by Michelle G. Lyerly
Rebecca Rosen, reporter for the Contra Costa Times, in conversation with retreat participants. See her article "Ex-fundamentalists find peace at retreat."They say that a faith ridden with doubts is already on its way out, but add fear into the equation, and the situation changes.
Dr. Marlene Winell, psychologist and author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide to Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion, knows this situation firsthand. As the daughter of a missionary and former devotee of the evangelical faith, she understands the lasting consequences of breaking away from authoritarian religion. Dr. Winell uses her training in the psychology of human development to work with others, helping them confront the demons of the past and regain their footing.
On the weekend of May 4-6, seven participants flew out to Oakland, CA to attend Dr. Winell’s advanced religious recovery retreat entitled “Release and Reclaim.” Working with the knowledge that the reigns of authoritarian fear-based religion can severely hamper one’s ability to reason for oneself, and consequently, to live life to the fullest, this retreat centered around breaking free from the empty claims of religious indoctrination and embracing life with open arms.
After decades of religious indoctrination, the biggest challenge for the participants was learning to trust themselves again. Based on exercises from her book, Dr. Winell provided participants with preparation activities helping them confront the sense of overwhelming guilt and alienation their religion had imposed upon them- alienation from themselves, others and the world.
Techniques used during the retreat included sharing sessions, artistic expression, improvisational dancing and guided imagery, with the latter two crossing forbidden territory in some fundamentalist circles. Through the homework exercises assigned in preparation for the retreat, the participants learned the importance of relying on their senses to appreciate the world in all its grandeur, something many ex-fundamentalists find difficult to do, given the fundamentalist belief that this world is sinful and therefore transitory. Powerful sustaining relationships were formed through shared experience at the retreat.
With the recent illness and death of Jerry Falwell, the silence is being broken. Countless people across the US are beginning to speak out about the untold pain fundamentalism has caused in their lives in the form of the Religious Recovery Movement, as evidenced through online forums, community support groups, books, and now through the work of Dr. Winell. Therapists like Winell are beginning to acknowledge the irrevocable link between manipulative religion and the negative effects it has upon the developmental processes of the human psyche. Dr. Winell hosts her own online recovery group at http://groups.google.com/group/reclaim.
Dr. Winell is planning to follow up with additional retreats as well as workshops for helping professionals interested in working with religious recovery issues.
Michelle G. Lyerly, M.A., M.E.S. is author of From Rapture to Revelation, a book also dealing with the issue of Christian fundamentalism, and can be reached at tillichian@hotmail.com or 704-754-3619.