Crime Survivors
Recap

Crime Survivors' Resources

Tim Dyer moved from the apartment the day after he was beaten and robbed. He is also still haunted by nightmares of the event. "I'll wake up five to six times from the nightmares," he said. Dyer has turned to counseling for the psychological effects. "It is one day at a time," he said.
Excerpted from The Jackson Sun (TN) - 25 December 2006

A strange man, armed with a knife and a meat cleaver, broke into her apartment. She woke up to find him in her bedroom, where, he told her, he intended to rape and murder her. For two hours, he repeatedly raped, stabbed, and slashed her, cutting her throat, stabbing her in the head seven times, and severing two of her fingers. Yet, she mustered all her wits, strength and guts to outsmart him and save her life. She kept him engaged in conversation then tried playing dead. Finally, she escaped the apartment. ... For the last four years, fear has been her constant companion. "I felt that I was under attack 24 hours a day. I didn't want to sleep because the nightmares and flashbacks were so intense," she says. "Behind every corner, every tree, I see a psycho waiting to kill me."
Excerpted from The Edmonton Journal – 12 January 2008

Tommie Nell Hannaford says being a victim of an attempted carjacking has changed her life forever. "It was terrifying. I never experienced anything like it," Hannaford said. "I thought I knew fear, but I never really knew what fear was until I had that gun in my face." ... The road to recovery for victims of violence can last a lifetime. "There is no timetable for recovery from post traumatic stress," said Steven Hundersmarck, professor of psychology at Ohio Northern University. "Where someone who had something stolen for them might take a couple of days to recover; something like a rape or something that occurred at a person's home may take years. ... Hundersmarck said victims of crimes should seek professional counseling. "The more a person pushes their feelings down and ignores them, the more chances it could lead to health problems like ulcers, depression, heart disease, drug abuse or alcoholism."
Excerpted from The Jackson Clarion-Ledger (MS) – 19 March 2007

Many people want to help you. There are hundreds of support groups worldwide for the bereaved loved ones of murder victims. They’re experts at coping with grief – and recovering.

Of the handful listed below, some are located in the US, some in the UK, and one in Australia. But it doesn’t matter where you’re located. Contact any or all of them. They’ll be happy to help you from the other side of the globe – and also refer you to a group near you for face-to-face counseling. They’re very willing to help you.

Crime Survivors can find help through:
• The National Center for Victims of Crime at www.ncvc.org
• Victim Support at www.victimsupport.org.uk
• Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) at www.pomc.com.
• Survivors of Homicide www.survivorsofhomicide.com.
• Witness Justice at www.witnessjustice.org
• Michigan Victim Alliance at www.mivictims.org.
• Compassionate Friends at www.compassionatefriends.org.
• Enough Is Enough at www.enoughisenough.org.au.

Recap of this section:
• Crime Survivors - Overview of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and grieving the loss of a loved one to crime.
• Parents of Murdered Children help parents who’ve lost a child to murder.
• Survivors of Homicide help the loved ones of murder victims with the legal system and financial aid.
• Michigan Victim Alliance help murder victims' loved ones try to heal.
• Compassionate Friends help murder victim's loved ones help each other.
• Recap of Crime Survivors (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE).
• Rape Survivors

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