u/lunarmothrevolution

Does anyone have information about a group known as the Keysters? They follow a man named JJ Dewey, he runs a blog and has an amazon store front for his books of spiritual teachings. The group has yearly spiritual retreats. I remember one happening in Manti, Utah and another in Nauvoo, Illinois. I know there was one a few years ago in Boise, Idaho.

I was born into a family that follows him and his teachings, and I have some pretty traumatic memories associated with this group. Does anyone have any further information about this?

Hi everyone. I am now around 30 years old, and I'm a survivor of CSA. I knew girls just like me when I was a child. Organizations and places that were supposed to be safe places for children became something awful. When I was a kid, I had a best friend I only got to hang out with in the summer on summer vacation. We were around the same age, but she was a bit older than me. I visited my extended family every summer, and I always looked forward to it because we would play pretend in the yard and in the woods for hours. We were just kids.

I tried to tell people what was really going on in my home multiple times in elementary school, middle school, and high school. According to people who knew my family back then, CPS was called to my home for a wellness check by my teachers or school counselors reporting things to the legal system at least once. Probably more times, but I don't remember exactly. I would then have to move to another school in either the same or a different school district, or they would pull me out of school altogether. They always told me it was my fault for "starting drama". I was a child. I realize now that the reason my teenage years and 20's were so dangerous and unstable was because as soon as I had legal independence, I basically disappeared and stopped talking to anyone and everyone who knew me as a child. I wanted to see the world and meet people for myself, because I was so frightened of it.

When I was growing up, every time I started to settle in and make friends I was taken from them, and my access to the outside world and communication was cut off so my family could make me the villain and use me as a scapegoat for all the family issues. They did the same things to my siblings. I was the youngest. It was awful.

My parents weaponized the mental health system, the police, and people who I was supposed to trust like medical doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. I lied to them as a child because I didn't want to be taken away again. I got my first phone when I was 15 that was completely mine. It was weaponized against me when my parents found out that my friends were worried about me. My parents and family always told me I was crazy, or that I was sleepwalking, or dreaming, or that I was a liar, that I was tearing the family apart, that it was my fault that everyone was so angry or fucked up on drugs all the time. As soon as I complied with their demands, I was the family's perfect angel, and they supported me. They taught me that nothing in the entire world was safe except for them, and even then they were not safe people. They were "respectable" and "upstanding citizens", but that wasn't true. Nobody believes you when you're just a little girl.

I just watched a documentary about the father of the girl who was my childhood best friend until she disappeared. I got a letter allegedly from her and a picture while I was at summer camp. After that summer, I never saw her again. I didn't know she had been murdered. I had no idea until a week ago, but I always knew something was wrong. I've been in therapy as an adult who makes my own choices for a long time now, and I never told any of my providers what really happened to me. I was afraid that I'd be taken away and punished for reporting what had happened to me. I'm older now, and meeting my partner has been absolutely life changing for me. He understands what happened, but from a different perspective. His uncle understands. My aunt understands. My mom's mom understands. My mom understood, and she tried so hard to protect me. She tried to leave multiple times. I remember she made a plan with us kids and it never worked because nobody would ever believe us.

I remember her. I'm tired of pretending that it never happened. It was real. It's on Wikipedia. There's a documentary about her real biological father. I never met him as a child, but I knew her grandparents, and I knew my best friend. I knew others just like her. Just like me. I forgot because I had to. Children aren't meant to deal with things like that. I've seen the documentary for myself. It was real. Her father helped pass a law nationwide to protect girls like her. I never knew about it until last week. It was real.

I'm ready to rip the band aid off and move on with my life. I want to help others like me, but I'm so scared. I know I can do it, because I helped my best friend from college leave her awful ex-husband for real. She's okay, and she's safe. I know I can do it too. I'm so happy now, the last few years of my life have been the most happy, fulfilling, and rewarding years ever.

I feel lucky to be here now. I think I need some support with finding a really good therapist and support group to help me get through this. Thank you for just being here and showing up in this world. I'm glad we all survived.