RSM wrote:
[align=center]

For up-coming

WORKSHOP

see most recent

POST[/align]

From Email Announcement:

In this newsletter:

Upcoming "Release and Reclaim" retreat November 2-4 near San Francisco
www.RecoveryFromReligion.org Call for Submissions!

LEAVING YOUR RELIGION?
It's not the end of the world.
Join us at a recovery retreat.

"RELEASE AND RECLAIM"
A workshop for letting go of religious indoctrination and reclaiming your life.

Led by Marlene Winell, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Leaving the Fold, A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion

WHEN: FRIDAY, Nov 2, 7PM until SUNDAY, Nov 4, 3PM.

WHERE: The YMCA Point Bonita Conference Center, 10 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, CA http://www.pointbonitaymca.org

COST: $320 for the workshop, $135 for room and board A deposit of $100 will secure a space. $20 discount for payment by Oct. 10. $20 REBATE for written exercises completed before the workshop.

Authoritarian religious training can seriously impact your ability to live a full life. Recovery involves reclaiming your right to your own thoughts and feelings. But it's not easy and leaving one's faith often creates intense feelings of confusion, grief, anxiety, and anger. Moving on can be difficult if the issues are not clear and you feel alone in the struggle.

This workshop is designed to support you in this process of healing and growth. The weekend is a powerful group experience of sharing personal history, examining key issues, healing activities, and exploring new liberating concepts. We'll use dance, art, role-play, guided imagery as needed. . .and we'll have fun too.

To register, send an email to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com with your contact information, or call 510-292-0509 Register soon to save a place. Financial need will be considered.

For more information, including info from past workshops, visit Dr. Winell's website: www.marlenewinell.net or

About Dr. Winell: Marlene Winell is a psychologist and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies. She has worked in human services for 30 years and has private practice in Berkeley, CA. She specializes in group work, communications training for couples, and recovery from religious indoctrination. She also consults by telephone.

Calling all ex-fundamentalists!
Calling all ex-fundamentalists (from all varieties of groups with rigid, authoritarian qualities, including evangelical Christian, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Christian Science, Scientology, Moonies, Eastern cults, etc.) who have successfully broken free and have a story to tell. Please help us at www.RecoveryFromReligion.org by submitting your testimonial!

A small group of us are putting together a new website designed to provide hope and resources to people who are in the process of leaving their dogmatic religion, and others who want to support them. We'd like visitors to know they are not alone in their struggle, others have successfully left, and help is available.

As many of you know, the rise of fundamentalist religion in this country is leaving millions of casualties in its wake. Countless Americans struggle every day with the confusion, fear, guilt, anger, and grief that often accompany leaving an all-encompassing world view, often while being ostracized from their prior social network. Many are desperate for support from others who can understand their experience.

www.RecoveryFromReligion.org will feature testimonials (both written and video) from former fundamentalists, and a selection of writings, faqs, resources, self-assessment quizzes, links, and other interactive functionality. We want visitors to the site to feel welcomed and at ease, not barraged by angry polemics or strident graphic design. This tone will be especially important because many who are in the early stages of leaving dogmatic religion worry that even seeking information is a sin.

This website will in general not be anti-God, anti-religion, or anti-spiritual. We are anti-dogma, to put it simply. We are concerned about HARMFUL FORMS of religion that take away individual sovereignty and require conformity to the group's theology, behavior, and mindset. The support and services we offer are designed to help people let go of dysfunctional beliefs (eg. original sin, hell-fire), reclaim their rights to their own thoughts and feelings, and rebuild their lives in line with their own chosen values.

Please help us build this resource by submitting your testimonial! We're looking for testimonials that describe the challenges you faced, and some things that were helpful along the way. You may also want to describe how you're doing now, and offer any advice, suggestions, or encouragement you may have for folks who are considering leaving their dogmatic religion or still struggling through the process. You do not have to consider your own healing and growth to be finished. It's fine to talk about what you've experienced so far, and remaining issues you are still dealing with. The point is to provide visitors with some hope that there is life after fundamentalism. As you know, the phobia indoctrination about what will happen to you if you leave is pretty strong.

What's in it for you? Writing a testimonial to publish online could help you clarify your thoughts and even be a growth experience, and would certainly be a gift that will help others. Testimonials can be published anonymously by request. All email correspondence is 100% confidential. By way of thanks, we will give you access to the online version of Marlene Winell's book, "Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion." You can download the book and workbook for free.

Video: Please upload your clip(s) to youtube.com and email the link(s) to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com . If you don't have access to a video camera but are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can also contact us. We are looking to have a testimonial video party in Alameda on October 6th from 10am to 1pm. Refreshments will be be provided. If you are interested, please RSVP by email to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com as soon as you can. If this time doesn't work you, we may also be able to arrange another time.

Written: Please try to keep it under 1000 words, although we can still publish your piece if it goes over this length. Send submissions to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com and attach a headshot of yourself we can put up there. Please specify clearly that you would like us to post your testimonial on the website, and whether you would like us to credit you as the author or to publish your work anonymously.

Edited to add notice.

Marlene Winell announces another workshop for FRIDAY, Feb. 29, 7PM until SUNDAY, Mar. 2, 3PM at "a beautiful house near the beach in Alameda, California, minutes from Oakland Airport."

COST: $320 for the workshop, $125 for room and board.
A deposit of $100 will secure a space. $25 discount given for full payment by Feb. 10. Financial need considered and options available.

TO REGISTER or for more information: Send an email to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com or call 510-292-0509.
Register soon to save a place. Group size is limited to 8.

mwinell@gmail.com

[align=center]Leaving your Religion?

or still feeling the effects?

It's not the end of the world!

Join us at a recovery retreat in August, 2008, in Berkeley, CA.[/align]

Release and Reclaim I, Aug. 8-10, will be a supportive retreat for those who are beginning to let go of toxic beliefs and recover from an authoritarian religion such as Christian fundamentalism.

Release and Reclaim II, Aug. 15-17, will be an advanced weekend for moving beyond religion and reclaiming a life of joy, creativity, and connection. It will be open to those who have already attended a retreat or have done healing work already.

Both retreats are led by Dr. Marlene Winell, author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving the Fold. Interested participants are asked to discuss their situation with Marlene first. Both weekends are also open to professionals by special arrangement. Call Dr. Winell at 510-292-0509

[align=center]RELEASE and RECLAIM I: Sorting it out and Healing[/align]

Do you feel alone in your struggle for healing? Join us for a powerful weekend with others who can understand and support you. We'll rant and rave, tell our stories, discuss the issues, visualize, role-play, dance and draw – whatever it takes to let go of toxic teachings and reclaim our lives. A joyful, empowered life is your birthright and we will use individual and group processes for learning new directions. Bring your sense of humor and plan to have fun too.

WHEN: FRIDAY, August 8, 7PM until SUNDAY, August 10, 3PM

[align=center]RELEASE and RECLAIM II: Growing and Thriving[/align]
Have you left your religion behind but you're not sure what's next? Join others who are feeling liberated and wanting to rebuild a life that allows full, creative expression of who you are. We'll help each other with courage and confidence dealing with "the world," sharing our experiences and doing exercises for tapping into inner resources of wisdom, love, and strength – perhaps more than you ever expected if you were taught to be dependant!

We'll look at issues of enjoying life now instead of later, sexuality, "spirituality," and relationships. In a supportive group, we'll use art, movement, and visualization as well as discussion. Bring your wild and worldly self and plan to have a great time.

WHEN: FRIDAY, August 15, 7PM until SUNDAY, August 17, 3PM.

[align=center]BOTH RETREATS:[/align]

WHERE: A beautiful house in Berkeley, California, with hot tub and other amenities. The closest airport is Oakland, and we can help you with connections from there.

COST: $320 for the workshop, $125 for room and board. $445 total. $25 discount given for full payment by July 20. Financial need considered and options available.

TO REGISTER: Contact Marlene Winell for a telephone discussion about your interest. Send an email to mwinell@gmail.com or call 510-292-0509. $100 deposit will then secure a space. Register soon as group size is limited to 8.

Note: These retreats are designed to help develop networks of support that extend beyond a single weekend. With time for sharing meals and relaxing in a house together, participants often make lasting friends - face to face, not virtual! We also have an online group and conference calls as a follow-up support system.

See a Youtube video of a retreat at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tXprPoqYk
Read comments about a previous retreat at: http://marlenewinell.net/node/31
More information: www.marlenewinell.net

Hello everybody,

I hope this finds you doing well. You are receiving this newsletter either because you have either been recovering from harmful aspects of authoritarian religion or you have an interest in being of assistance to others. As you may know, this has been both my personal and professional experience. Leaving the Fold is the self-help book I wrote on the subject and I am now holding weekend retreats to facilitate small groups in sharing the healing process together. Dates for more of these weekends are listed below.

Also in this newsletter is a description of our new website dedicated to recovery services. We are inviting you to assist with this in any way you can. You are also invited to visit my own renovated website, thanks to Ryan Wadsworth.

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter or post information on your website. Thank-you in advance.

I'd love to hear from you and find out what's new with you! If you know of any other counseling or recovery services, let me know and we'll add it to the data base in the new website.

Kind regards,
Marlene

Marlene Winell, Ph.D.
Berkeley, CA 510-292-0509

Upcoming "Release and Reclaim" retreats beginning March 13-15 in Massachusetts

We are currently organizing several "Release and Reclaim" retreats:

• Amherst, Massachusetts: Friday, March 13th to Sunday March 15th
• Orange County: Friday April 18 to Sunday April 20
• SF Bay Area: May 22-24
• Colorado Springs: June. Exact dates TBA.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Dr. Winell as soon as possible: 510.292.0509. Space is limited.


"Release and Reclaim" workshops and groups are designed to support you in releasing the toxic beliefs of religious indoctrination and reclaim your life, based on trusting yourself and building a life of your own choosing. The weekend retreat is a powerful group experience of sharing personal history, examining key issues, and exploring new concepts for life and spirituality. The group provides a safe and nurturing place to express feelings without judgment. In addition to discussion, we use experiential methods including art, guided visualization, movement, and role-play. There is also time for shared meals, relaxation, and fun. Participants are encouraged to develop networks for continued friendship and support.


For more information, comments from previous participants, and a video of excerpts from a recent retreat, please visit http://marlenewinell.net/page/release-and-reclaim-workshop.

Retreat objectives are to help you:

• Release the hold of dysfunctional religious teachings.
• Reclaim your own thoughts and feelings.
• Discover self-love and learn to trust yourself.
• Recognize and draw from your own inner resources for wisdom and strength.
• Explore new avenues for meaning in life.
• Appreciate the freedom and power when you take personal responsibility for your life.
• Practice enjoying life now instead of waiting for the next.

A Resource list is provided with recommended books and readings and websites. You will also be invited to join the confidential group, "Release and Reclaim" for online discussion and regular conference calls for continued support.

Building a website with recovery resources: RecoveryFromReligion.org

As many of you know, recovering from harmful religious indoctrination can be a difficult process. It helps to know you are not alone and discuss issues with others. At present, there are quite a few excellent websites with testimonials and debates. People are challenged to think for themselves and many books are suggested that challenge authoritarian religious systems.


We believe there is still a need for a website with resources and services designed to help people emotionally heal from the damage of toxic religion. In addition to the intellectual work needed to get free of old beliefs, there are psychological and interpersonal areas of growth that need attention.

Because of this, we are currently assembling a team of people motivated to help others on the path to recovery. Specifically, we will be working to organize and redesign RecoveryFromReligion.org into a content-rich site that helps visitors to know they are not alone in their struggle, that others have successfully left, and that help is available.

If you would like to be notified about an upcoming conference call where we will be getting to know each other and discussing vision and next steps, please fill out this questionnaire: http://drupal6.recoveryfromreligion.org/node/1.

The site will be designed from the ground up to best meet the needs of people at various stages of leaving toxic religion. This will not be a site for lengthy stories of what people have endured. Rather, it will emphasize pathways to health. We will have messages of hope and information about how to recover and thrive. Resources will be listed for counseling, groups, retreats, events, and materials helpful to the recovery process.


Building this resource is an exciting but sizeable task with many opportunities for people to help (not just web designers!). Some possible tasks that one or more people might be able to help with include:

• continuing to research and catalog the community of ex-fundamentalist websites. This includes collecting links and contact information, and contributing to an annotated bibliography of resources.
• participating in conversations about long-term vision and short-term priorities.
• editing and uploading articles about the recovery process
• writing your own testimonial!
• drafting and contributing to new resources, including self-assessment quizzes, articles, and faq's.
• html/css/photoshop webdesign
• logo design
• editing and uploading video
• drupal configuration. (drupal is the open-source content management system we will be using.)
• testing the site and offering suggestions for how to make it easier to use.
• and more...(we are open to ideas)

If you would like to be notified about an upcoming conference call where we will be getting to know each other and discussing next steps, please fill out this questionnaire: http://drupal6.recoveryfromreligion.org/node/1

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Wadsworth: 510.712.6422

Refreshed!

We have rebuilt www.MarleneWinell.net as an easy-to-use access point for Dr. Winell's writings, recommended resources, and services. The new site features video interviews about the abusive effects of indoctrination by authoritarian religion: http://marlenewinell.net/page/recovery-harmful-religion, and excerpts from a recent "Release and Reclaim" workshop: http://marlenewinell.net/page/release-and-reclaim-workshop. Please send any feedback you have on the redesign to ryanrain@gmail.com.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Dr. Marlene Winell's recovery from religion announcement list" group.
To post to this group, send email to recoveryfromreligion@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to recoveryfromreligion+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/recovery ... gion?hl=en
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Hello,

This a reminder about the "Release and Reclaim" recovery retreats that are coming up. The first is in Amherst, MA and we still have room. Please let us know ASAP if you want to reserve a space. Remember that there is a sliding scale and other help via financing and volunteer work.

We would also appreciate you sharing this information with anyone who might benefit, and posting it on websites, etc. Attached is a flyer you can also print. Thanks so much!

Kind regards,
Marlene

[align=center]Leaving Your Religion?

It's not end of the world!
It's not the end of the world!

Join us for a powerful weekend with others
who can understand and support you.

“RELEASE AND RECLAIM” Recovery Retreat

March 20-22, 2009; Amherst, Mass. (Friday at 7pm until Sunday at 3pm)

at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast on an organic farm[/align]

This program is for you if you want to let go of toxic, authoritarian beliefs and reclaim your ability to trust your own feelings and think for yourself.

Leaving your faith can be a very difficult process, but you don’t have to go it alone. At a Release and Reclaim Recovery Retreat participants can:

[list][*]Share personal stories
[*]Examine key issues
[*]Learn coping strategies
[*]Meet others and build a support system
[*]Enjoy meals, relaxation, and fun[list]

These retreats are led by Marlene Winell, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion. Dr. Winell has a private practice in Berkeley, CA and also consults by telephone.

COST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write to COST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write to COST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write to COST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write toCOST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write toCOST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write toCOST: Sliding scale: $200 - $320 for workshop, $125 for room and board (all meals included). A $100 deposit will secure a space.
$65 reduction if you sleep elsewhere. Financial need considered and options available for financing.


TO REGISTER: Write to recoveryfromreligion@gemail.com, (subject line “retreat registration”) or call Dr. Winell directly at 510.292.0509 to discuss. Retreat space is limited so contact us as soon as possible.

WANT TO TALK? If you are unsure, you are welcome to chat about your situation and consider all the options available for meeting your needs. Just call Marlene at 510-292-0509

MORE INFORMATION: For the dates of more upcoming retreats, testimonials,
and videos, please visit {http://www.marlenewinell.net/]www.marlenewinell.net[/url]

[align=center]MORE RETREATS ARE ON THE WAY IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS.

• Orange County, CA: April 18-20, 2009
• San Francisco Bay Area: May 22-24, 2009
• Denver: June 5-7, 2009.[/align]

WANT A RETREAT IN YOUR AREA? Contact us! recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com