{"author_name":"Cults to Consciousness","author_url":"https://art19.com/shows/cults-to-consciousness/episodes/465916fb-6bfa-4332-8e6e-b6e8ba38a7ad","description":"<p>Bethany Leger was raised in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, only to realize she had been part of a cult for thirty years. The psychological pressure cooker exploded in her 20s with quickly deteriorating mental health. The faux perfectionism drove her into an eating d*sorder as a means to gain any form of control over her life. When she could no longer pretend anymore, questioning authority and pursuing her personal freedom cost her, her devout family.&nbsp; She now has a YouTube channel where she discusses the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ h*rmful policies.</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/FgWWSNl2RsU\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube</a></p><p><br></p><p>Find Bethany on social media:</p><p>Linktree: <a href=\"https://linktr.ee/bethanyleger\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://linktr.ee/bethanyleger</a></p><p>website: <a href=\"http://www.bethanyleger.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.bethanyleger.com</a></p><p>YT: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@stoptheshunning\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/@stoptheshunning</a></p><p>IG:<a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bethanylegerwriter\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://www.instagram.com/bethanylegerwriter</a></p><p>Bethany’s book: <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3Z7aXEp\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Physically In, Mentally Out: Navigating Your Exit From Watchtower</a></p><p>The best way to reach her is via email: bethanylegerwriter@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe to our<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClip\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> C2C \"CLIPS\" Channel!</a></p><p><br></p><p>Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast.</p><p><a href=\"https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here!</a></p><p>Patreon <a href=\"https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness</a></p><p>Venmo @sheliseann</p><p><br></p><p>Find us on Social media!</p><p>Instagram <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@cultstoconsciousness</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Host Instagram <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@sheliseann&nbsp;</a></p><p>Co Producer / Host <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@jonathan.rosales_&nbsp;</a></p><p>TikTok <a href=\"http://cults.to.consciousness\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@cults.to.consciousness&nbsp;</a></p><p>Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cultstocon\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@cultstocon</a>&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**</p><p><br></p><p>Chapter Marks:</p><p>00:00:00 Intro</p><p>00:04:25 Defining the Jehovah's Witness religion as a cult-like group</p><p>00:06:02 What Bethany's family was like growing up</p><p>00:11:08 Core beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses</p><p>00:15:23 Bethany's gut feelings about the church and the obligation to fulfill duties</p><p>00:23:20 CW: ED Developing h*rmful behaviors and realizing how being a JW makes Bethany really feel</p><p>00:25:21 CW: ED Bethany's experience in high school that led her to evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses</p><p>00:38:45 What Bethany's mom did to keep her in the religion</p><p>00:41:16 Bethany's parents' conflicting values and where that confusion ultimately led her</p><p>00:46:26 How self policing kept Bethany as a Jehovah's Witness after high school</p><p>00:49:30 The tension in Bethany reaches a breaking point CW: su*cid*l ideation</p><p>00:51:54 The last time Bethany stepped foot in a Kingdom Hall</p><p>00:58:29 The moment that changed Bethany's perspective forever</p><p>01:02:02 CW: SA Jehovah's Witness SA cases in Australia</p><p>01:03:12 CW: SA The two witness rule and how it allows rampant ab*se to fester for years</p><p>01:06:10 Barbara Anderson's story</p><p>01:13:59 New changes to how shunning works</p><p>01:19:09 How Bethany is doing now</p><p>01:22:51 Linda, listen</p>","html":"<iframe src=\"https://art19.com/shows/cults-to-consciousness/episodes/465916fb-6bfa-4332-8e6e-b6e8ba38a7ad/embed\" style=\"width: 720px; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" width=\"720\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"></iframe>","provider_name":"ART19","provider_url":"https://art19.com","title":"How Jehovah’s Witnesses Psychologically Tortured Me for 30 Years","type":"rich","version":"1.0","width":720,"height":200}