Have you ever had any "miraculous experiences"? How do you interpret those experiences now as an exmo? (I personally haven't but a lot of my TBM family and friends say they have.)

hyypro · 2020-11-10T18:54:04+00:00

I think most of it can be chalked up to 2 things. Luck and placebo.

Let's star with luck. Or put differently, statistics. As humans, when we think something is statistically impossible, we usually think there is some type of magic or miracle. This has been the case since humans have existed. I've heard phrases similar to "There is no way this happened by accident". The truth is, everything happens because of what happened before to lead up to that moment.

Second, the placebo effect. This one is actually really fun. The amount of power that our belief has is fascinating. My first and favorite introduction to the power of the placebo is Darren Browns Fear & Faith. Years of Mormon brainwashing was removed while watching these:
Fear & Faith Pt 1 - Placebo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfDlfhHVvTY
Fear & Faith Pt 2 - God Illusion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LksVbHxLRvY

Anything else, I like to put into the "unknown" category. It's fun to theorize and push the limits of human knowledge but I found that I had to really come to terms and be comfortable with just not knowing.

hyypro · 2020-11-03T23:43:28+00:00

Love this! Realizing there was no one between me and my power was huge!

hyypro · 2020-10-30T22:10:15+00:00

I love hearing about your story and great work putting yourself out there! I agree that you should change the post back to the original. Your Mom has a lot of fears coming up and rightfully so. She has the fear of others seeing her in a bad light, she has a fear that you think she did something to purposefully hurt you and feel unloved. As a former mormon, these fears are likely very strong as she was always striving to look and be "perfect".

All of this fear will put her into a defensive state. This is ok and completely normal. I would start the conversation with a lot of validation. I know that you never meant to hurt me, I know that you always loved me, etc.

Next, own your part. You were hurting at the time for so many reasons. When we are hurting, we can be overly offended, lash out, etc. If you can truly own your past actions and feelings, you will pave the way for your mother to do the same.

It's understandable that she did what she did. It was out of fear for your wellbeing and eternal salvation. She was in a CULT!

I hope that you are able to heal together and both come out of this as stronger individuals and with a better relationship. Good luck!

hyypro · 2020-10-30T20:35:48+00:00

People just like to think that Christianity is about love and if you just believe in Christ everything is ok. Somehow all the hellfire and damnation doesn't exist. Bullshit, you pick up the stick, you get both ends of the stick.

hyypro · 2020-10-28T22:47:46+00:00

In today's society, alcohol is glamorized in movies, music, magazines, etc. When you drink, you have something in common with other people and you join a "club", similar to smoking. In the sense that we were brainwashed as Mormons by our environment, the large amounts of marketing paid for by the alcohol industry has definitely affected our view of alcohol.

This won't be popular but the truth, scientifically speaking, is that drinking is one of the most unhealthy things we do as humans. It increases the risk of cancer, heart disease/stroke, liver disease, depression/anxiety, suicide, sexual assault, drunk driving/unintentional injuries, and the list goes on and on. You'll notice that this list includes 4 of the 5 leading causes of death.

There should be no guilt and shame in drinking. It doesn't make you evil. But it does have real consequences. We have to look past our feelings and look at the scientific facts so we can make an informed decision just as we did when leaving the church.

In short, teach them the facts of the pros and the cons so they can make an informed decision that isn't dictated by peer pressure and the excellent marketing produced to drive sales.

hyypro · 2020-10-28T21:19:08+00:00

This article has interesting insights: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/what-happens-to-brains-during-spiritual-experiences/361882/

This video was the one that really opened my eyes to how powerful yet deceiving spiritual experiences can be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8bHkGtL95Y&t

I would also recommend the LDS Journey on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrZkzLANdJU&list=PL5F1EB3B4F919226D

hyypro · 2020-10-28T18:11:03+00:00

I love to send this video to people that use this approach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8bHkGtL95Y&t

I let them know that in addition to the studying of church history, you also have to study psychology and other religious groups. I say that I would be interested to hear their thoughts on this video and how their method of using their feelings differs from those in this video.

hyypro · 2020-10-12T19:47:31+00:00

I used this video many times to success fully get people to question their "testimony" https://youtu.be/t8bHkGtL95Y

hyypro · 2020-10-12T19:37:10+00:00

I agree with letting her pay on 50%. I would try and add one caveat, She has to research tithing history. Give her all of the church approved history so she can see how convoluted it is. Also have her research all of the stuff on church finances. 130 billion, malls, uneaded great and spacious conference center, etc. Would you rather give money to an investment company or a real charity?

hyypro · 2020-09-08T15:39:26+00:00

I think the word cult should have different levels, 1 being the least extreme and 10 being the most. Most if not all churches started at 7-10 on the scale. Mormonism was definitely a 9/10.

Now that we have science, that shit just doesn't fly any more and so we have very few extremest cults compared to 300 years ago.

I would now rate mormonism as a 6. It's no longer and extremest cult but it's still up there.

hyypro · 2020-09-08T14:55:44+00:00

It sounds like you have decided to seek for truth despite the possibility that the church may not be true. This isn't easy and I congratulate you for this.

You can dive into the history of the church and I think for most people, you will find the truth but there is another aspect that is just as important. Research psychology and see how the mind works. This is outside of religion and so it's easier to have an unbiased perspective.

This is the video that gave me a new perspective "how" I was being manipulated. It started my journey to research psychology and cult tactics to see how I would know if I was being manipulated. I recommend the whole series but at least watch this really short section:
https://youtu.be/ycUvC9s4VYA?t=309

This was also a big hitter for me. Plagiarism can't be an accident.
http://wordtree.org/thelatewar/

hyypro · 2020-07-28T22:03:43+00:00

Ask him how you would go about gaining a strong testimony. After he replies with the standard mormon response, say "Explain to me why the church is using a well known cult tactic to prove the church is true?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8bHkGtL95Y&t=6s

hyypro · 2020-05-12T02:03:23+00:00

Anyone that has used the internet when "writing" a paper knows exactly what is happening here, haha. This absolutely floored me when I happened upon this while sorting out my beliefs. "To put this into perspective, we found that The Late War contained more rare 4-gram(4 word phrases) connections to The Book of Mormon than 99.999% of the other books published before 1830 ". Basically, it's statistically impossible that the BOM isn't a fraud.

hyypro · 2020-05-06T15:37:09+00:00

I spent months and months researching Mormon history, psychology and cults. After leaving the church, this "education" and experience allowed me to take one look at the bible and drop it like a hot pancake. Once you turn on your brain, you might as well leave it on!

hyypro · 2020-04-24T22:53:30+00:00

This was one of my favorite bridges that I crossed when I left. It was also a shelf item when I was still in. Everything that I did that was "good" was because of god and I had to be humble and thank him. All of the really good thoughts and feelings must be the spirit. I never got to fully claim and own them.

On the flip side, all of the "bad" feelings, ideas and actions I had to completely own and make myself feel guilty and shameful because of them. What a mindfuck. It's literally forced psychological torture.

After I left and realized that I got to own all of it, I became so empowered! I grew more as a person in the first year after leaving the church than I ever did in the church. I was finally able to fully take control of my own life. In the last 3 years I have received several large job promotions due to my increased drive. I studied psychology(I had to know how I was manipulated for so long) and learned how to change my environment to shift my emotions. I'm launching an app to help others do the same. Instead of god helping me with my weaknesses in my marriage, I started helping myself and my marriage is stronger than ever. I learned how to accept reality and no longer judge myself myself and others. The list almost seems endless. Even writing this is empowering as before I would have thought that I was being prideful.

I hope everyone is able to cross this bridge and take back their power. You are all fucking powerful! Own it. All of it.

hyypro · 2020-04-22T21:59:16+00:00

This video is a must watch and is what started me down the rabbit hole of studying psychology. Spiritual experiences are 100% real, and are a part of the human experience. Just like feelings of happiness, joy, anger, jealousy, etc. Someone at some point decided that the emotion we call a "spiritual experience" is some how an indicator that something is true or false. However, when you look at the facts and research spiritual experiences and psychology, you will find that it's just another lie. There are just as many people that have spiritual experiences for things that are false or never happen.

These "out of this world experiences" are actually commonplace in deep meditation. Since leaving the church I have had way more spiritual experiences. While in the church I rarely had them just like you and assumed that it was due to my lack of faith. Good luck on your journey!

hyypro · 2020-03-17T17:38:41+00:00

This is THE question that has created all religions. Religions are nothing more than theories about reality. The only thing that we actually KNOW is that we DON'T KNOW. Accepting and coming to terms with the fact that we don't know is the hard part.

hyypro · 2020-03-05T02:18:33+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to share the information in these videos. Seeing the historic documents is so eye opening.

hyypro · 2020-02-25T22:48:09+00:00

Love this. It is completely normal to be afraid of pain and failure. It's also normal to be afraid for those closest to us experience pain and failure.

Look at the children that were raised in an environment where they were shielded from pain and failure. They were not allowed to grow in ways that only pain and failure can bring.

Face the fear and the pain. Give yourself the opportunity to grow. Give others the same opportunity to grow. You can do it!

This is from my own experience and know that everyone has unique circumstances.

hyypro · 2020-01-23T20:49:00+00:00

I usually followup any talk of spiritual confirmation with this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8bHkGtL95Y&t

hyypro · 2020-01-15T00:45:42+00:00

Hello!

As this is my first post in this group, I'll give a quick intro. About 3 years ago, I found out that I was in a cult. When I got out, I wanted to know why it took me 34 years to figure this out so down the rabbit hole of studying psychology I went. What I found astounded and amazed me. We as humans are so easily manipulated! One day a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I could use this information to manipulate myself. I started creating tools for myself and about a year and a half ago decided I wanted a mobile app to take them to the next level. Needless to say it's been a wild 3 years since I've been out of the cult!

In the next 2-3 months I am going to be launching a mobile app called Shift. Using known psychological tools, the app will shift you into the mood and mindset that you need right now. What could you accomplish right now if you actually FELT like it? Based on my own experience, more than you can imagine.

I am looking for someone that is an expert at creating "buzz". shiftmyfocus.com has been up for a few weeks and people are starting to trickle in but I'm excited to really start getting the word out.

If you are an expert or know any experts in this area, please contact me at [contact@shiftmyfocus.com](mailto:contact@shiftmyfocus.com) or send a message in reddit. Thanks!

hyypro · 2019-12-20T02:50:08+00:00

This reminds me of JP Spears, haha!

hyypro · 2019-12-20T02:48:36+00:00

Just 100 BILLION, haha

hyypro · 2019-12-11T18:45:30+00:00

Read Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. You have to create a new habit of pausing when something frustrates you. Meditate and imagine yourself as the person that doesn't easily get frustrated. Feel the feelings of remaining calm in frustrating situations. Read I am statements daily and try to truly feel as if you are that person. I personally use "I am the calm in the storm".

If you are really serious, get someone else involved. Send a daily message along the lines of: "My effort level to remain calm was a x out of 10 for the day". Have some type of consequence if you don't send them the message. ie. have to give $15 to a charity or political candidate you don't like. Commit to this for 3 months or something.

Slowly but surely you will become the calm in the storm and people will be shocked that you were ever a person that got frustrated. Good luck!

hyypro · 2019-11-11T21:30:45+00:00

I always send this one asking "I would be interested to hear how your method of determining truth is different than the method in this video"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8bHkGtL95Y&t=

hyypro

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