Jinger Duggar may have broken free of Institute in Basic Life Principles, a conservative Christian organization, but she still has a long way to go. According to inside intel from a journalist who recently interviewed the former Counting On star, Jinger is still "brainwashed," and she's not out of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's clutches just yet.
Lately, Jinger has been all about sharing how far she's come.
After her book, Becoming Free Indeed, was released at the end of January, it seems like Jinger has been everywhere. She's been interviewed by outlets like Nightline to talk about her experience escaping the cult-like religion she grew up in.
But according to one of her interviewers, it sounds like she may not be as free as she thinks she is.
One journalist described Jinger as a 'shell.'
While talking to vlogger Katie Joy of Without a Crystal Ball, a journalist who recently spoke with Jinger (and chose to remain anonymous) said her interviews have all been limited to 20 minutes, she refuses to answer hard questions, and she is using "scripted talking points" for the questions she will answer.
Uh oh …
The journalist said she still seems 'tethered' to her parents.
It's hard not to notice that Jinger has been careful not to place the blame for the fear she felt in childhood on her parents, instead blaming the IBLP and its former leader, Bill Gothard. It does seem important to her to preserve the relationship she has with parents Jim Bob and Michelle, even as she's saying things they likely don't want to hear.
In fact, the journalist described her as "fragile, dealing with a ton of unresolved or untreated trauma, and zombie like."
Something didn't seem right.
The source added that they got "bad vibes" from her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, and that they felt that there was "something off about him."
"Jinger is just too traumatized," the journalist said. "I worry about her mental health and well-being."
She's been through a lot in recent years.
Not only does the way she described her childhood in the book seem traumatic, but it can't have been easy for Jinger to have spent the last few years working through it.
She still has a long way to go, and hopefully, she will get there … but the picture that this journalist is painting doesn't sound good.
