Case Studies

Case Study Angst

Pam of Virginia says, “I was in the depths of depression when I finally realized that my husband was completely unavailable emotionally.”

Married for years before she began thinking about getting divorced, Pam found herself in depths of postpartum depression in 1998 following the birth of her daughter. “We had huge complications during her birth and both of us pulled through, but it left me with severe clinical depression,” shares Pam. “I realizedread more

Case Study Abandonment

K2 of AZ says, “I was married for 5 years and felt totally abandoned; I knew I had to free myself.”

K2 says her spouse’s refusal to be intimate made her feel abandoned in their 5-year marriage. “I was so lonely and had gone without being touched for so long — I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin,” says the now 61-year old, who was 36 whenread more

Case Study Abuse

Kate Ranta says, “I did what all women are told to do when they’re in an abusive relationship: I just left. But, I was then in more danger.”

Kate Ranta survived being shot by her abusive ex-husband; her then 4-year-old son witnessed it. In the years since, she has become a vocal advocate determined to put an end to domestic violence. She is  the Board Chair for Survivors Lead and is a member of the NCADV Speakers Bureau. Kateread more

Case Study Abuse

Lisette Johnson is a Shameless Survivor: “We were created to adapt and adapt we will.”

A Note from Hope: As I began crafting the October 2020 issue of my women’s magazine, InkandescentWomen.com, to honor National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, filmmaker Tracy Schott — founder of Voices4Change and the director and producer of the documentary Finding Jenn’s Voice — introduced me to several of the survivors featured inread more

Case Study Abuse

Lisa Dowers: “Did you know that one of the the leading causes of death during pregnancy is homicide?”

A Note from Hope, author, Why Divorce: It is an honor to share the tale of survival by Lisa Dowers, who suffered from Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) seven years ago. She is one of the courageous featured women featured in “Finding Jenn’s Voice,” a documentary by Tracy Schott. “Stories like Lisa’s are essentialread more

Case Study Abandonment

J of CA says, “I felt emotionally abandoned by my partner and knew we needed to divorce. But no matter how well you plan the exit—it’s harder than you think it will be.”

Married for 14 years before he began thinking about getting divorced, J says he felt emotionally abandoned by his partner, and spent another nine years in the relationship that ended in 2002. “It took way too long for me to make the decision — 7 or 8 years. I did notread more

Case Study Abuse

Hilary of Maryland says, “My husband was verbally abusive … but the thought of how the divorce would effect my children kept me in it.”

Married for a decade before divorcing after 20 years of marriage, Hilary says she finally left because “my husband was verbally abusive. We fought all of the time. He didn’t think things were that bad between us and initially resisted. Then he became even more verbally abusive as the separation began.” Sheread more

Case Study Abandonment

Swallow Bird of LA says, “We lived around the world and had a happy life on paper … eventually I connected with my first boyfriend on Whatsapp and realized I was e-cheating.”

“I was married for 9 years before I began thinking about getting divorced,” says Swallow Bird, who stayed another 3 years, until her divorce in 2017. Although she and her husband, M, were together for 17 years, she found herself growing increasingly restless. “We lived around the world and had aread more

Case Study AngstCase Studies

Joyce of Los Angeles says, “I wasn’t even a month into my marriage when I considered divorce.”

“I felt there was still so much untapped growth and potential in me that only in my aloneness and independence I could experience,” shares of her reluctance to stay married just weeks after her wedding. Her spouse, however, didn’t realize the degree of her distress. “I tried my best to beread more

Case Study Abandonment

Aurora Van Cleave of Virginia says: “I seriously considered divorce after 5 years of marriage. I loved him, that was never an issue, but I was not in love with him — and I wanted to be.”

Here’s my story: Married just five years before she began thinking about getting divorced in 2014, Aurora, now 33, says she and her husband ultimately decided to reconcile. “I wanted to leave because I felt like I was not fully understood and the harder I pushed for romance the lessread more