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Welcome to the World

Welcome to the World

By: Dr Ryan Lee
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This podcast is dedicated to all you ex-JWs out there looking for guidance on navigating life after leaving the Jehovah's Witness Its host, Dr Ryan Lee, is a former JW with a doctorate in clinical psychology and a practicing therapist, specializing in helping former JWs and other cult survivors move through the process of waking up, walking out and moving on from life in a high control religion. Dr Lee covers a range of topics relating to coming to terms and healing from religious trauma and rebuilding a life after leaving a cult2024 Science Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • #40 The Virtue of Selfishness
    May 9 2025

    One of the worst things you could be in a cult is selfish.

    Pursue a career? Selfish.
    Go to college? Selfish.
    Skip a meeting because you're too exhausted to feign interest? Selfish.

    When you're handed the grandiose mission of saving the human race from Armageddon, even a tiny spark of personal joy starts to feel like a moral failure.

    But now you're out. You survived. And for the first time, you can do anything you want.

    The only problem?
    You’ve never been allowed to want anything for yourself. It feels weird. It feels wrong. You feel guilty.

    (Which, of course, is by design.)

    In this episode, we’re going to deconstruct and recalibrate the idea of "selfish"—and explore why taking care of your own needs isn’t just okay… it’s essential. For your healing, and for the people you love.

    We’ll cover:

    • How high-control religion weaponizes "selflessness" to keep you obedient

    • Why everything we do—including “selfless” acts—is actually motivated by self-interest (and that’s not a bad thing)

    • The beautiful irony: how prioritizing your joy makes you more generous, more grounded, and more whole

    This is your permission slip to want things, try things, and be a little gloriously selfish—for your own sanity, healing, and yes, the joy of eventually giving back from a full cup.

    DrRyanLee.com/beyondbelief

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    35 mins
  • Musical Rant: 150 ways to beat depression in 5 minutes
    May 4 2025

    Don't come back until you've tried em all

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    5 mins
  • #39 Swallowing the Big D: Spitting in the Face of Depression
    May 2 2025

    From time to time we all get sucked into the sunken place of depression, and some of us sink deeper than others. Until recent year, I'd been in and out of the clinical depression hole most of my life. Today, I walk you through the fool proof blueprint I mapped out myself to climb out of that hole every single time, one I have walked many clients through successfully.

    If you're struggle-bussing, this blueprint will get you out of the hole, and if you're not, it'll keep you out

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    49 mins

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