A Voice from Inside - Notes on Religious Trauma in a Captive Organization
“Wallis takes on all the shades of gray. He dissects the experience of this religion with laser precision” - Lisa, iGotOut.org
“Wallis not only shines a light on the psychological turmoil caused by the organization’s policies but does so with such intelligence, empathy, and personal understanding” - Allison Del Fium, WHAT THE FAITH Podcast
What is it like to suffer Religious Trauma Syndrome while still inside a High Demand Religious Organization? What causes Religious Trauma Syndrome and what are the risks that come with continuing participation? A Voice From Inside presents the rare voice of a critical insider of the Watch Tower Society, offering an account of the experience, how people are struggling, and what can be done to survive and move forward.
Writing under a pseudonym, Geoffrey Wallis courageously explains what has led many to label Jehovah’s Witnesses a Captive Organization and how the community’s policies lead to the phenomenon of Physically-In-Mentally-Out (PIMO). With raw honesty, the author tells the gripping story of his journey through Religious Trauma Syndrome as an active Jehovah’s Witness. He discusses the experience of stigmatized LGBTQ+ members, moral injury PTSD in the newly disillusioned, and what it’s like to rise up the ranks of the organization’s hierarchy. Along the way, he boldly speaks out about how to protect fellow members by calling for regulation to protect the religious freedoms of PIMOs and teaching others to reverse-engineer manipulative psychology with mindfulness practice.
Written to help bring change to the Jehovah’s Witness community as a whole, but also for anyone struggling with religious trauma, A Voice from Inside is both a witness to the experience of living in an HDRG as well as a clarion call for change and healing in a world that sorely needs it.