what my truth was, and to create a life that felt 100% like me.
To understand that I belong with myself.
I still have pinch-me moments when I take a deep breath and remind my inner child that THIS IS MY LIFE NOW. I have and do things I only dreamed of as a lonely, misfit, JW kid: people I call family, world travel, holidays, creative expression and the freedom to follow my dreams.
The journey has not been easy, simple or straight, but it has been so worth it.
If you're putting the pieces back together after Jehovah's Witnesses, please know you are not alone. Healing does and will happen with time. Community and real friendships exist beyond the confines of Jehovah's Witnesses.
You can not only survive but even thrive in your life outside of the organization.
That’s why I created the XJW Recovery Group: so we can remind each other of this truth. 💖
Your sister,
Dawn
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