Ex Jehovah's Witness Counselling and Recovery, Southport (2025)

When you have lived life as a Jehovah's Witness, you have a unique view on life, the people within it and what it all means. You need a Counsellor that appreciates how the world looks to you and can see things from your perspective. That way, your time in counselling is not spent endlessly explaining things to someone that just doesn't get it.

20/03/2025

Anyone who is, or has ever been, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses knows—beyond any doubt—that the practice of shunning is very real.

Members are expected to sever ties with disfellowshipped individuals—now referred to as being “removed”—as well as with anyone who no longer identifies as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

This expectation is not ambiguous. It is explicit, unequivocal, and carries clear consequences for those who refuse to comply.

Everyone within the organization understands this reality.

Setting aside the inhumanity of such a practice, one must ask: how can the Governing Body publicly deny its existence?

Imagine, for a moment, the mental and emotional dissonance experienced by a Jehovah’s Witness who is praised for being “spiritually strong” for cutting off a son, daughter, sibling, parent, or lifelong friend—while simultaneously hearing their leaders assure courts and the wider world: “We do not promote shunning or divide families,” and “Anyone is free to leave, and family relationships will remain unaffected.”

This is not only dishonest—it is morally reprehensible.

Such conduct is shameful.
And to those who perpetuate it:

Shame on you!

www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

21/11/2024

With Jehovah's Witnesses it is required that you avoid a situations where a single man and woman may be alone together.

Apparently, it is not possible for an innocent friendship to develop. Fornication between these two unmarried witnesses is seemingly inevitable, which will displease Jehovah greatly.

This way of painting the situation is likely to have a long lasting impact on how a woman feels when in the company of other men, especially if there is nobody else present.

Even though here is nothing wrong with having a reasonable level of caution when around strangers, the fear of what may happen in these situations can, for some ex JW's, lead to crippling anxiety and a total withdrawal from any social interaction.

www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

04/11/2024

Judgement is a way of life when living as a Jehovah's Witness.
The bible is full of stories about how Jehovah reacted when he judged that things had not gone the way he would have wanted.
You are also told that Jehovah will be judging you in the same way, with similar consequences for non compliance.

Elders will make announcements from the platform in the form of 'local needs' that will highlight a particular behaviour that is judged to be unacceptable, along with the inevitable judgement from the congregation towards the person understood to have engaged in the questionable activity.

Judgement of you in your own home takes place, disguised as a 'shepherding call'.

Then if you see another JW acting in a way that is not becoming of a good Witness, you are expected to be very judgemental and report it so that the judgement can be passed on.

When you are exposed to this level of judgement in your life, the mindset of judging others becomes the norm. So it makes perfect sense that you are likely to be very judgemental of your self and your apparent failings.

This harsh inner voice is likely to follow you, even if you leave the organisation.

It is vital that you understand where that inner critic originated from and take steps to challenge it. You were not born with it. It has been inserted into your personality without your permission, and you have the power to remove it.

www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

22/10/2024

Acknowledging your anger is fundamental in setting effective boundaries.

If you learn to supress your anger, you will also learn to see what others are doing as 'acceptable'.

However, sometimes people will treat you in a way that is not 'acceptable' and your anger in those moments will not simply go away. So as more time passes and you reflect back on the situation, you are likely to turn that anger on yourself, rather than placing it at the feet of those that deserve it.

Acknowledging and expressing your anger is a healthy way of ensuring that you remain psychologically, and in some instances physically, safe.

Showing of anger does not automatically involve shouting or even raised voices. But simply saying, very calmly, 'I am not prepared to accept that..' is an expression of anger. If the anger is not acknowledged in those moments you are likely to start turning it on yourself in the form of negative self talk or self hatred.

It is vital to acknowledge your anger when it arises. It will always be there for a reason.

www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

11/10/2024

As children, there are generally times we are able to express our opinions about things and get feedback. We, learn that people have differing views on things, but that's ok. We can still make up our own mind about how we feel and what it all means to us. We express those differences of opinions and perhaps even debate others on certain subjects but still with the result that we all see each other in a positive light and we can get along, despite our differences.

However, for Jehovah's Witnesses this is not necessarily the case.

You are told how to think about certain things. Worldly people are bad, Satan is controlling them, only we have the one true religion and only we will be saved. Sinners are to be shunned.

There is no opportunity to develop the skill of evaluating things for yourself and coming to your own conclusions which you are then free to act on without fear of repercussions.

If you have had a lifetime of never making your own decisions, how can you have confidence in your ability to have sound judgement and do the right thing? Especially if there are no rules to tell you what the right thing actually is!

Sometimes there is no clear 'right' or 'wrong' but that is hard to accept when everything in your life previously was so black and white.

Coping with life after a JW experience is incredibly difficult but you all have the ability to thrive.

www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

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Southport

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http://www.exjwcounselling.co.uk/

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