About this episode

Rhiannon Thoreson shares her harrowing experience of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted at 19, discussing her journey through PTSD and her advocacy for victims of crime.

Rhiannon Thoreson was 19 years old and washing her car in broad daylight when a stranger came up behind her, held a knife to her throat, and kidnapped her. He drove her to a remote area, where she was held for hours, repeatedly sexually assaulted, physically assaulted, and threatened with death. What followed was a years-long struggle with severe PTSD, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, hypervigilance, shame, and the pressure to appear successful on the outside while privately struggling with what had happened to her. Rhiannon opens up about returning to college shortly after the attack, hiding how badly she was struggling from the people around her, and spending years in therapy as she learned how to live with the trauma. She shares how EMDR changed her experience with PTSD, why she stopped expecting herself to one day be completely “healed,” and how surviving the attack ultimately influenced her decision to attend law school and advocate for victims of crime. Rhiannon and Chell also discuss survivor guilt, forgiveness, restorative justice, and the complicated reality that a conviction and courtroom victory can hold someone accountable without necessarily bringing a survivor…

People in this episode

Host: Chell Bane

Guest: Rhiannon Thoreson

Topics covered

• survivor stories
• PTSD
• sexual assault
• mental health
• advocacy
• restorative justice

Keywords

• kidnapping
• sexual assault
• PTSD
• therapy
• law school
• survivor guilt
• forgiveness
• restorative justice

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TEDx

Books & works: My Beauty from Ashes

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