I have been out of the family for a long time but didn't start to deal with that past until I absolutely had to because I was having so many problems connected to losses after having left. The losses were just a part of life but triggered Family things like how "if you leave your kids will become/get involved with very bad things, you will be responsible for their demise". Now that is not an exact quote but after leaving, long after leaving there are triggers. I left when my kids were small and I wasn't aware of an ex-member community and didn't discover one until about 93. Then there was a newsletter and it was mailed to my address and was called "No Longer Children". I really freaked when I realized that The Family published an open letter in that publication and the authors and others were opening up dialogue with the Family. Then the newsletter folded and Waco/Koresh happened.
I was interviewed even after having left over a decade before the Koresh stuff. That brought up some real horrible things in my life with no place to turn to because professionals didn't know what to say and didn't fathom a cult experience.
Now it is 2007 and things have settled down quite a bit. At one point I was treated for Major Depression and the therapist warned me not to talk about my "cult experience" because the doctors may think I was psychotic or something. I guess thinking cult stuff is all made up or something.
So I didn't. Instead I was medicated with anti-anxiety medication like Klonipin and anti-depressants like Prosac which helped for awhile. Now I don't take any medication for depression but anxiety is high in other ways, like trouble sleeping. Other than that I function fine but have to take something at times to get some consecutive hrs of sleep.
I worked for years with others after leaving and was good at it. My world caved in on me around year 2000. I don't doubt the trade center thing triggered some TF endtime scenario fear.
Anyway, here is the question:
Is this something people may have to deal with for the rest of their lives, getting better over a long long period of time, or are there ways to shorten hell and have a better quality of life?
I do have a better emotional quality of life though my physical is far from peachy.
I know that second generation dealt with so much more when in the Family but I have also noticed when I read the boards that there are people that are pretty disturbed years and years after getting out.
I don't say that to put anyone down, I just mean from what is written at times, it seems some are struggling quite a bit.