Visits to LA and Dallas coming up; party invitation for LA Mar. 20

[Marlene Winell]

Hi everyone,
I hope you are doing well. 
This is to let you know that I will be traveling to LA and Dallas shortly in case you want to get together. 

I'll be in LA from March 18-24, primarily to work with Rob and Drew, the brilliant web designers of the new resource, recoveringfundamentalists.com.  We are also having a PARTY on Saturday, the evening of Mar. 20, and you are invited. 

The Dallas trip will be April 1-5.  I'll be there to be interviewed for a documentary film about fundamentalism.  I will also be available for other things, and if you know of any media interest, or speaking opportunities, let me know.  I've never been to Dallas, or Texas for that matter, so I'm excited. 

Please check out the new website, and be aware that there are a number of opportunities to help out with it.  We are also forming a network of people who can provide listening  and support by phone to recovering fundamentalists in need.  More information is available upon request. 

The recovery portion of the website will be organized around "Aspects of Recovery" listed below.   One of the tasks is to collect reviews of many other websites, lists of recommended books & videos, and information about organizations and upcoming events such as conferences and author talks.

What ideas do you have?   Your input is valuable, and I love hearing from you.  

Kind regards,
Marlene

Aspects of Recovery:
 
•  Recognizing problems
("getting real," identifying symptoms, issues, reading deconversion stories, cycle of abuse)
 
•  Considering deconversion
(understanding and facing the fear, more deconversion stories)
 
•  Getting new information
(views from other fields, eg. biology, physics, other religions, church history, biblical origins, critical analysis of theism, Christianity, Mormonism, JW’s etc.)
 
•  Finding emotional help
(bias against psychology, understanding gap bet. intellectual and emotional, why it’s so hard – power of ideas, resources for help)
 
•  Healing
(processing feelings, learning self-love and self-care, stages of development, learning to trust own thinking ability, self-acceptance vs perfectionism, letting go/forgiveness)
 
•  Building a new life
(clarifying new values, making new social connections, dealing with family, making life choices re. work, etc., aspects of happiness, redefining spirituality)
 
•  Joining the world
(being part of this world, nature, being an animal, social and political context, understanding interconnection, value of larger view)
 
•  Reclaiming joy and self-expression
(being here now, direct sensory experience, sex and pleasure,  leisure, not earning right to just be, reclaiming creative expression, enjoyment



--
Marlene Winell, Ph.D.
510-292-0509
www.marlenewinell.net