Because if there's one thing a young guy struggling with his identity needs, it's a counselor who thinks this is therapeutic.
After his "failed" exorcism, Josh suffered from Religious Trauma Syndrome: a form of PTSD caused by close proximity to a Jesus explosion.
"Depression, anxiety, and fatigue impacted my ability to function throughout the days and months following," he says. "I would break into sweats thinking about my place in eternity."
Josh's entire worldview was shattered, and the first step towards reassembling the shards was to force a break of his own: "I had to break away from all of it. Similar to ripping off a Band-Aid, the pain was immediate but didn't last. I began turning off all the outside noises of church friends and religious leaders, instead listening to my inner voice. 1 Kings 19:12 tells of the sound of a gentle whisper following an earthquake and a fire. I look at my conversion therapy as those natural disasters, and afterwards came the whisper of truth from within telling me I am beloved by the God I believe in. It took a while to hear that voice."
Josh Sanders is an inclusion consultant, social justice activist and media talent. Follow him on Twitter @joshbsanders. Jason is an editor for Cracked. Exorcise his insecurity demons by liking his Facebook page.
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