Kristin Evans
Co-Founder
Kristin Evans is a Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Her healing journey began at the age of 13; after a series of self destructive behaviors landed her in therapy. At the age of 14 she confronted the man who had abused her throughout her childhood. When he denied everything she went into a deep depression that lasted many years. Unable to ever have her day in court or meet her attacker face to face again she felt she had lost her voice; perhaps permanently.
Today Kristin Evans has reclaimed her voice. At 26 years old she has begun to speak publicly about Childhood Sexual Abuse and its aftermath. In her spare time she has created a website called “Leaving the Cocoon” (linked above) developed for Survivors of Abuse and the Secondary Survivors who love them. She moderates and is active in several support groups on
Myspace.com:
“Cultivating Hope after Abuse”
http://groups.myspace.com/CultivatingHopeAfterAbuse
“Trauma: Dissociation and PTSD”
http://groups.myspace.com/DissociationPTSD
“Our Voices”
http://groups.myspace.com/OurVoices
In addition she also runs multiple blogs on her favorite subjects: hope and healing.
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Joanna M. Doane
Co-Founder & Project Coordinator
Joanna Doane is 27 years old and lives in Arizona. She was diagnosed in 2003 with post-traumatic stress disorder and with a dissociative disorder - both disorders being a result of abuse in her early childhood. Today Joanna is working towards eventually obtaining a bachelors degree in social work through Arizona State University. While her family and friends are her main priority, standing up for the rights of children, person(s) with mental illnesses, and for victims of abuse and violent crimes also means a lot to her. Since 2004 she’s worked to build her website, Help4Trauma.org, in order to offer coping techniques, resources, and hope to survivors of trauma such as herself.
Joanna puts a lot of energy into these causes through participating in nationwide campaigns, networking with survivors and various organizations dedicated to advocacy, and through writing. She believes that education and awareness are essential in solving these problems in society. She continually works with her various projects and with outside organizations in an effort to prove that people can make a difference when they work together to combat issues within their communities — be it on a local, state, or national level.
Creator of Help4Trauma.org
Artwork by Javier Soriano
Finding Joanna Elsewhere:
Personal Blog: http://jdoane.blogspot.com
National Manager: http://www.armyofangels.net
Jonathan Thomas
Site Coordinator & Facebook Group Facilitator
Jonathan Thomas is 42 and lives with his wife in Texas, where he currently attends college, working toward a degree in Information Technology: Computer Networking Systems. Having started psychiatric intervention at 10 years old and progressed from one counselor to another for 17 years, Jonathan has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bi-Polar Disorder, severe clinical depression, and has struggled with suicidal tendencies and related behavioral issues as a result of long-term childhood abuse from family members.
Paralyzed from failed attempts at suicide, he has recovered from his abuse without counselors and now seeks out those for whom counseling is not effective. There are many experiences abused people have in common that most counselors either overlook as unimportant or disregard completely, like paranoia, flash backs, extreme mood swings, and psychological/emotional triggers. Focusing on hope and help, Jonathan helps survivors individually, usually online, but also in person in the Houston area.
Denied the opportunity to speak out against his abusers and being blamed by society for the abuse he received, he grew up quiet and angry. Recovery has given him the outlet he needed to begin to grow: forgiveness and healing. The two focal points of his approach to recovery are hope and help. Wherever you are, whatever your situation, there is hope and there is help. Even if you are alone, hope and help can be found.
Actively recovering from alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive overeating, obsessive/compulsive behaviors and many other issues, he focuses his efforts to assisting recovery seekers online. From the standard 12 Step Program to other creative ways to recover from whatever haunts you, Jonathan can be found on Facebook in the following groups: The Survivor Archives Project, The Artist’s Way, and his personal profile page.