It may seem a bit cliche but laughing is powerful. By nature, I’m a very serious person. I’ve been criticized for not smiling enough. Not laughing enough. I only discovered the power true power of laughter after I left Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I was devastated by my experience with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was devastated being inside and I was devastated when I left. The trauma was real and the seriousness of the situation was not at all unwarranted. Thinking about my life and the things that happened to me only brought me tears.
Then I came across a Youtuber and fellow XJW that goes by the username Katie Kitten. Kitten was also a speaker on the JW Podcast, which was a podcast by XJW that discussed matters related to Jehovah’s Witnesses. At the time listening or watching material that was produced by XJWs was scary. But I listened to Kitten anyways and I had a profound new experience.
Laughing. Laughing about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Laughing about our experience as Witnesses. Laughing about Witness teachings. Kitten laughs a lot. At the time I had never heard anyone talk about the XJW experience and laugh. I had never laughed about my experience. After watching Kitten and listening to the podcast I was laughing too.
Obviously, laughing didn’t cure all my woes but I discovered that laughing brings relief. It brings you power and control when you feel helpless. It’s a beautiful thing. Laughing is healing.
If you are a JW, XJW or have experienced some other form of trauma can you find a way to laugh too? Let me know in the comments what you can laugh about.
Ryan David Tuttle, MA 