I fluctuate back and forth between the words 'victim' and 'survivor'. It really depends on the day and how I am feeling. When I am in T and totally overwhelmed by the feelings from being abused, I would probably tend more towards the word 'victim'. And not in a critical way, but just acknowledging that there were events in my life that have left a very big impact on my life, and I'm still dealing with them. However, when I am feeling strong and working and going to school, I would more likely associate with the word 'survivor'. So it really depends.

I think it can be detrimental to assign a term to an individual that they are not ready to accept. There was a long time after my attack that I hated the words 'victim' and 'survivor'. I hated the word 'survivor' more because I felt like it meant that I had to be totally over my experience, which I wasn't. But I didn't like the word 'victim' because I didn't want that to be my whole identity.

I think it can fluctuate back and forth for people.