Meditation for Bipolar Disorder - Does It Work?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) and meditation have gone mainstream in recent years. But can these practices be helpful in the treatment of a condition as complex as Bipolar Disorder II?
“Heavens Gate: Cult of Cults” - A Jehovah’s Witness Viewer Response
I used to avoid documentaries about cult-like groups. But as a newly awakening Physically-In-Mentally-Out (PIMO) JW, I gobbled up HBO’s 4-episode documentary in one blissfully bingeful Sunday afternoon.
“A Captive Organization” - The Life of a PIMO Jehovah’s Witness
Because of my upbringing and active membership as one of JWs, the dialogue between Mr. Stewart and Geoffrey Jackson (made available on YouTube) was my first exposure to this unique identifier of WTS. Stewart’s use of “captive organization” was fresh and arresting, bypassing the well-oiled psychological defenses and synaptic potentiation of my cultural theology.
Frankly, it set me back.
Darkspilver & The Necessity of Anonymity - Why I Write Under a Pseudonym
The antagonistic stance of the Watch Tower legal team in Darkspilver’s case sheds light on my decision to withhold my identity.
1914 & Betrayal — Understanding Religious Trauma Syndrome in Jehovah’s Witnesses
Anger, rage, and enormous betrayal are common experiences for a Jehovah's Witnesses suffering from Religious Trauma Syndrome
The Triple-Facetted Stigma of LGBTQ+ Jehovah’s Witnesses
The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book A Voice From Inside - Notes On Religious Trauma In a Captive Organization regarding the sexual repression of LGBTQ Jehovah's Witnesses.
What Makes Someone Religious? — An Analysis of Recent Research in Religiosity & Personality
Is there correlation between the Big Five personality traits and religiosity? The answer is not so simple.
Jehovah’s Witnesses Don’t Have to Shun Their Ex-Member Relatives Anymore — But None of Them Know It
The policy of disfellowshipping within the Jehovah’s Witness community has been deescalated. If you hadn’t heard, don’t worry. You are not alone.
How Analyzing ISIS’s Recruitment Tactics Helped Liberate Me from Psychological Captivity
As my cognition bifurcated away from the infantile spiritual fantasies of my religious upbringing, I saw more and more connections between the culture and theology of Jehovah’s Witnesses and that of my Muslim neighbors
The Bifurcation of Thought — Darwin, Csikszentmihalyi, & Lao Tzu
Bifurcation of thought as a reparative journey for the conditioned mind.
George A. Kelly’s Constructive Alternativism — An Application to Religious & Ideological Radicalism
Find out how George A. Kelly's theory of constructive alternativism helps us understand the thinking of radicalized groups.
The Spectrum of Conformity & Obedience — From Cults to Cocktail Parties
Conformity and obedience were the focus of much early research in the burgeoning field of social psychology. But social conformity and obedience have a darker side.
Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development — They Don’t Always Happen in Order
Erik Erikson’s framework is well-respected in the behavioral science community. It’s profound. But there are some gaps.
Moral Injury PTSD — A Brief Discussion of The History & Treatment of Ethical Trauma
Although much is yet to be learned about the science of human morality, researchers have discovered that a perceived violation of moral tenets can result in psychological trauma. This psychological phenomenon is referred to as Moral Injury PTSD.