Thank you so much for this guide. I've been going through a lot lately and believe that I fall somewhere in Case Study #4.
I was recently the victim of a sexual assault. This wasn't my first go around with abuse so I knew what to expect from my mind afterwards. Right before the attempted rape, I was given some type of drug without my knowledge. I talked to an online Buddhist friend of mine and it seems like it was a DMT hit.
During the experience I had a vision. Not a schizo vision. More like I was aware of my surroundings to some degree but I was distracted by the things I saw in my mind. Lights are a given... The thing that was most prominent was that I felt and saw my life going backwards as the present was very slowly progressing.
During similar situations before (minus the drug) I had no idea what to do with my abuser. This time, I experienced a totally different thought process. I saw all the prior abuse and my mind dissected the information and the knowledge that I had gained from the rapes, physical and mental abuse from family and boyfriends and the outcomes of each and every occurrence. Those memories took over my body. I felt a very strange calming sensation overcome me. Despite my racing heart, extreme thirst and the overwhelming feeling that I was about to die- my body didn't show any of those things on the outside.
It felt like there were two energies controlling me. One was inside- scared and hurt. The other was controlling the outside. My body wouldn't do anything that would let the abuser know that I planned to run away when it was safe. I left the situation totally unharmed. That's a first for me. I waited until the guy fell asleep and called the police. He had two or three prior arrests (although I was not informed as to what they were for). While the police were talking to me, my calmness continued. I gave them my report and he was arrested.
It has been less than a week and I just feel numb. Please don't tell me that I need to go see a therapist. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, wore it out and did it again. I am able to apply everything I've learned to this experience. It would just be a waste of time and money.
My point is- I need a Sangha. I have been knowingly studying Buddhism for about five years. I'm 24 now and I learned about it in college when I was about 19. I have lived by Mahayana traditions to the best of my ability since before I can remember. I had "made up" my own religion/philosophy that I fully believed until I finally realized that what I thought I pieced together myself already existed and was called Buddhism. I now feel Zen becoming more prevalent in my experiences, though.
Homelessness has been a huge struggle for me the past year because the point of my path that I'm in has made it impossible for me to work. I've had and taken several offers to sleep on couches but always end up leaving when I realize I've become a burden to whomever was kind enough to give me a temporary roof over my head. However, as this used to be very frightening the fear has slowly turned me into a stronger person. That's something that can never be taken away from me.
The past two years have been filled with formal and informal meditation, online research books on various Buddhist topics as well as general introductory texts and A LOT of deep inward looking. I have recognized several Samsaric cycles in my life and finally ended several of them. I'm obviously still in the process, but I have accomplished things that I never thought that I would.
I suppose the main question I am trying to get at is help finding somewhere that I can study further. Online forums, podcasts and books just aren't enough for me. I hope to one day become a Buddhist Nun, but I can't accomplish that without help. I have very little to offer, but this is my life. Nothing else gives me the wholesome pleasure that Buddhism does. I've lost interest in every other hobby that I used to have. If it doesn't involve Buddhism, I'm just not satisfied. My practice gives meaning to my life. Devoting my life entirely to learning and helping others learn is what gets me up every day. This question is probably not meant for this discussion but I didn't realize that until I typed out the whole thing. I feel like I typed it here for a reason. I went to the 'Teacher' forum to begin with and found myself here. I just feel that with the experiences that I've had in my life and with Buddhism that my question ended up here for a reason. I could very well be wrong... I am just in a very odd place right now. I feel like I should feel sad or depressed or angry or guilty but I don't. I don't really feel anything- except passion for my practice. Thank you in advance to anyone who had the patience to read this

Much peace and love.