Leaving the Fold will be another nail in the coffin of fundamentalism. The book will be a major guide for new free thinkers who are rejecting the religious authoritarianism of the Dark Ages. Leaving the Fold comes just the right time to rebut the new Holy War that has been launched by the Christian fundamentalists in America. The time for real religious literacy must not be lost to the new anti-academic book-burners of the religious right.
Leaving the Fold is invaluable to those who have gone through the ordeal of religious addiction, abuse, and disillusionment, and who need a recovery plan. I highly recommend this book not only to the wounded, but also urge all pastors to study it carefully and then re-assess their own ministries. Dr. Marlene Winell has made a most important contribution to deal with the most heart-wrenching of experiences.
Dr. Winell has done a great deal to reach out to those who are emotionally struggling after having emerged from oppressive faith environments. I believe her book and website would be helpful to anyone in this situation, whether they grew up in an abusive religious culture or joined as an adult. As I was impressed with her work, I recommended her book on my website, www.religiouschildmaltreatment.com.
There is great safety in exploring issues related to religious trauma with others who have shared similar experiences with the moderation and direction of an experienced professional. Marlene is skilled, intuitive and informed. She has a gentle but firm way of guiding a person through the healing steps and skill building needed for coping with the negative aspects of religious upbringing.
I felt like I was reading my own thoughts and all of it resonates with what I have been struggling with for years. As I read it tears would just stream down my face because I finally felt that someone understood me and that my struggle had been real. I didn’t grow up in the church but I still have been seeking freedom from it for years.
I just had to say that I am so grateful for you and this book. As well as the people who shared with you in the book their own journeys and recoveries. This book has validated so much of what I have struggled with and I am so thankful for it.
Thank you for your incredible book. I am half way thru and cannot put it down. There is a visceral healing on every page for me. Thank you for having the boldness to write on this subject. I can tell you first hand, there are millions in the south that are hurting from this abuse. My family, in the south, have all but banished me. They are 100% against anything new or alternative. Recovering fundamentalists need people like you since we’re now black sheep in the eyes of the flock. Your understanding of the problem gives me such hope and encouragement. I don’t feel as isolated after reading your words. Thank you!!!
It is priceless to be able to have people understand exactly what I’m going through, and many times they have dealt with the same situation themselves. I feel like I have a base of friends that I know I can go to with any struggle I am having. I know they will be there for me and help me out. It’s a great feeling. It’s important to know others are there at some of the lowest points in my life. It also helps me to help them out, too. I am forced to think about other issues that are brought up, and it feels good to be there for someone else.
Marlene’s specialty brought us together, as I am also keenly interested in the experiences people have after de-converting from an oppressive religion. Marlene recently did an outstanding job writing the Afterword for one of my books. She’s easy to work with, has a great sense of humor, and I would highly recommend as one of the top experts in her field.
I’ve been working with Dr. Winell for about 8 months now, and I’ve made more progress with her in 8 months than I’ve made in the past ten years. I was diagnosed with depression when I was fourteen, then bipolar disorder when I was nineteen, and later with borderline personality disorder. I took a lot of medications which didn’t help, and I got worse over the years. Finally at 26 I realized my religion was causing my mental trauma, and I got out. The anxiety and depression got better, but didn’t go away completely.
My brother found an article by Dr. Winell talking about religious trauma syndrome. It described what I’d been dealing with perfectly. I contacted her immediately. Marlene has been able to understand what I’m dealing with better than anyone ever has. She’s also helped me understand myself, and how religion affected me. By following her steps to recovery I’m finally starting to feel I can live a life free of “bipolar disorder / depression.” I’m learning to trust myself again, and think for myself, instead of letting organized religion make all my decisions for me.
I was afraid of reaching out for help again, and trusting again. But I’m glad I found I can get proper help from Dr. Winell.
I found Dr. Winell to be incredibly helpful in my journey leaving evangelical Christianity. I had examined my beliefs years before meeting with Dr. Winell and made a conscious decision to leave the Church, but I found myself continually plagued by a lot of the unhealthy thought processes that had been ingrained in me through my fundamentalist upbringing. Dr. Winell had a life changing effect on me. She was compassionate and understanding, but also provided me with real, tangible tools to bring positive change into my life. I can’t recommend her enough if you find yourself going through a similar experience.
I found the retreats enormously helpful, with a wonderful group of warm people who had been through much of what I had been through. Marlene is a uniquely gifted leader who understands like so few do what it’s like to be in the middle of the all-encompassing religious life many of us former “born agains” lived in. I HIGHLY recommend attending…you will not regret it.