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andrea_is_completely_fine's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
honeygirly211's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not exaggerating when I say this book is life changing.
Obviously this is not a book for everyone, but rather a guide for those, like me, who are trying to rediscover what their life looks like without Fundamentalism. This book is my guru, moving me through the different stages of realization, acceptance, and healing that are necessary when working through any kind of trauma.
This book took me well over 2 months to read, a snails pace when I'm usually through a book a week. It demands that you take your time as you see how the experiences and examples that Winell offers are mirrored in your own life. I've already begun to work through many of the suggested exercises, my favorites being the guided visualizations, and have a file full of emotional journal entries from my work. But I think what I love especially is the resources she provides. I have so much more reading to explore, so many more exercises to try, so much healing left to embrace.
This is a book I'll be coming back to again and again, like a trusty reference guide for healing from Religious Trauma Syndrome. I highly recommend to any person who feels they were defined by their religion in a negative way and are trying to break free.
Obviously this is not a book for everyone, but rather a guide for those, like me, who are trying to rediscover what their life looks like without Fundamentalism. This book is my guru, moving me through the different stages of realization, acceptance, and healing that are necessary when working through any kind of trauma.
This book took me well over 2 months to read, a snails pace when I'm usually through a book a week. It demands that you take your time as you see how the experiences and examples that Winell offers are mirrored in your own life. I've already begun to work through many of the suggested exercises, my favorites being the guided visualizations, and have a file full of emotional journal entries from my work. But I think what I love especially is the resources she provides. I have so much more reading to explore, so many more exercises to try, so much healing left to embrace.
This is a book I'll be coming back to again and again, like a trusty reference guide for healing from Religious Trauma Syndrome. I highly recommend to any person who feels they were defined by their religion in a negative way and are trying to break free.
amandakitz's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent guide for former fundamentalists or members of Christian cults and cult-like groups, or even just deconstructing exChristians, to process the psychic and emotional damage of being in a controlling religion.
Winell uses thorough research, personal experience, and clinical experience expertly woven together to create a piercing account of the ways folks leaving Christianity have to heal their sense of self, their inner child, and develop a healthier mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical existence in the world. I have never seen such a thorough account of all the aspects of a person that Christianity impacts or so thorough a map to healing.
I wish I had known about this book when I was in the depth of my unraveling. Even after years of therapy from someone who specializes in religious trauma, I still found many of the insights and exercises extremely helpful and meaningful. I'd recommend it to anyone who is leaving or who has left the church in any of its forms, from most controlling to least.
Winell uses thorough research, personal experience, and clinical experience expertly woven together to create a piercing account of the ways folks leaving Christianity have to heal their sense of self, their inner child, and develop a healthier mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical existence in the world. I have never seen such a thorough account of all the aspects of a person that Christianity impacts or so thorough a map to healing.
I wish I had known about this book when I was in the depth of my unraveling. Even after years of therapy from someone who specializes in religious trauma, I still found many of the insights and exercises extremely helpful and meaningful. I'd recommend it to anyone who is leaving or who has left the church in any of its forms, from most controlling to least.
knitmonstera's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
The best, the worst.
reasonpassion's review against another edition
5.0
There are ways in which this could be looked at as a self-help book, but that would be missing the scope of the problem being addressed. From within religious fundamentalism there is not merely a loss of self but the systematic destruction of the ability to think and feel authentically in a lived-in reality. Being taught to doubt and identify as evil every human aspect of one's existence does not support the ability later to seek self-help. What Winell endeavors to do here is rather a process for laying the foundation of a new life, one that will allow for self-help even as it encourages a new way to look at social connections and one's own relationship to body, mind and emotions. Truly a great beginning to what is a life-time journey.
bellahellebore's review against another edition
5.0
Really, really helpful, I didn’t know I needed help in this area until I stumbled across someone talking about religious trauma on YouTube.
Wow I was really indoctrinated and even though I never really even believed, the guilt I carried because I couldn’t has weighed on me my whole life. This book helped me unpack and sort through a lot of feelings of guilt and shame that I never could understand or logic my way out of.
I will say that I couldn’t bring myself to get behind a lot of the inner child activities, I understand it and will work on re-parenting myself and nurturing the child in me who was neglected, but for example- I will not be buying a doll to represent myself and take around with me ☺️
Wow I was really indoctrinated and even though I never really even believed, the guilt I carried because I couldn’t has weighed on me my whole life. This book helped me unpack and sort through a lot of feelings of guilt and shame that I never could understand or logic my way out of.
I will say that I couldn’t bring myself to get behind a lot of the inner child activities, I understand it and will work on re-parenting myself and nurturing the child in me who was neglected, but for example- I will not be buying a doll to represent myself and take around with me ☺️
melw18's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the first part of this book. The second and third parts were not very applicable to me as I’ve already worked through leaving religion but would probably be more helpful to those still newly going through it. Overall contains good information.
girljames's review against another edition
3.0
I LURVED the first third or so of this and skimmed over the rest, which probably I could have used more ten years ago. The author totally nails some things about fundamentalist religion that I had recognised but not known how to articulate - or in some cases, that I had articulated but had everyone around me respond as if no-one had ever thought like me before. Lots (a kind of overwhelming amount) of exercises to help the reader sort out their thoughts. I really appreciated the inner child exercises as that's a model of therapy/personal growth that works for me. There's something kind of folksy white America about the style, but I could look past it for the most part.
fernbomb's review against another edition
4.75
I’ve been deconverted for years, but nonetheless, this book was a timely guide to deconstructing the residue of christianity and the trauma I had been holding.
The author encourages living life after deconstruction from a bit of an individualistic (Western) perspective, with a focus on self achievement and goal setting, but tbh, that’s to be expected and really only stressed in the last few chapters.
The book was written in 1993, and because of that there are a few moments where the author uses outdated terminology (I noticed it in regards to trans people and Asian people).
The author encourages living life after deconstruction from a bit of an individualistic (Western) perspective, with a focus on self achievement and goal setting, but tbh, that’s to be expected and really only stressed in the last few chapters.
The book was written in 1993, and because of that there are a few moments where the author uses outdated terminology (I noticed it in regards to trans people and Asian people).