A lot of you already know my story but here is what caused me to break from Mormonism.
I got baptized at age eighteen, and even before I went under the water, people said I need to go on a mission, because it is such a "great and wonderful experience."
So I more or less get sucked into it and fourteen months later, I am in the MTC learning to speak Spainish.
After six weeks there I am sent home on a "medical realease" for various reasons and go home to the questions and judgments of, "why?"
Well the MTC experience is what got me to see through the Morg and that was almost ten years ago, today I am an official ex mo who has removed his records. But I still rank the MTC as the worst experience of my life and have seena therapist about it, and talked to various non mental health profesionals as well.
Just a few weeks ago, here is what I learned from an ex mo I talked to this about.
He told me that when I got to the MTC the corporation started using their strong arm tactics on me to keep me in line and not question any of the twisted dogma bullshit that they feed everyone there. However, all of my peers who had grown up in Mormonism had long ago figured out ways aroung the MOrg's system and carved out their own identities in TSCC (more or less), where as I had not after only fourteen months.
This went a long way in puting the experience into perspective and I have written a book about it. I will post certain parts of it on here as a preview from time to time...The MTC is what showed me the inner layers of Mormonisms cultish indoctination and madness.

interesting. What your friend told you was very insightful. I didn't go to a therapist after my mission, but could have greatly benefitted from it.

I think the purpose of the MTC is to break down young adults physically and mentally so they can try to reform them in the mold of the morg, very similar to Marine Corps boot camp. However, recruits to the Marines know what they are getting into and seek it and want to be part of the Corps. Young "missionaries" have no clue. They don't know they are part of a cult that seeks to brainwash them in a rather brutal way, if you consider no privacy, no contact with family and friends, and enforced obedience as brutal (I do).

Interesting how BIC kids adapt and learn how to deal with the mormon 'tactics'. I'm a convert, but when I was younger and closer to the missionaries age I'd tell, really? That's what you do? You really believe that? Sometimes you could see the smirk on their faces.

Even with the MTC being the worse experience of your life, you didn't go the field. Hope you're healing fine.

D