religioustraumasyndrome

Dr. Marlene Winell is a licensed psychologist, educator, and writer in western Massachusetts. Her background includes 30 years of experience in human services, in both community and academic settings. She holds a doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University and is the author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving their Religion. Dr. Winell directs the organization, Journey Free, with services for recovery from harmful religion. In 2011, she named "Religious Trauma Syndrome." Marlene is also a filmmaker, photographer, mother, and grandmother.

Marlene’s book: Leaving the Fold. A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion.

For what Jennifer read in the introduction about Religious Trauma Syndrome

For more on the Helping Professionals Group
For more about the Journey Free June Retreats

Our podcast features a beautiful song by Jaia Suri called, “Leaving the Cult”. Subscribe to Jaia Suri on Spotify and access the song here.

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Jennifer is a cult and religious recovery counselor. She is certified in a specialized approach working with survivors that is research based and rooted in the work of Dr. Gillie Jenkinson. She has a Masters in the Psychology of Coercive Control and functions as an expert witness in such cases. Jennifer is also a research associate at Salford University.  For more information, please visit her website, Jennifer-French.com.

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If you would like to be on the Project Hope Podcast or have any inquiries regarding the show, please email, projecthopepodcast@jennifer-french.com.

For some, religion serves as a community, a place of support. It can serve as a common identity shared among family members or a set of beliefs one has held since childhood that governs their lives. 

For others, religion is a source of pain and shame, a place they feel shunned and unwelcome or even unsafe. Religious trauma syndrome (RTS) is a set of symptoms and characteristics that tend to go together and which are related to harmful experiences with religion.

In this episode Robin explores the fundamental causes and effects of Religious Trauma Syndrome

Leaving The Fold by Dr Marlene Winell affiliate link https://amzn.to/3ku1jIv
Breaking Their Will by Janet Heimlich affiliate link https://amzn.to/3xJAgwx

By my book Losing The Faith: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Faith-Robin-Jackson-ebook/dp/B005AHSJZQ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Losing+the+faith+Robin+jackson&qid=1626627822&sr=8-2

Buy my Book Cults: How They Workhttps://www.amazon.com/Cults-They-Work-Robin-Jackson/dp/0620423579/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Cults+how+they+work+Robin+jackson&qid=1626627973&sr=8-1

#JehovahsWitnesses #ReligiousTraumaSyndrome #Mentalhealth

Debbie is the first parent and family member with a loved one in a group of high demand, that I’ve had the opportunity to interview on the Project Hope Podcast. Debbie is not just a mother but also served as a United Methodist minister for 40 years. She is currently retired and lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband John. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading to children through the SMART reading program, as well as making quilts to give away. She is in the process of planning, together with John, as they build a net-zero house in Bend. It was such a pleasure to speak with Debbie and receive her story around the heartache and considerations that a parent specifically can experience when their child is in a group of high control / high demand. If you would like to hear her son, Joel Pitney speak to his experience, please refer to episode 11. Especially for those family members and friends with loved ones close to you heart who are in such groups, I hope you find that our discussion leaves you feeling not so alone. 

The below article that is an interview that Joel conducted with Debbie. I believe it will provide further context to Debbie as it includes some references to how she has been a trailblazer in her own right. 

https://religiondispatches.org/of-god-but-not-god-a-methodist-minister-speaks-about-churchs-refusal-to-open-its-doors-to-lgbt/

Jennifer is a mental health counselor located in the Los Angeles area, using Internal Family Systems (IFS) as the primary modality of psychotherapy that she uses with clients. Jennifer will graduate with her second Masters degree in 2021 in the Psychology of Coercive Control. She works both across the US and internationally with those seeking insight and healing. For more information, please visit her website, Jennifer-French.com.

Follow Jennifer on social media at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifermonica.holcomb
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.french.jfh/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr6Ufd0I7My6dumbTpQwn8A/playlists

If you would like to be on the Project Hope Podcast or have any inquiries regarding the show, please email, projecthopepodcast@jennifer-french.com.

To check out Pure Haven: https://purehaven.com/jenniferfrench