Dr. Martha Beck

Oh, hello. It's so nice to meet you. Yeah, I was privileged enough to have some fairly difficult things in my life. And one of the hardest, probably the hardest, was growing up in the heart of very Mormon, Mormonism, luminaries of the Mormon faith. He defended the faith. It's called being an apologist. So he was very important to Mormonism. And I think it made him crazy.

And part of his crazy was that he sexually abused me. And then I grew up and... After I was having children and trying to not tell any lies, the moment I decided one year not to tell any lies, the memory of the abuse just erupted. If you've had that happen to you, call someone. You need community.

And part of his crazy was that he sexually abused me. And then I grew up and... After I was having children and trying to not tell any lies, the moment I decided one year not to tell any lies, the memory of the abuse just erupted. If you've had that happen to you, call someone. You need community.

And part of his crazy was that he sexually abused me. And then I grew up and... After I was having children and trying to not tell any lies, the moment I decided one year not to tell any lies, the memory of the abuse just erupted. If you've had that happen to you, call someone. You need community.

But yeah, I had... I mean, it literally... I had so much scar tissue in my body. My body wasn't working very well because of all the scar tissue in sensitive areas. So I had surgery for that as well, and that blew it wide open. And I started having what they call intrusive flashbacks. But at the same time, I was looking at is this religion? I love my father. He's passed on, but I love him.

But yeah, I had... I mean, it literally... I had so much scar tissue in my body. My body wasn't working very well because of all the scar tissue in sensitive areas. So I had surgery for that as well, and that blew it wide open. And I started having what they call intrusive flashbacks. But at the same time, I was looking at is this religion? I love my father. He's passed on, but I love him.

But yeah, I had... I mean, it literally... I had so much scar tissue in my body. My body wasn't working very well because of all the scar tissue in sensitive areas. So I had surgery for that as well, and that blew it wide open. And I started having what they call intrusive flashbacks. But at the same time, I was looking at is this religion? I love my father. He's passed on, but I love him.

And I really think it made him crazy to try to wrap his mind around telling people that something was true when it wasn't. It just, there were things that were not true that he found a way to say, oh, they're true. So I never hated him, but I realized that without speaking the truth and living in harmony with my truth, I couldn't survive psychologically. I was very close to taking my own life.

And I really think it made him crazy to try to wrap his mind around telling people that something was true when it wasn't. It just, there were things that were not true that he found a way to say, oh, they're true. So I never hated him, but I realized that without speaking the truth and living in harmony with my truth, I couldn't survive psychologically. I was very close to taking my own life.

And I really think it made him crazy to try to wrap his mind around telling people that something was true when it wasn't. It just, there were things that were not true that he found a way to say, oh, they're true. So I never hated him, but I realized that without speaking the truth and living in harmony with my truth, I couldn't survive psychologically. I was very close to taking my own life.

Couldn't do that to my kids. So I decided to get therapy, do other things. And at that point, my family was like, no, this did not happen. They tried to shut it down. I started getting scary messages from unknown people saying, you've been spreading rumors about your father. You need to... You know, I'm going to drag you behind my truck and tell you, tell the truth, that kind of stuff.

Couldn't do that to my kids. So I decided to get therapy, do other things. And at that point, my family was like, no, this did not happen. They tried to shut it down. I started getting scary messages from unknown people saying, you've been spreading rumors about your father. You need to... You know, I'm going to drag you behind my truck and tell you, tell the truth, that kind of stuff.

Couldn't do that to my kids. So I decided to get therapy, do other things. And at that point, my family was like, no, this did not happen. They tried to shut it down. I started getting scary messages from unknown people saying, you've been spreading rumors about your father. You need to... You know, I'm going to drag you behind my truck and tell you, tell the truth, that kind of stuff.

It was like just from strangers. And then 10 years later, I waited 10 years. And then I wrote a book about it called Leaving the Saints, How I Left the Mormons and Found My Faith, because it was about how I had been set free by the experience of dealing with that. And lo and behold, I decided I believed that there was a divine consciousness that loves us all and is always taking care of us.

It was like just from strangers. And then 10 years later, I waited 10 years. And then I wrote a book about it called Leaving the Saints, How I Left the Mormons and Found My Faith, because it was about how I had been set free by the experience of dealing with that. And lo and behold, I decided I believed that there was a divine consciousness that loves us all and is always taking care of us.

It was like just from strangers. And then 10 years later, I waited 10 years. And then I wrote a book about it called Leaving the Saints, How I Left the Mormons and Found My Faith, because it was about how I had been set free by the experience of dealing with that. And lo and behold, I decided I believed that there was a divine consciousness that loves us all and is always taking care of us.

So when that book came out, yeah, my family tried to take legal action to have me put in prison. I lost every friendship I'd had growing up because everyone was Mormon in that community. And going against the church and leaving the church is considered the only sin worse than murder.

So when that book came out, yeah, my family tried to take legal action to have me put in prison. I lost every friendship I'd had growing up because everyone was Mormon in that community. And going against the church and leaving the church is considered the only sin worse than murder.

So when that book came out, yeah, my family tried to take legal action to have me put in prison. I lost every friendship I'd had growing up because everyone was Mormon in that community. And going against the church and leaving the church is considered the only sin worse than murder.

I knew I had to write it. Yes. But I was terrified. And pretty much all the things that I thought would happen, happened. You know, my publishers called me after the galleys came out and said, why didn't you tell us about this? And I was like, I tried. They were like, we're getting death threats. I was like, yeah, I know.