Exmormonology

Wildflower, get your pen and paper ready for this Exmormonology Episode. My intention for you is to get your brain working for you instead of against you and to make this happen you will need to be an active participant in your life and in your healing. It is easy to be a consumer of information, but to make small AND big changes in your life you need to prime your brain. So, let's walk towards dream land and start creating what you want your life to be like. Okay?! yay! Let's go!

It is normal for you to feel a bit lost after your mormon faith crisis. I mean, when your life narrative has been removed and you feel left grappling in the dark, it can feel very lonely and confusing. Today, I want to talk about what to do about it and how you can start rephrasing this chapter of your life. Many of us feel like we have to "find ourselves" and that thought alone can be overwhelming. Where does one look to find themselves? In the back of the spare bedroom closet? Under the throw blanket on the couch? Nah, that is not how this works. The answer is quite simple and not as daunting as you may be thinking. Let's have some fun with finding yourself!

Researching and staying abreast of all things mormon is a common part of mormon deconstruction. We want to find the perfect proof to show our loved ones how we came to our decision to leave the church. Or at least make sure we have crossed our Ts and dotted our Is, because, you know...our eternal salvation and all. Makes sense, right? Let's talk about why we do this and when it may be time to stop, or at least reduce the time spent looking.

The title says it all really. If you have ever felt the difficult feeling of shame, I hope this episode gives you permission to start letting go. It is possible.

So many layers to unravel after you deconstruct mormonism. Sex, sexuality, and sexual Identity and orientation are all part of the process. This week I want to share some of the personal pieces of my post mormon story as it relates to self pleasure, free falling in Hollywood, and figuring out some things about my sexual stereotypes and how sometimes we have to stumble around in the dark to figure it all out. We have talked about how we, as exmormons, initially feel very infantile as we remove the rose colored glasses from our existence, here on Exmormonology. Giving yourself permission to explore and figure things our for yourself is a huge piece of your healing. It can be hard with the thought that contribute to guilt and shame. Let's bust through that together.

Choose The Right vs. Choose The Wrong ~ The psychological implications from the "innocent" mormon acronym CTR are pretty big and may be playing a bigger role in your post mormon healing than you think. This week on Exmormonology I break it down for you so you can see what you are up against with your religious deconstruction.

Let's talk about our feelings, shall we? In this episode of Exmormonology I want to talk about what happens if you are in the habit of putting your emotions in The Emotional Time Capsule. The ETC is the collection of all the feelings you would rather not feel and so you tuck them away and hope that you never need to unearth/feel those emotions. If it only worked that way, right? Your overall generalized anxiety is most likely caused from all of the emotions you are not wanting to sit with and feel all the way through. Grab your ear buds and lean in wildflower, I have a feeling this episode is going to help you understand what is going on in your brain and in your heart.

If you missed the first part of our convo, go listen to Ep. 65 first! In part two of our discussion we continue with A'Lea's thoughts and feelings as she steps into navigating polyamory with her husband, mindfulness, Peter and getting "out of the boat", modesty standards and family, body positivity and how it has changed, racism and body image, confessing your sexual past with your future spouse (TBM style) and so much more! If you missed the first part of our convo, go listen!!!

This is a first for Exmormonology! A'Lea Harris and I sit down for a conversation around all things body. So many of us have a love hate relationship with our bodies and it often consumes so much of our brain space, even when we think we are not thinking about it. We spend a lifetime trying to love ourselves and love the body we are in. The struggle is real. This conversation is rich. We peel back so many layers and discuss the multifaceted influences that contribute the thoughts and feelings we have with our body. I hope you love this conversation. You can find A'Lea at all your favorite social media places. @badd_woolf Enjoy!

I am calling this Exmormonology episode "The Recovering Good Girl." So many layers to shed when deconstructing from a high demand religion, so many if fact that it can feel very overwhelming. This week let's talk about how many of us have been shaped into good girls and what we can do about it. If even the thought of being a good girl grates at you, tune in, this is going to be a good one.