Bonnie Zieman

After thirty years as a baptized member of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bonnie Zieman faded her way out of the cult and obtained the education she'd been denied while in. After training in two schools of psychotherapy (Gestalt and Psychosynthesis) and obtaining a master's degree in education, Bonnie became a licensed psychotherapist. She worked in private practice for over twenty years. Busy with her education, training and then private practice, she had not kept abreast of the Jehovah's Witness or EX-Jehovah's Witness communities. Once she learned of the thousands who were now exiting JW.org and the toll the cult's strict shunning policy was taking on their lives (isolation from family and friends, rampant depression, PTSD and even suicides) she wanted to apply her knowledge and experience to help. Writing recovery-related books seemed like the obvious course. Bonnie has written, Exiting the JW Cult: A Healing Handbook"; "The Challenge to Heal: A Recovery Guide ..."; and the accompanying "The Challenge to Heal Workbook & Journal"; as well as "Fading Out of the JW Cult: A Memoir" about her thirty years in the cult, the struggle to leave it, and the challenges faced trying to create a new life once out. You can learn more about Bonnie and her work at her website, bonniezieman.com