This is the Shame Free Zone and I do my best to model as much transparency as is possible. Yet I can be just as blind to some truths about myself, as anyone else. I often joke that I’m in denial about something right now. I just don’t know what it is.
Yet.
I know that if I diligently pursue a path of introspection, recovery and healing, those truths have and will continue to become clearer over time. It’s also true, that I sometimes know the facts but don’t understand their significance or even how to talk about them.
Recently, I began to see my childhood more clearly. It’s an ongoing journey. I’ve shared before that my mother belonged to a Christian cult. I have shared before that my father molested my sister and me. But what I’ve never shared before is that:
I was imprisoned by my father from birth until I was fourteen. Then he finally allowed me to start attending church.
It’s been easier to tell you things that are readily found in the culture. Incest, child molesting and religious cults, as painful and horrific as they are, don’t describe what was most painful and horrific for me: being confined and isolated in ways that are difficult for most people to comprehend.
Nevertheless, I shared some of those painful details in a podcast. I’m writing every bit of it into a book now.
My generous and gentle hosts for this podcast interview, were Amy Adams and Whitney Walker, two remarkable women I feel great affection for.
Here’s how Amy Adams describes my interview for her program, You Here Now:
In the first half of this episode, Veronica shares her story of growing up in a cult, her experience with sexual abuse, and her complicated journey that led her to confront her past and later heal. In the second half, Whitney Walker and I meet up with Veronica Monet to discuss her work, her healing journey, how others can heal, too and her upcoming book.
Topics in this episode include cults, religious trauma, therapy, healing, sexual abuse, incest, suicide, cancel culture and ancestral healing.
This is the first time I’ve told this much of my story. It’s still hard to listen to my own words. It will probably be a little easier for you to hear about my strange, abusive childhood. But however it is for you to learn this about me, I’d like to hear from you after you listen to the podcast.
Although my experiences are extreme and rare, you will probably find yourself relating to some of the emotions. So be gentle with you.