Sexual, physical, and psychological trauma consumed my childhood and much of my adult life. The abuse was chronic, most often violent. My parents were my abusers; I describe how their upbringing affected mine. The abuse began when I was just a toddler. After years of traumatic sexual abuse, I lived my life in the, "Third Person," as if I were on the outside looking in. Two-thirds of my own life story, I tell from an emotionally charged, but physically detached perspective. Finally, I personally relate the last third of my life after having recovered my own memories. Mental dissociation, or multiple personalities, created the effects of "lost time and out of body" experiences.

My own mind worked to protect my life. I was either unconscious of, or an ephemeral outside observer of the abuse. My mind developed a coping skill to protect from the pain and injuries inflicted on me. This defense mechanism became the strongest part of my self-preservation instincts, and indeed saved me from many life-threatening circumstances. As an adult, I lived without recollection of most of my life. However, the memories were there, protected by the aspects of my identity that held on to my sanity in a life of constant dysfunction and deliberate cruelty. The title "Every Fourth Girl," reflects the one out of every four female children who become the victim of sexual exploitation or abuse by the age of 18 years old. My story ultimately demonstrates the humanity and humility to transcend trauma and find a life of meaning and purpose.