An affirmation for you:

To stay positive, I use affirmations on a daily basis. Many of the challenges in life I write about, I overcame by meeting them with an optimistic attitude.


An affirmation:

"I send loving thoughts to my body for its unselfish service to me."

Sent from my iPhone

Abundance and gratitude

Today, I slowdown . . . I ask to be made aware of all the abundance in my life. And with humility of heart, I express my deep, heartfelt gratitude.

12 steppers becoming SBNR in new ways

We are never alone as we find our way under Divine care and protection. Many 12 steppers are finding their way in a changing world. 

http://www.substance.com/letting-go-of-god-how-12-step-programs-are-losing-their-religion/14155/

Sent from my iPhone

The way I spend some nights

Working on my new book, A Brand New Day: My Story of Success and Sanity
S L Brannon


Here I am hammering away at the manuscript while others are sleeping.

When I'm writing it seems like time stands still. All my thoughts slow down, my focus intensifies.

An affirmation

An affirmation:

"I comfortably abide in uncertainty and enjoy its infinite possibilities."

Sent from my iPhone

12 ways to stay positive and a negative world

I found this article very meaningful for me. I believe it takes a lot of effort today, for most of us, to stay positive in a negative world. These are some lighthearted points on how to do just that.

12 Steps To Stay Positive In A Negative World

BY DR. JOEL KAHN 

OCTOBER 8, 2014

This weekend we celebrated the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. One of the clergy scheduled an hour-long healing session sandwiched between the full day of prayers on this fast day. Fifty people showed up, some willing to share the pain they were feeling from recent diagnoses of cancer, loss of loved ones, or family traumas, and others remained silent.

When it was my turn, I brought up the challenge I felt trying to stay positive in a negative world. Cruelty, brutality and insecurity seem to me more palpable than in the past, perhaps due to 24/7 connectivity with reports of wars, tragedies and beheadings. I described steps I use to emphasize the positive during the day while still being grounded in the events occurring in the world.

Here are 12 of the techniques I use to maintain a positive outlook when the world seems so incredibly negative:

1. Control the amount of negative news in my life.

While I want to stay up on the events occurring in the world, sometimes a headline is sufficient to grasp new developments. I limit the time I spend with TV, radio and Internet, selecting only a few stories to read in full.

2. Control the number of negative people in your life.

I spend most of my days talking to patients about their problems, and some days are filled with more uplifting reports than others. However, I can select how much time I spend with relatives and friends that dwell on the negative. As painful as it may be at times, my calendar may not open to those who consistently drag me down.

3. Listen to music.

I find positive music playing in the car, my home and at work to be a great source of uplifting spirit. One of the most positive collections of music is what I have found in Kundalini yoga. I can feel bountiful, beautiful and blissful with just a few clicks of my phone.

4. Meditate.

I choose to practice a Kirtan Kriya as taught by Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, since it takes 12 minutes with a mantra and mudras that are simple. I often do this in the sauna, something I call saunitation, as it seems to clean out the junk in my brain.

5. Live consciously.

Awareness of my breath, the origin and nutrition of my food while eating, a blue sky, a purple flower, a bird's song all can draw me into a feeling of gratitude for the moment that overcomes forces that can drag me down.

6. Practice gratitude.

Appreciating people for anything they may do to help during my day is always my goal, some days more successfully practiced than others. Helping others, holding a door, buying a surprise coffee for someone behind me in line (I call it random acts of caffeine), or letting someone merge into an intersection can be uplifting.

7. Pray.

In my faith there are a couple prayers that are recited on awakening. A simple two-phrase prayer expresses thanks for the return of the spirit to the body after a night's rest. Another prayer is odd, but one of my favorites: a prayer written over 1000 years ago to be recited after urinating or defecating to acknowledge that the body is still performing its daily miracle. Although an odd blessing, when I care for patients with bowel and bladder illness, I appreciate both how grounded this moment of reflection is.

8. Read positive books and interviews.

I've read my share of Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins, Og Mangino, and Louise Hay but going back to them every now and then is a positive moment. Also, I select TED talks that describe new innovations, survivors of challenges, and insights into nature and feel better after viewing them.

9. Give hugs.

I love hugging others and, if my patients permit, I hug and scratch backs on most visits, which brings out huge smiles. I can just watch the stress of others diminish and my own stress decrease.

10. Disconnect.

My phone is my pager, my social media, my calendar, and my tether 24/7. The smartphone is a wonder of technology that is on my waist, in my hand, or with me in the car. Some sacred time requires that it be shut off, whether it's one day a week as many religions mandate, an hour in the yoga room, or while meditating. I work to keep my phone and my brain far apart using speakerphone, Bluetooth or headsets.

11. Laugh.

Years ago, author Norman Cousins demonstrated the healing power of comedy on the course of ill patients and humor can play a healing role today as well. I often end my day with a few minutes of comedy that I have recorded on the DVR. I put the days' worries behind, enjoy a few belly laughs, and think positively about the coming day.

12. Connect with animals.

My medical work day ends when I walk in my home and see two tails wagging with joy for the fact that I've returned. I have to lie down right then, whether in a suit or scrubs, to let Jake and Eva lick my face over and over. I doubt there's a better therapy after a long day, and I'm sure many of you feel that the love from a pet can counter so much negativity.

My wife and I have joked for years about moving to an isolated island where life is simple. Decades later, careers, children, and goals have kept us from fantasy. The Dalai Lama was quoted as saying, "When we meet real tragedy in life we can react in two ways, either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits or by using the challenge to find our inner strength."

www.DBSATennessee.org

Sent from my iPad

An affirmation . . .

An affirmation:

"I choose peace, allowing worry and upset to pass on by."

An affirmation

An affirmation:

I am committed to be who and what I am for I am created in wisdom and goodness.

Sent from my iPhone

An affirmation . . .

"I am filled with strength and vitality - success fills my day and my future is bright."

Sent from my iPhone

Yvonne Perry -- author of books that inspire and transform

Yvonne Perry, a good friend and author of many inspiring books, celebrated her birthday this week!! My life is the better for her being in the world. I want to post the review I spontaneously wrote upon reading her last book to land in my lap. If you pick up one of her books, I encourage you to open your mind and to prepare for a mind expanding experience - prepare to experience another world of mystery. 

My review:

  Yvonne Perry's latest book, Light Language Emerging

        Humanity attempts to settle on an answer to the question of "reality".  Philosophy and religion attempt to encapsulate thoughts on the matter into an idea, the oldest idea known to man: That being is one, identical with God the Creator. In every age and in every corner of the world that idea is rediscovered. Humanity finds that idea fulfilling. And humankind can rest comfortably on the fact that it will never perish. Assuredly, nothing will ever finally replace it in the collective consciousness. There remains only the problem of communication: A language is needed to communicate in an "all being as one reality". Thus, Yvonne Perry's Light Language Emerging beacons and fires the imagination with sounds, movements, and images that arouse joy, exhilaration, and the anticipation of a new day on the earth.

  

        Perry speaks to the possible human experience with fresh, new words and images that render imaginings fitting to the present moment in evolution. Light Language Emerging is captivating and nearly impossible to put it down, hypnotically leading into an immediate second reading. While the Church limits light language to church services and prayers, without reservation, Perry blows the doors off that stifling prison of thoughts about its purpose and potential by using varied candid stories of speaking, signing, drawing, and dancing in light language. In so doing, she catapults readers into a world of galactic portals and dimensions where communication does not necessarily depend on reason, understanding, and context. Simultaneously, Perry plants readers into deep communication with the unknown world of infinite mystery while appealing to all the senses, both spiritual and physical. I conclude light language can lead to personal discovery and an entirely new human experience for many individuals.

 S. L. Brannon

 Author of The Two Agreements: A Good News Story for Our Time

An affirmation

An affirmation:

Everything I need to know I will know in the perfect time and space sequence. 

Sent from my iPhone

Divine order

An affirmation:

"I turn my life over to Divine order and all is well."

Fear . . .

The spirit of love in us is greater than any fear imaginable. I desire a life of love. A life that I touch in my times in Silence and Stillness.

Sent from my iPhone

Want an affirmation on Grace?

An affirmation:

"My every thought and act are covered by grace – no worries."

An affirmation:

An affirmation:

"I am the person of my heartfelt desires today."

Where did all those DOs & DON'Ts come from?

about the Holy Spirit and the Church 

As this reinterpretation emerged, it became, and remains, a mystery of what was missing from Jesus‘ first words as He left the empty tomb (John 20:22) It is truly amazing that He simply charged everyone to receive the Holy Spirit, and be open and receptive to Its gifts for them. Did He choose to lay out specific, undeniable instructions on how to have church? No. Did He indicate specifically what doctrines to teach? No. What about all of the dos and don'ts that crept into the modern church, did He indicate their necessity to live righteously? No, He did not do that! He did not give them any warnings about what to be sure not to do. 

Obviously, He knew all that one  

needs is to receive daily from Spirit—this must be the most important message for humanity. That message leaves the Holy Spirit as the new personal Master Teacher of the spiritual life—not the church and not some doctrine or set of rules and regulations. Thus, the Holy Spirit took its  rightful place of power on the Earth. 

In His glorified body, Jesus visited and sat with those who loved Him and cherished His words (Luke 24:36-49, Mark 16). As they sat in amazement and wonder of the resurrected Son of God, Jesus tells them to receive the Holy Ghost and that the sins of those that they forgive are forgiven, and those that they do not forgive, their sins are not forgiven. Jesus gave common man the power to forgive sins through the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

No longer did God solely hold the power to forgive sin. However, the power that they were to receive brought an amazing ability for them to escape death to live free of the world. The Holy Spirit was to be their Comforter, Healer, Teacher, Counselor, and the Giver of the gifts of Spirit. 

I have my own truth, you do also

"Each of us has our own truth. If your truth is like mine, it is malleable, rather than fixed in stone. My truth changes asdownloads and new revelations are given to me either in my dream state, after speaking, signing, or writing in language, or through my daily experiences. Our collective consciousness is changing as our beliefs, thoughts, and patterns are transforming to allow the body to shift out of its dense state and embody more of our higher or divine self. I would not want to be stuck in one belief system or be bound to what I believed yesterday. It is this kind of openness that allows us to make changes and progress in our personal ascension. Therefore, what you have read in some of my previous books may be different from what you read in this book."

Excerpt from:

Light Language Emerging

Author, Yvonne Perry

        My beliefs are much the same as Yvonne's. I believe what I choose to believe. That is my truth, no material where I got my building materials. I own it. My truth is peculiar to me. Also, I change these beliefs as Spirit presents new knowledge to me.

What is truth for me today will not be truth for me tomorrow.

Love me or else. Signed, God

I was told that people must love God or else, meaning be tortured by fire. Now, I believe that that "love relationship" is sick! Genuine love can not be possible under coersion. Come on, we must stop and think before buying into such proposals.

We must decide if we will continue to let ourselves be made to feel guilty and afraid because someone who knows nothing about us tells us we are not a "saved" or spiritual person. Having the kingdom of God within us, grace reigns. We can choose to live in a world-changing new relationship—a new covenant—with God. For humankind there is no greater religion than seeking the truth.

<a href="http://www.dbsatennessee.org/3/post/2014/05/love-me-or-else-signed-god.html">Sit down!</a>

My Understanding Family Lets Me Be Me

> "MY UNDERSTANDING FAMILY LETS ME BE ME"
> Every culture in the world has certain norms that govern everything from personal relationships to religious practices and political views. These norms shift depending on the times and places in which we live; however we are always expected to conform to them. Those who do not often find themselves subject to a painful, even paralyzing, stigma.
> There are two of these nonconforming groups who I have found to be particularly stigmatized: those suffering from mental illness and those who consider themselves "Spiritual But Not Religious" (SBNR). I know about both of these by personal experience. I am a person who lives with depression and lives a spiritual life unattached from organized religion. Despite the fact that a growing number, nearly 20%, of Americans are identifying themselves as SBNR, they are consistently branded as heretics and "non-believers".
> How can this be? Religious texts and leaders proclaim that God/Source/the Creator loves us all unconditionally, yet it seems that this message is often followed up with—you guessed it—conditions! We either don't believe enough or the right way, and that's why we're not getting what we want in this life and why we won't end up in heaven in the next.
> The real issue, I contend, is the continued practice of viewing those who differ from us as "other". It's an exclusivity game—we belong, you don't. Christ's mission on earth was to help us understand that we are all of the same Source energy. We are all loved just as we are, and all entitled to heaven, just as we are. Yet (and I am not pointing the finger at anyone in particular), instead of embracing people across the spectrum of spiritual beliefs, we allow norms to divide us. On the largest scale, this leads to conflicts between the world's three major religions; on a smaller scale, it leads to the stigmatization of people who do not follow the rules.
> We must push back against stigmas—that is a given. In the meantime, however, we also must seek out and cultivate what I call the "understanding family". This is a group of people who accept, love and support us no matter what. It can be the family we are born into or the one we make for ourselves, but they are critical to our mental, spiritual and even physical wellbeing.
> Many of us take this support system for granted, especially when our lives are going well. It consists of our spouses, parents, friends or religious community. However, it is when we suddenly find ourselves on the fringes of society that we must sometimes seek out a new family built on common interests or struggles. They are the people who will let us know that we are not alone. They are often our only refuge from the world at large. Most importantly, they are the ones who will help us combat the most damaging stigma of all—the one we assign to ourselves.
>
>
> Sent from my iPad

What am I doing here?

What am I doing here?

Such a strange question, when you think about it. After all, we were born "here", raised "here" and taught to desire all the things that "here" can offer, whether they be material things, such as a new car, or the intangibles, such as romantic love. So why do we feel this odd sense that we are here for a greater reason, and often clueless as to what that reason is? I believe it is the knowledge, no matter how deeply buried (or ignored), that are true selves are spiritual and that our true home is somewhere other than this three-dimensional plane.

While those who consciously ask the question often feel tortured by their seeming inability to find an answer, those who do not ask the question may suffer even more deeply. They feel a hole inside them but cannot put a name to it; as a result, they often fill it with it unhealthy things like drugs, alcohol or toxic relationships. Of course, these things only leave them feeling emptier, so they up the "dosage", and so on.

The "why am I here" question weighs on us most when we are feeling lost or facing some sort of adversity. Then the question becomes, "What is the purpose of all this struggling? Why am I even here if x, y, and z is going to happen to me?" But really, we just want to know what we can do to make the struggle meaningful.

The answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Complex, because each of us has different needs, desires,
and abilities, as well as our own unique part to play in this human mosaic. Simple, because all of us can find this purpose by connecting to something larger than ourselves, such as God or nature, and / or outside ourselves, such as another person or a humanitarian cause. In The Two Agreements, I discuss how Jesus' purpose was to share the
Good News and bring people together around an understanding of our oneness with God and with each other.

Similarly, it is by finding our connection to Source, and to each other, that we find our own way to serve. In other words, we have to go within to go without. Take a few minutes each day to clear your mind of the "to do" list and any other chatter that plagues you. Then, in the quiet, ask yourself, "What matters to me? What am I passionate about? How can I make 'here' a better place?" I am not suggesting that the meaning of your life will come to you in
that moment (although it has for some people), but I can tell you that taking these first steps on the path will lead to a sense of connection, and of purpose.

Steve Brannon among the national Chapter Service Award Winners!

                                           DBSA Tennessee

Hello,

I'm sharing the news of my being among national Award Winners for accomplishments over the past year. It has been a pleasure to serve as State Director and local chapter President. And I consider it an honor to be recognized by DBSA national.

I appreciate all the wonderful support I was given by my fellow officers, Board members, and the chapter membership throughout the year. You may view the announcement on the national web site at http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=peer_chapter_spotlights 

File attachment included.

Steve Brannon, B.A., M.Ed., D.Div.

State Director

DBSA Tennessee

sbrannon@dbsatennessee.org

www.DBSATennessee.org

 

Being all-inclusive IS being Christ-like

Being all-inclusive IS being Christ-like

In any given year, more than 25% of Americans are diagnosed with some form of mental illness. And of that number, 25% seek help from their church before anyone else, including psychiatrists or other medical/mental health professionals. Yet despite the clergy members' role to provide guidance for the 

"members of their flock", research shows that they refer less than 10% of those with serious mental illness to a professional that can help them. Unfortunately, this issue is only one symptom of a larger "sickness" affecting organized religion. 

I have written at length about the history of the Christian church, specifically that it is an institution

created by man, rather than by Christ. Indeed, much of The Two Agreements discusses Christ's true

intention when he called people together to reconnect with Source. As always, I qualify this by saying that, regardless of their origins, churches have done much good for the world. On the other hand, they do discriminate and show prejudice toward the less fortunate, including the mentally ill. As they believe

in separation between humanity and the Creator, they also believe in such a hierarchy among humans.

And like many other organizations seeking to maintain a positive public image, they want only the 

beautiful, contributing, and successful people in their congregations. This is not a new story. These same

churches proclaim that imitating Christ is a person's most important pursuit; yet, just as those in Christ's

day criticized Him for healing lepers and "consorting" with prostitutes, modern churches seek to exclude

and/or marginalize those suffering from mental illness. In fact, many people are afraid to even let their

clergy or fellow congregants know about their mental illness because of the church's view on such 

matter. "Christianity puts us at war with our own body and mind, and teaches us not to question church 

doctrine for fear of losing favor with God. To question church authority as it presently exists brings up 

fear of heresy." 

The only way to change this is for each of us to truly follow Christ's teachings; namely by adopting a personal faith system that is all-inclusive, regardless of one's physical, mental, or societal "shortcomings". Nothing less will work for us individually, or for society at large.

the two agree fb pg http://bit.ly/the2agree   S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site

http://bot.ly/1kEBzlZ

Sent from my iPad

You don't need a label to be spiritual

Saint? Sinner? Christian? Muslim? You will be called many things in life but you are none of the things that you are called.  The labels, the words, the names that people attach to us are only a description of something about you and often an incomplete or inaccurate one.  The fish is more than the net it is caught in.  The rainbow is more than the colors within it.  You are beyond capture, beyond word, beyond phrase.

Protestant? Catholic? Churched? Unchurched? Too often we count ourselves as the boxes others try to place you in.  We waste our energy and passion in trying to find the best boxes.  We are not the collection of our parts, no matter how you describe or order those parts.  You are more.

In the reinterpretation we learn of the oneness of humanity with the unnamable One, the Divine. In life we can grow into that relationship with Divinity. Do not be limited by what you call yourself or what others call you.  Reach out, not to what "you are" but to what you can be.  Don't describe your journey by a spot in the road.  Life in spirit is not a place to be found, but a journey to undertake.  Have courage and know the capacity to travel that journey is within you no matter what limits, hardships, or hurdles the road may have. We are more than overcomers.

What's your purpose for being here?

Many friends of mine go about life everyday wondering what's their purpose in life. They suffer anxiety wondering if jobs, relationships, and goals are inline with or a distraction from their "true" purpose.

In The Two Agreements, I give a simple, clear practice -- enter the Stillness and enter the Silence as often and as long as one can. Then, Intuition provides guidance to a purposeful life. All one needs are "ears to hear".

quote:

“The purpose of a relationship is to decide what part of yourself you’d like to see ‘show up,’ not what part of another you can capture and hold. There can only be one purpose for relationships, and for all of life: to be and to decide who you really are."

Neale Donald Walsch -- Conversations with God

S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site

http://bit.ly/1kEBzlZ

At times religion struggles with its own story

Here is an article I came across and want to share. It includes comments by men I can appreciate for standing by their values. It is healthy for open discussions to happen surrounding religion and science. Of course, folk can enjoy religion without science, science without religion, and religion/science. The world is big enough for all belief systems.

Pat Robertson implores creationist Ken Ham to shut up: ‘Let’s not make a joke of ourselves’
By Scott Kaufman
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 12:19 EST

Pat Robertson responded to the recent debate between Young Earth creationist Ken Ham and Bill Nye, a.k.a. “The Science Guy,” by reiterating his disagreement with Ham’s form of creationism.

“Let’s face it,” Robertson said, “there was a Bishop [Ussher] who added up the dates listed in Genesis and he came up with the world had been around for 6,000 years.”

“There ain’t no way that’s possible,” he continued. “To say that it all came about in 6,000 years is just nonsense and I think it’s time we come off of that stuff and say this isn’t possible.”

“Let’s be real, let’s not make a joke of ourselves.”

“We’ve got to be realistic,” he concluded, and admit “that the dating of Bishop Ussher just doesn’t comport with anything that is found in science and you can’t just totally deny the geological formations that are out there.”

Last November, Robertson raised the ire of Young Earth Creationists when he made
similar statements. The hosts of “Creation Today,” Eric Hovind and Paul F. Taylor, attacked Robertson for claiming that dinosaurs could exist, because the world isn’t, in fact, only 6,000 years old.

“Pat Robertson is claiming, then, that 6,000 years comes from Ussher’s book and not the Bible,” Taylor said. “The point is, where did Ussher get his figure of 6,000 years?”

To Speak or not to Speak . . .

In regard to the church sign below:

The feelings of fear, shame, and guilt are the fuel and mind's prison of organized religion, as evidenced here. Another major tool of control is a "belief in lack", i.e. God does not have enough Grace to cover all souls, God's forgiveness is not immediately and all-at-once forgiving of all "sins" for all time, etc.

Those of us who know God to be The God Without Any Limits of Grace need to "find our voices" and speak up for the Grace we know to be true. Today, we are needed in preserving the freedom to believe as WE choose. 

To speak up or not to speak up is the question?  . . . we choose or we loose.

IBF Webinar: Cheryl Magrini, DBSA National Board Chair

Spirituality And A Wellness Based Lifestyle With Those Who Live With Bipolar Disorder

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 09:00 to 10:00

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.ED, MTS, Ph.D.

Why should we be talking about spirituality and mental illness? Many individuals understand the essence of what it means to be a human being through their spirituality, and I find that this is even more so for those who struggle, ones living purposeful life, and those who embrace their resiliency, all the while living with bipolar disorder. When living with a mental illness, it can be too easy to think one is weak, unworthy, deserves to be abandoned by "God– or a sacred source" or that the episode could have been controlled, or the individual healed of the behaviors of the mental illness if religious codes, or other sacred norms, were not violated. Is relying on the sacred – whether ultimate truth or transcendence – being strong or not being strong enough? At the center of these questions lies the way that an individual living with bipolar disorder defines their own spirituality, and there are persons who struggle with what this means at all. How then does spirituality inform and influence decisions and specific wellness practices? With spirituality being a central point of living with purpose, meaning, and resiliency, how and when is this integrated into the therapeutic treatment? These questions on spirituality and wellness were asked of twenty-two individuals in a one hour interview. Out of these interviews, through common themes and evaluating the differences as well, five insights have been identified that will be presented in the webinar, including quotes and comments from the individuals in the interviews. This research leads to additional questions to explore.

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.Ed, MTS, Ph.D.​ is a United Methodist clergy, serving the Chicago metro area since 1998, currently with the First United Methodist Church in Chicago, an urban and diverse church. Cheryl publishes, researches, and speaks nationally in the religious education and congregational change fields; and since 2011 specializes in consulting with faith communities to develop comprehensive mental health programs in partnership with community resources. Her current research on resiliency is an extension of her spirituality and wellness study. The resiliency research focuses on identifying resilient qualities, how these can be developed, and the ways that individuals living with bipolar disorder draw on and rely upon resiliency to live with purpose, meaning, power, and strength. Individuals share their personal story of resiliency as the basis of the research. Cheryl is chair, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council, on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council and President of the DBSA Chicago Loop Chapter.

Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/299258710 

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

- See more at: http://www.ibpf.org/event/spirituality-and-wellness-based-lifestyle-those-who-live-bipolar-disorder#sthash.4fM898CK.dpuf

Sent from my iPad

When you do it to the least of these . . .

Amy Simpson asks some serious questions in her blog. My work in helping to improve the lives of people living with mental illness placed me in a position to know the answers to her questions. The BOTTOMLINE is: Faith communities can treat consumers like other congregants. And when consumers need a bit of help they can make that happen.  " when you do for the less fortunate . . ."

"Spiritual experiences, promises of peace and joy, opportunities for community and for communion with God…these elements of church life are understandably attractive to many people with mental illness. Churches have a special responsibility to recognize this and respond intentionally.

-      Do you make people with mental disorders feel unwelcome? ignore them and focus on the more attractive new people who walk through your doors, hoping they’ll go away and other churches will meet their needs?

-      In sermons, Bible studies, and classes, do you send the false message that Christians should not expect trouble, pain, or sickness? that happy, comfortable, and “victorious” life is the norm?

-      When was the last time mental illness was mentioned in a sermon, in a way that normalized it?

-      Does your community expect people to have it all together when they walk through the doors?

-      Do you expect people to be “cured” before finding a place to serve?

None of us will ever be whole this side of heaven—and many people with mental illness suffer from chronic and repetitive symptoms that can be managed but not technically cured. These conditions do not cancel God’s purposes for them. They do not disqualify people from a place in the body of Christ. Just as much as other ill or injured people, they deserve loving acceptance, clear and consistent boundaries, and grace."

Does your church inadvertently hurt people with mental illness? Guest blogger Amy Simpson
Posted on May 5, 2013 by drgrcevich
Editor’s note: Our  Key Ministry staff and volunteer team is pleased to extend our congratulations to Amy Simpson upon her recognition as a winner of of one of Christianity Today’s 2014 Book Awards for Troubled Minds: Mental Health and the Church’s Mission. 

As Natural as Breathing

AS NATURAL AS BREATHING

Many people who believe in the “spiritual but not religious” path—myself included—are often considered “anti-religion”.   This is the furthest thing from the truth. I am forever thankful for the incredible work that Christian organizations do to ease human suffering. Each day, millions of people around the world are fed, clothed and taught by Christian churches, schools, and hospitals.  For centuries, Christians have made a positive difference, from healers like Mother Theresa and Padre Pio, to the individual who anonymously donates money to a poor family in their congregation. Furthermore, I still believe in church as a sacred place and would never do or say anything to belittle it. 

That said, it is also my belief that the “faith-built” churches of today are not a continuation of the original church begun by Christ.  Instead, over the past two millennia, man has created the Church in his image, rather than in God’s.  The result is that there are some 39,000 separate and different expressions of Christianity around the earth that claim to hold the Truth.  

In a rather straightforward manner, I state in Chapter 7 of The Two Agreements, “As evidenced by the history of all religions, mankind seems to compulsively work to complicate the spiritual life of living in harmony with God, a relating that is as natural as breathing.”  Indeed, the connecting to God has become so circuitous and convoluted as to be a life’s pursuit, instead of the place from which we live our lives. I am reminded of the story of the two cats.  One is turning in circles chasing its tail. The second cat asks him why he is doing such a thing. “I was told that happiness abides in the tip of one’s tail. And I desperately want happiness.” To which the second cat replies, “I have learned that as I peacefully go on my way that happiness is with me and follows me wherever I go.” And, certainly, we need not seek something we already possess.

Indeed, upon examining church history, we find that the original church was not a formal institution, but small groups of people meeting in each other’s homes to spread Christ’s messages. The purpose of these meetings was twofold:  first, to bring salvation to those who had been born under the first covenant with God and, secondly, to spread the story of Christ’s life and resurrection.   The Church of today, however, is something altogether different. Sadly, it has become a tool to measure our “worthiness”, even one’s worthiness to hold public office and serve society.

Please note, Christ did not give a list of rules and regulations for doing church the “right way” in order to prove that we believe deeply enough or in the right way. He simply told us to accept the Holy Spirit. Ironically, the man who was persecuted for saying, “I and my Father are the same” is now believed to have been the only one so connected to Source, when in fact we all are. Now we are the blasphemers if we make this claim. Too often, instead of being encouraged to live our lives with God, we are encouraged to give our lives over to institutions that run similarly to the government and any other bureaucracy.  These institutions are largely based on the premise that we are separate, not only from God, but from each other. Ultimately, that premise leads us into feelings of fear, guilt and shame, which make manipulation possible.

As evidenced by the thousands fleeing the Church each year, that premise is no longer working. I believe these folk are being called to be mystics—to directly plug into the Source instead of going through the “middle man” that the Church has become.  

. . . ALL things?

"All things work together for the good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose."

The Good Samaritan was not a Christian?

I once heard someone say, “Just because you don’t believe in God doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist.” Now, obviously, this person was talking to an atheist, and politely pointing out a perceived shortsightedness in his/her refusal to acknowledge the existence of a higher power.  As always, I must state that I am not maligning or supporting the atheist’s position; however, I will point out that religious folks often suffer from the same myopia. They feel that those who don’t believe in God, or in following an organized religion, are incapable of doing good works. As difficult as it is to believe, the atheist and that religious person have quite a bit in common, for neither of them understand that there is no way for any of us—regardless of our deeds or beliefs—to separate ourselves from the Creator. 

By way of example, I offer you the story of the Good Samaritan. The biblical story is so well-known that the term good Samaritan has become part of our every day vernacular and is even used in legal jargon.  We know the Samaritan was someone who helped others, not for personal gain, but out of a simple desire to do good. We rarely, if ever, ponder what religion he practiced, or whether he practiced any religion at all. In fact, the good Samaritan was not Jew; we know this because in those days a Jew would not touch anyone other than another Jew. The Samaritan was not a Christian either, because, as we know, there were no “Christians” at that time. From these two pieces of information, we can reasonably conclude that the Good Samaritan was simply a kind person—a Gnostic or a mystic, perhaps. His actions were not guided by religious dogma or an obligation that assured his place in Heaven; instead, he was operating on his inner guidance to help a fellow human being in a difficult situation—one of those “Spiritual But Not Religious” people I mentioned in my previous post. 

As I state in The Two Agreements: “By asking questions and engaging in an inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit you will receive deep, revealing insights into your personal world of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. In doing so, you will find rest from a belief system that has your body and mind as your own enemy.” 

Remember the challenge issued to us by Christ: “Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. Those who have eyes to see, let them see.”  Accepting this challenge is guaranteed to change your life, no matter what you believe, and I humbly invite you to do so, and follow the Samaritan’s example.  

Artwork by EllenWhite

Hey, our heros make the news!

News of our heros makes the front page of USA Today!

A large number of these men and women suffer from mental health challenges. They are our special brothers and sisters. Let's ask why they are without adequate treatment   

The world is my country,

All mankind are my brethren,

To do good is my religion. 

Sent from my iPhone

I AM . . .

My spiritual work is my message

Push Back Against Stigma
Steve Brannon
I identify myself as "spiritual but not religious". And one of my core beliefs is that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We enrich this experience by remembering/acknowledging/honoring our oneness with the Source and with each other. To do this, we must embrace our neighbor as an individual, regardless of their state of their physical or mental health, the size of their wallet, the "correctness" of their religious views. For the past ten years, my work as Founder and President of DBSA Jackson has focused on the "consumers" (individuals utilizing mental health services for depression and bipolar disorder), as well as their family and friends. Together, we have created a supportive "understanding family" comprised of a plurality of belief systems.
As "progressive" as we like to think we've become, there is still an enormous stigma attached to mental illness. We all have our problems and worries, and we all have coping mechanisms—some healthy, and some, not so much—that we use to deal with them. However, what about those among us that need help managing their mental health challenges? Faced with the very real prospect of rejection, they are silenced and cut off from the world. Unfortunately, many religious institutions reflect this societal view, and this has only further isolated those dealing with mood disorders.
Mother Teresa did not shy away from those facing challenges. On the contrary, she gravitated not to the pillars of society, but to those considered less fortunate and even, by some, undesirable, most notably the poor and infirm. It is with a desire to serve that I have based my organization's community outreach: first, to in-patients in a behavioral health facility and, secondly, to a population of consumers in the larger community. My inspirational support meetings provide spiritual encouragement to in-patients and other consumers suffering from mood disorders, regardless of the person's faith (or lack thereof). The aim is to create a supportive, trustworthy, respectful, non-judgmental, and nurturing atmosphere where these individuals can safely explore and strengthen their desire for wellness and contributing to society.
I begin these meetings with a moment of silence in which we remember "those members of our family that we have yet to meet." A central message of our work is that everyone needs time to be alone and go within: what I refer to as visiting the "inner sanctuary". In my book, The Two Agreements, I discuss the importance of entering the "stillness" and the "Silence" to find one's own connection with the Source, on their own terms, rather than those imposed upon them by any person, organization, or religious dictates.
I am also sensitive to the fact that mental illness does not only affect the consumer, but their loved ones as well. That's why I hold a second meeting each week that's open to friends and family in need of support. Many focus all of their energy and attention trying to help the diagnosed person. Others are frightened away, and remain distant from the person experiencing the illness. Still others report feeling hurt, helpless, overwhelmed, confused, sad, guilty and ashamed because of their loved one's illness. I believe that no matter the reaction, these family members and friends need support and comfort as they walk the often-challenging road to wellness alongside their loved one. To this end, my work includes special events that build a family atmosphere and promotes healthy relationships between people with illnesses, family and friends from different walks of life.
I believe that bringing consumers out of isolation helps push back against stigma. Both of the groups that meet weekly, our understanding family, are part of a larger mosaic. Within that mosaic, our family demonstrates the necessity of unity not only to these individuals and to their loved ones but also, on a deeper level, the human family, and our connection with one another. Spiritually speaking, the esoteric teachings of major religions speak of an underlying unity in all of creation, an eternal oneness.
In these most trying of times, our inspirational support group and network creates a safe place, in space and time, for these vulnerable individuals and their loved ones. The result is that they maintain their treatment plan and likely avoid hospitalization. There are a number of fully-employed consumers who regularly attend our meetings and events. These individuals claim they gain the strength to work and contribute to the community because of the support and encouragement they receive. In helping every consumer in our organization to "be well and live well", we are pushing back against stigma in a most profound way.

S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site -- http://bit.ly/1kEBzlZ
The Two Agreements fb page -- http://bit.ly/the2agree

www.DBSATennessee.org

The New Testament is about a mystic

           

live and let live . . .

When The Two Agreements was published, I was not surprised that many people viewed it as proof of my heresy; people had seen me as such ever since I left the church and began living life as a mystic. Though, to clarify, a mystic is simply one who goes to The Source for guidance and belief. And in that respect, everyone practicing contemplation, meditation, and prayer are mystics. I describe them as practical mystics.

There is nothing particularly unique about my story--most "spiritual but not religious" (SBNR) people have been judged, even shunned, by those who follow the tenants of organized religion. For centuries, religious institutions have claimed to be the moral compass, guiding society to the high road, and anyone who does not follow their rituals is less-than in the eyes of the Creator. "Your actions speak so loud," I have heard from more than one righteous churchgoer, "I can't hear a word you're saying." This statement is a way of expressing judgment against those who do not "tow the party line" with regards to particular religion.

And indeed, religious organizations and their members have contributed a great deal of good to the world; it has never been my intention to imply otherwise. I simply make the point that they have not cornered the market on kindness, or spirituality, for that matter.

It my experience, SBNRs are often confused with atheists; however, this is not the case at all. Religious folks hear their "New Age" lingo --such as referring to the Universe as opposed to God--and think that it represents an absence of a belief system. (Please note that I am making no judgment about atheists or their views; I am simply pointing out the distinction between them and those who have foregone organized religion to walk their own spiritual path).

Indeed, the rules, regulation and judgment are the only things SBNRs have turned away from. Like me, they live their spirituality each and every day; they are motivated by a true passion for serving humanity, not because they are seeking a ticket to heaven.

This brings me back to a main point of The Two Agreements, which is that there is nothing we can do--or not do--to separate us from the Divine. This is so regardless of how we serve--be it in a church, a charitable organization, or simply by bringing the smile to another's face.

S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site

http://bit.ly/1kEBzlZ

The Two Agreements fb page

http://bit.ly/the2agree

Your religious life can cause you mental health problems

I enjoy my spiritual life in every respect. To reach the place in my life of living in the liberty I enjoy, I first worked through a lot of "stuff" others taught me about the Creator. That stuff kept getting in my way of living in the natural harmony that I was born with. In fact, we are all born with a natural relationship with the Creator, a relationship of harmony.

Many of my friends enjoy a religious life. Our different paths to God do not get in the way of our friendship. However, I caution anyone seeking a spiritual life in organized religion to use wisdom. For years, I have supported folk in finding a better life as they suffered with mood disorders. Many of them are seeking a place of peace and acceptance with the power they believe gave them life. It is not their belief in a Creator God that causes them pain. It is the judgement they direct at themselves. They feel like they must be spiritual failures for God to punish them with a mental illness.

I came across the following article that brings a very interesting perspective to the situation I just described. In my book, I share my story of learning a new way of understanding God and interpreting Christianity's wisdom book. Since, I began living from the interpretation in my book, my life is one with peace and assurance and a wonderful absence of self judgement.

Peacefulness to you and yours . . .

Religious Trauma Syndrome: How Some Organized Religion Leads to Mental Health Problems

Posted on March 26, 2013

by Valerie Tarico

At age sixteen I began what would be a four year struggle with bulimia.  When the symptoms started, I turned in desperation to adults who knew more than I did about how to stop shameful behavior—my Bible study leader and a visiting youth minister.  “If you ask anything in faith, believing,” they said.  “It will be done.” I knew they were quoting the Word of God. We prayed together, and I went home confident that God had heard my prayers.

But my horrible compulsions didn’t go away. By the fall of my sophomore year in college, I was desperate and depressed enough that I made a suicide attempt. The problem wasn’t just the bulimia.  I was convinced by then that I was a complete spiritual failure. My college counseling department had offered to get me real help (which they later did). But to my mind, at that point, such help couldn’t fix the core problem: I was a failure in the eyes of God. It would be years before I understood that my inability to heal bulimia through the mechanisms offered by biblical Christianity was not a function of my own spiritual deficiency but deficiencies in Evangelical religion itself.

Dr. Marlene Winell is a human development consultant in the San Francisco Area. She is also the daughter of Pentecostal missionaries. This combination has given her work an unusual focus. For the past twenty years she has counseled men and women in recovery from various forms of fundamentalist religion including the Assemblies of God denomination in which she was raised. Winell is the author of Leaving the Fold – A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving their Religion, written during her years of private practice in psychology. Over the years, Winell has provided assistance to clients whose religious experiences were even more damaging than mine. Some of them are people whose psychological symptoms weren’t just exacerbated by their religion, but actually caused by it.

Two years ago, Winell made waves by formally labeling what she calls “Religious Trauma Syndrome” (RTS) and beginning to write and speak on the subject for professional audiences. When the British Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychologists published a series of articles on the topic, members of a Christian counseling associationprotested what they called excessive attention to a “relatively niche topic.” Onecommenter said, “A religion, faith or book cannot be abuse but the people interpreting can make anything abusive.”

Is toxic religion simply misinterpretation? What is religious trauma? Why does Winell believe religious trauma merits its own diagnostic label?  I asked her.

Let’s start this interview with the basics. What exactly is religious trauma syndrome?

Winell: 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. They are the result of two things: immersion in a controlling religion and the secondary impact of leaving a religious group. The RTS label provides a name and description that affected people often recognize immediately. Many other people are surprised by the idea of RTS, because in our culture it is generally assumed that religion is benign or good for you. Just like telling kids about Santa Claus and letting them work out their beliefs later, people see no harm in teaching religion to children.

But in reality, religious teachings and practices sometimes cause serious mental health damage. The public is somewhat familiar with sexual and physical abuse in a religious context. As Journalist Janet Heimlich has documented in, Breaking Their Will, Bible-based religious groups that emphasize patriarchal authority in family structure and use harsh parenting methods can be destructive.

But the problem isn’t just physical and sexual abuse. Emotional and mental treatment in authoritarian religious groups also can be damaging because of 1) toxic teachings like eternal damnation or original sin2) religious practices or mindset, such as punishment, black and white thinking, or sexual guilt, and 3) neglect that prevents a person from having the information or opportunities to develop normally.

Can you give me an example of RTS from your consulting practice?

Winell: I can give you many. One of the symptom clusters is around fear and anxiety. People indoctrinated into fundamentalist Christianity as small children sometimes have memories of being terrified by images of hell and apocalypse before their brains could begin to make sense of such ideas. Some survivors, who I prefer to call “reclaimers,” have flashbacks, panic attacks, or nightmares in adulthood even when they intellectually no longer believe the theology. One client of mine, who during the day functioned well as a professional, struggled with intense fear many nights. She said,

I was afraid I was going to hell. I was afraid I was doing something really wrong. I was completely out of control. I sometimes would wake up in the night and start screaming, thrashing my arms, trying to rid myself of what I was feeling. I’d walk around the house trying to think and calm myself down, in the middle of the night, trying to do some self-talk, but I felt like it was just something that – the fear and anxiety was taking over my life.

Or consider this comment, which refers to a film used by Evangelicals to warn about the horrors of the “end times” for nonbelievers.

 I was taken to see the film “A Thief In The Night”. WOW.  I am in shock to learn that many other people suffered the same traumas I lived with because of this film. A few days or weeks after the film viewing, I came into the house and mom wasn’t there. I stood there screaming in terror. When I stopped screaming, I began making my plan: Who my Christian neighbors were, who’s house to break into to get money and food. I was 12 yrs old and was preparing for Armageddon alone.

In addition to anxiety, RTS can include depression, cognitive difficulties, and problems with social functioning. In fundamentalist Christianity, the individual is considered depraved and in need of salvation. A core message is “You are bad and wrong and deserve to die.” (The wages of sin is death.) This gets taught to millions of children through organizations like Child Evangelism Fellowship and there is a group organized  to oppose their incursion into public schools.  I’ve had clients who remember being distraught when given a vivid bloody image of Jesus paying the ultimate price for their sins. Decades later they sit telling me that they can’t manage to find any self-worth.

After twenty-seven years of trying to live a perfect life, I failed. . . I was ashamed of myself all day long. My mind battling with itself with no relief. . . I always believed everything that I was taught but I thought that I was not approved by God. I thought that basically I, too, would die at Armageddon.

I’ve spent literally years injuring myself, cutting and burning my arms, taking overdoses and starving myself, to punish myself so that God doesn’t have to punish me. It’s taken me years to feel deserving of anything good.

Born-again Christianity and devout Catholicism tell people they are weak and dependent, calling on phrases like “lean not unto your own understanding” or “trust and obey.” People who internalize these messages can suffer from learned helplessness. I’ll give you an example from a client who had little decision-making ability after living his entire life devoted to following the “will of God.” The words here don’t convey the depth of his despair.

I have an awful time making decisions in general. Like I can’t, you know, wake up in the morning, “What am I going to do today? Like I don’t even know where to start. You know all the things I thought I might be doing are gone and I’m not sure I should even try to have a career; essentially I babysit my four-year-old all day.

Authoritarian religious groups are subcultures where conformity is required in order to belong. Thus if you dare to leave the religion, you risk losing your entire support system as well.

I lost all my friends. I lost my close ties to family. Now I’m losing my country. I’ve lost so much because of this malignant religion and I am angry and sad to my very core. . . I have tried hard to make new friends, but I have failed miserably. . . I am very lonely.

Leaving a religion, after total immersion, can cause a complete upheaval of a person’s construction of reality, including the self, other people, life, and the future. People unfamiliar with this situation, including therapists, have trouble appreciating the sheer terror it can create.

My form of religion was very strongly entrenched and anchored deeply in my heart. It is hard to describe how fully my religion informed, infused, and influenced my entire worldview. My first steps out of fundamentalism were profoundly frightening and I had frequent thoughts of suicide. Now I’m way past that but I still haven’t quite found “my place in the universe.

Even for a person who was not so entrenched, leaving one’s religion can be a stressful and significant transition.

Many people seem to walk away from their religion easily, without really looking back. What is different about the clientele you work with?

Winell: Religious groups that are highly controlling, teach fear about the world, and keep members sheltered and ill-equipped to function in society are harder to leave easily. The difficulty seems to be greater if the person was born and raised in the religion rather than joining as an adult convert. This is because they have no frame of reference – no other “self” or way of “being in the world.” A common personality type is a person who is deeply emotional and thoughtful and who tends to throw themselves wholeheartedly into their endeavors. “True believers” who then lose their faith feel more anger and depression and grief than those who simply went to church on Sunday.

Aren’t these just people who would be depressed, anxious, or obsessive anyways?

Winell: Not at all. If my observation is correct, these are people who are intense and involved and caring. They hang on to the religion longer than those who simply “walk away” because they try to make it work even when they have doubts. Sometime this is out of fear, but often it is out of devotion. These are people for whom ethics, integrity and compassion matter a great deal. I find that when they get better and rebuild their lives, they are wonderfully creative and energetic about new things.

In your mind, how is RTS different from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Winell: RTS is a specific set of symptoms and characteristics that are connected with harmful religious experience, not just any trauma. This is crucial to understanding the condition and any kind of self-help or treatment. (More details about this can be found on my Journey Free website and discussed in my talk at the Texas Freethought Convention.)

Another difference is the social context, which is extremely different from other traumas or forms of abuse. When someone is recovering from domestic abuse, for example, other people understand and support the need to leave and recover. They don’t question it as a matter of interpretation, and they don’t send the person back for more. But this is exactly what happens to many former believers who seek counseling. If a provider doesn’t understand the source of the symptoms, he or she may send a client for pastoral counseling, or to AA, or even to another church. One reclaimer expressed her frustration this way:

Include physically-abusive parents who quote “Spare the rod and spoil the child” as literally as you can imagine and you have one fucked-up soul: an unloved, rejected, traumatized toddler in the body of an adult. I’m simply a broken spirit in an empty shell. But wait…That’s not enough!? There’s also the expectation by everyone in society that we victims should celebrate this with our perpetrators every Christmas and Easter!!

Just like disorders such as autism or bulimia, giving RTS a real name has important advantages. People who are suffering find that having a label for their experience helps them feel less alone and guilty. Some have written to me to express their relief:

There’s actually a name for it! I was brainwashed from birth and wasted 25 years of my life serving Him! I’ve since been out of my religion for several years now, but i cannot shake the haunting fear of hell and feel absolutely doomed. I’m now socially inept, unemployable, and the only way i can have sex is to pay for it.

Labeling RTS encourages professionals to study it more carefully, develop treatments, and offer training. Hopefully, we can even work on prevention.

What do you see as the difference between religion that causes trauma and religion that doesn’t?

Winell: Religion causes trauma when it is highly controlling and prevents people from thinking for themselves and trusting their own feelings. Groups that demand obedience and conformity produce fear, not love and growth. With constant judgment of self and others, people become alienated from themselves, each other, and the world. Religion in its worst forms causes separation.

Conversely, groups that connect people and promote self-knowledge and personal growth can be said to be healthy. The book, Healthy Religion, describes these traits. Such groups put high value on respecting differences, and members feel empowered as individuals.  They provide social support, a place for events and rites of passage, exchange of ideas, inspiration, opportunities for service, and connection to social causes. They encourage spiritual practices that promote health like meditation or principles for living like the golden rule. More and more, nontheists are asking how they can create similar spiritual communities without the supernaturalism. An atheist congregation in London launched this year and has received over 200 inquiries from people wanting to replicate their model.

Some people say that terms like “recovery from religion” and “religious trauma syndrome” are just atheist attempts to pathologize religious belief.

Winell: Mental health professionals have enough to do without going out looking for new pathology. I never set out looking for a “niche topic,” and certainly not religious trauma syndrome. I originally wrote a paper for a conference of the American Psychological Association and thought that would be the end of it. Since then, I have tried to move on to other things several times, but this work has simply grown.

In my opinion, we are simply, as a culture, becoming aware of religious trauma.  More and more people are leaving religion, as seen by polls showing that the “religiously unaffiliated” have increased in the last five years from just over 15% to just under 20% of all U.S. adults. It’s no wonder the internet is exploding with websites for former believers from all religions, providing forums for people to support each other. The huge population of people “leaving the fold” includes a subset at risk for RTS, and more people are talking about it and seeking help.  For example, there are thousands of former Mormons, and I was asked to speak about RTS at an Exmormon Foundation conference.  I facilitate an international support group online called Release and Reclaim  which has monthly conference calls. An organization called Recovery from Religion, helps people start self-help meet-up groups

Saying that someone is trying to pathologize authoritarian religion is like saying someone pathologized eating disorders by naming them. Before that, they were healthy? No, before that we weren’t noticing. People were suffering, thought they were alone, and blamed themselves.  Professionals had no awareness or training. This is the situation of RTS today. Authoritarian religion is already pathological, and leaving a high-control group can be traumatic. People are already suffering. They need to be recognized and helped.

—-  Dr. Marlene Winell is a human development consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area and the author of Leaving the Fold – A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving their Religion. More information about Marlene Winell and resources for getting help with RTS may be found at Journey Free.  Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.  She is the author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light and Deas and Other Imaginings, and the founder of www.WisdomCommons.org.  Her articles can be found atAwaypoint.Wordpress.com.