When I came to Marlene for counseling sessions via Skype, I was confused over how I felt about not believing the dogma I grew up with and how I would raise my children. In addition, even though I had come to some realizations as an adult that I didn’t believe everything I learned as a child, I still had a nagging feeling I was doing something wrong. To make matters more complicated, both of my parents had passed away and I felt as though I was rejecting them as parents. Through my counseling with Marlene, I began to make peace with it all. I confirmed that I am my own person and my parents (or God) are not looking down on me in disgust because I have rejected certain teachings I learned as a child.
I am open and free now. I have had the opportunity this summer since my counseling to meet so many people of different faiths (or no faith), people of different lifestyles and backgrounds with an open mind… not fearful of them or judgmental. My counseling has opened my heart and my mind. The blinders are gone and so is the guilt. My world (and the world of my children) is larger and happier because of it. I will be forever grateful.
Marlene is passionate about emotional health, specifically recovery from harmful fundamentalist religions. Count on her to be non-judgmental and compassionate.
The most meaningful associations I’ve made, during my exodus from faith, have been through the numerous supports provided by Dr. Marlene Winell. Marlene is a compassionate and understanding professional with a warm and friendly approach to counseling. Marlene and I were able to establish rapport together quickly which allowed me to reveal and release my fears and inhibitions relating to my own dysfunctional faith practice and issues with my own personal development.
As a group facilitator for Release and Reclaim, both with her online forum and special retreats, Marlene is generous with her time and patient with our group progress. Her clinical skills are refined and impressive. By using a select set of activities and special guests, Marlene is able to carry our group through numerous stages of discovery as she subtly guides our discussions from superficial, light and easy, fun and stimulating, to more serious and sober matters of heart and health. I am truly grateful for my association with Dr. Winell. The group activities using movement, personal contact, and touch, were particularly helpful for me. Overall, with Marlene’s help, I’ve begun a wonderful journey to reclaim my life, free from so many religiously-inspired burdens and with few regrets weighing me down. Marlene helped me rediscover a rich inner world that I can tap into and with which I now find comfort and rest.
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.
Getting help was extremely scary. My heart was pounding the first night of the first retreat I went to as a group of others and I said a few words about why we had come to the retreat. Was this the end for me? Was I damning myself to eternity in an even hotter hell than I would have already probably have been headed for for just deciding I didn’t believe? I mean, wasn’t this cinching the deal and quenching the Spirit? By coming and seeking out de-programming by a secular psychologist, wasn’t I basically just saying that I was OK with potentially becoming demon-possessed? I was terrified almost beyond words. But I decided to push past my fear and go for broke.
It is really scary for people who’ve been brought up in a fundamentalist household to dare to have contact with a secular psychologist because they have been taught that psychology is potentially one of the avenues whereby Satan can pollute, or, worse, begin controlling our thoughts for his purposes. I was even taught, as a child, that having contact with a psychologist or doing yoga or meditation could lead to demonic possession.
It was also a bit alienating to go to a secular therapist, because I questioned whether she could know anything about what I had been taught was capital-T true and/or whether she could understand the first thing about what it is like to be indoctrinated into a fundamentalist worldview in a Christian home. I soon learned that Dr. Winell had been raised by fundamentalist Christian missionaries and I knew from the missions conference at my church that there are few more hard-core ideologues than the missionaries themselves.
Finally, it was liberating to go to a secular therapist–once I got underway in getting in tune with who she was and what she could do for us there at the retreat. For the first time in my life, I was able to gather some insights about how a Christian upbringing could mess with your mind and some ways of deciding, when you were *ready*, *if* you felt ready, to, at your own pace, on your own terms, begin unhooking the IV line running from that worldview into your brain and how to think some different types of thoughts for yourself and how to nurture yourself and how to begin to grow past things that had so, so, so, so badly been hurting you. It began to feel exciting to be there with Dr. Winell. And there was much laughter and bonding with the other people who had come to her out of backgrounds like mine and who, like she did, understood me maybe more than I understood myself.
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.
“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.” – August 20, 2012
“Dr. Marlene Winell is a specialist in human development with a passion for helping people and a vision of getting “Religious Trauma Syndrome” accepted as a recognized category of trauma diagnosis in the mental health field. Her book, Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving their Religion, is a classic. I recommend it it to anyone interested in helping people heal from religious trauma. Marlene is compassionate and kind and very knowledgeable. I am hoping to continue hearing about her evolving plans to teach, train, and develop more resources for people to heal.” – August 19, 2012
“Marlene is an outstanding professional. She speaks and writes with clarity and sensitivity. Marlene is one of the most prolific thinkers of our time.” – May 8, 2012
“Many people who are suffering from the effects of oppressive religious abuse seek help through our organization. Many times, the psychological effects far exceed our capacity and require professional attention. I am very grateful to have someone like Marlene. I can trust Marlene to sympathize with our community while also providing clinical treatment. She’s the best in the world at what she does. I have no doubt about that. Thank you, Marlene!” – February 23, 2012