How Jehovah’s Witnesses Psychologically Tortured Me for 30 Years

Bethany Leger was raised in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, only to realize she had been part of a cult for thirty years. The psychological pressure cooker exploded in her 20s with quickly deteriorating mental health. The faux perfectionism drove her into an eating d*sorder as a means to gain any form of control over her life. When she could no longer pretend anymore, questioning authority and pursuing her personal freedom cost her, her devout family.  She now has a YouTube channel where she discusses the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ h*rmful policies. Click here to watch on YouTube Find Bethany on social media: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/bethanyleger website: www.bethanyleger.com YT: https://www.youtube.com/@stoptheshunning IG: https://www.instagram.com/bethanylegerwriter Bethany’s book: Physically In, Mentally Out: Navigating Your Exit From Watchtower The best way to reach her is via email: [email protected] Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness  Host Instagram @sheliseann  Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_  TikTok @cults.to.consciousness  Twitter @cultstocon  **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.** Chapter Marks: 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:25 Defining the Jehovah's Witness religion as a cult-like group 00:06:02 What Bethany's family was like growing up 00:11:08 Core beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses 00:15:23 Bethany's gut feelings about the church and the obligation to fulfill duties 00:23:20 CW: ED Developing h*rmful behaviors and realizing how being a JW makes Bethany really feel 00:25:21 CW: ED Bethany's experience in high school that led her to evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses 00:38:45 What Bethany's mom did to keep her in the religion 00:41:16 Bethany's parents' conflicting values and where that confusion ultimately led her 00:46:26 How self policing kept Bethany as a Jehovah's Witness after high school 00:49:30 The tension in Bethany reaches a breaking point CW: su*cid*l ideation 00:51:54 The last time Bethany stepped foot in a Kingdom Hall 00:58:29 The moment that changed Bethany's perspective forever 01:02:02 CW: SA Jehovah's Witness SA cases in Australia 01:03:12 CW: SA The two witness rule and how it allows rampant ab*se to fester for years 01:06:10 Barbara Anderson's story 01:13:59 New changes to how shunning works 01:19:09 How Bethany is doing now 01:22:51 Linda, listen See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.