---
title: "Groundbreaking study exposes hidden struggles of ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses in the UK"
date: "2025-08-05T16:27:18+01:00"
modified: "2025-08-06T12:02:53+01:00"
url: "https://humanists.uk/2025/08/05/groundbreaking-study-exposes-hidden-struggles-of-ex-jehovahs-witnesses-in-the-uk/"
post_id: 157536
categories: ["News", "Northern Ireland", "Wales"]
---

# Groundbreaking study exposes hidden struggles of ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses in the UK

![](https://i0.wp.com/humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Faith-to-Faithless-1.webp?resize=1200%2C628&ssl=1)A [groundbreaking study](https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2025.2521569) published in *The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion* has shed light on the profound and long-lasting challenges faced by people leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses and ways in which targeted support can assist their recovery.

Conducted by a national group of academic researchers in collaboration with Faith to Faithless, the Humanists UK programme supporting people who leave high-control religions, the research involved in-depth interviews with 20 ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses in the UK. Participants described significant emotional, social, and practical struggles after leaving – often compounded by shunning, loss of identity, and a lack of understanding from professionals.

#### **The study found:**

- Many experience acute mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, linked both to life inside the religion and to the process of leaving.
- Social isolation is common, with loss of family and friends leaving some feeling like ‘*a little baby*’ navigating the outside world for the first time.
- Professional help is often ineffective due to a lack of awareness about religious trauma.
- Recovery is possible – but requires specialist understanding, safe environments, and supportive relationships.

The authors emphasise that leaving a high-control religion is not a single event but ‘*a complex, ongoing process of rebuilding identity and worldview.*’ With the right support from trained mental health professionals, informed social services, and community networks, former members can ‘*piece everything together again*’ and go on to live fulfilling lives.

#### **Reflecting these findings, Faith to Faithless** **is calling for:**

- Integration of religious trauma awareness for professionals working in NHS mental health services.
- Specialist training for safeguarding and social care professionals to recognise abuse within religious contexts, and the impact of leaving a high-control religious group.
- Statutory funding for therapy and other support services for those leaving high-control religions, as recommended by the government-commissioned [*Bloom Review*](https://humanists.uk/2023/04/26/major-government-report-calls-for-more-religion-in-the-state/) of 2023.

#### **Terri O’Sullivan, Apostate Services Development Officer at Faith to Faithless, said:**

> ‘This research confirms what we see every day: people leaving high-control religions face immense barriers to rebuilding their lives. Without informed support, too many are left isolated, misunderstood, and at risk. But with the right help, recovery is absolutely possible.’

#### Notes

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at <press@humanists.uk> or phone 0203 675 0959.

Read the full study, *Piecing Everything Together Again: Exploring the Experiences of Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses and How to Support Them*:  
<https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2025.2521569>

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