Recovering from Toxic Religions

Again, I have worked all day writing. This time, I created two other pages to go under religious trauma.

A Word About The Neighborhood Cult
A disclaimer about why I do not discuss the details of who they are. I wrote this for my sense of safety, privacy, and security.

Path Toward Recovering From Religious Trauma
I summarize the first chapter of Leaving the Fold by Dr Winell and give examples of her phases of recovery fit in with my experience.

At the end of the first chapter, Winell provides an exercise asking to rank issues that effect you on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is “mildly bothersome” to 5 being “severely disturbing”)

Here are my results are:

Confusion: 3
Anxiety or fear: 5
Lack of clear identity and personal values: 3
Negative sense of self: 5
Emptiness, as if you have no core: 3
Negative image of y our body and discomfort with sexuality: 5
Lack of meaning or purpose in life: 2
Anger and bitterness: 5
Loneliness: 5
Loss and grief: 5
Depression: 3
Persistent guilt: 5
Difficulty enjoying pleasure: 4
Unreasonably high expectations, perfectionism: 5
Trouble appreciating people: 2
Difficulty with self-responsibility: 4
Lack of deep self-love and self-care: 5
Trouble thinking for yourself: 1
Difficulty feeling and expressing emotion: 5
External focus for satisfaction: 4

Some of this could apply to anyone suffering from anxiety disorders or who have suffered significant trauma and abuse in their life. What Winell's book does is place these into the specific context of religious trauma and abuse. I am curious, how these phases fit with others experiences?