From Victim to Victory
a memoir

From Victim to Victory a Memoir

My story of abuse: From Victim to Victory, a memoir

Have you been through abuse? If so, that makes you a survivor. But that doesn't mean you haven't been stricken with effects. Chances are, you've got more than your fair share of troublesome effects.

Those of us who survived child abuse know only too well how challenging it is to get past the effects and take back the control that was so cruelly stolen from us.

I wrote my story of abuse in order to show you how I got over the devastating effects of child abuse and got on with my life.  My story of survival will take you on a journey of triumph and irrepressible spirit and show you how you too can go from victim to victory. 


"I am really enjoying reading your book…as much as someone could enjoy reading about this atrocity...it's just that it is so well written, and hits home...we were raised by the same mother!" –Karin Heibert
  Marketer, coach and entrepreneur, Manitoba, Canada

I assure you, you are not alone. I know this because so many of you have shared so bravely with me and with the visitors of this site what you endured as a child.

Some of you have endured unspeakable crimes committed against you. Many of you have disclosed here what you've never before felt safe to reveal.

Every one of you has shown remarkable courage in the face of the residual effects that abuse has had on you.

I know and understand that courage.

I too had to find the courage inside myself.
I too had to face my fears.
I too had to deal with my emotions.


"I couldn't put it down once I started. Your courage to share yourself with others, so they in turn can have hope, is a gift..." –Carol
  British Columbia, Canada

"Thank you for sharing your life, your guts, your weaknesses, what you are...the story of your difficult life is very stimulating. For sure that reading your book will help other people who have lived in bad conditions; but it also helps people like me, who have been lucky enough to be raised in a normal family. Seeing how courageous you have been and still are, it helps stopping us complaining for much smaller problems we all have to face. Your courage, your determination and your faith in life are outstanding: thank you again for having shared them with us." –Gilles
  British Columbia, Canada

"Barriere has written a courageous story of her struggle through childhood and adolescence and, in the end, forgiveness and recovery." –Diana Skoglund
  Kamloops This Week

"Couldn't put it down, it is so well written and I really loved it... It flowed beautifully and had very powerful emotions attached to it." –Nancy Custodio
  Youth Care Worker, British Columbia, Canada

So many of us—way too many of us—have endured abuse by the very people in charge of protecting us and keeping us safe from harm. So often, those are the very people who hurt and harmed us the most. They are the ones who left us with the devastating, often lifelong effects of child abuse. We trusted them because we HAD to trust them.

They had all the power.
Power that they misused.
Power that changed who we were.

We were left feeling alone, betrayed, abandoned, worthless, even unlovable. And worst of all, we were helpless. But we are NOT helpless anymore!

When I started to believe I was worthy...
I took BACK my power!

You too can take back YOUR power.


"I found myself engaged in her story, identifying with her confusions, and weeping over the horror of certain episodes in her life. The author has a powerful story to tell and tells it with excellence." –Judge's Remarks
  2004 Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards

"This is one powerful book!" –Simone
  British Columbia, Canada

I'm here to tell you that you are NOT worthless. That you are NOT unlovable. And that it IS possible to find who You Really Are.

Regardless of the pain you have suffered—and possibly continue to suffer—it IS possible to turn pain into power, and to use that power for your benefit and the benefit of others. That is the premise of this website.

Taking back your power is at the heart of From
Victim to Victory.

You CAN move from being a victim.
You CAN become a survivor victorious.
Regardless of the adversity you endured!


"It was wonderful. I enjoyed it immensely and it sure is incredible what you have endured." –Deb
  Alberta, Canada

Some of you already know that I lived through some pretty horrific abuse at the hands of both my mother and father. Not as horrific as some, perhaps more horrific than others; but I won't minimize what I lived through. It was hell, pure and simple. I was overwhelmingly affected; and in my view, that is the measure of hell.


The effects I suffered are all too common...
      but some of those effects are not so common:
¤   I hated my mother
¤   I hated myself
¤   I started smoking to "fit in"
¤   I tried to commit suicide to get out of pain
¤   I started skipping school, and my grades plummeted
¤   I ran away, and ended up in detention
¤   I started hanging with older men and was promiscuous
¤   I got pregnant, and then terminated it
¤   I quit school at 16
¤   I used food for comfort and solace
¤   I ballooned to over 300 pounds as food became my fix
¤   Then food became poison
¤   I wouldn't feed myself, except when I absolutely had to
¤   I had few friends
¤   I had fewer relationships
¤   Terrified I would do to my children what my mother did to me...
¤   I had my tubes tied before I could ever have children

". . . offers a firsthand perspective on social issues such as teen suicide, bullying, obesity and ridicule, teen pregnancy and abortion, and voluntary sterilization. The book also offers valuable insight to counter the frequent tendency to medicate rather than fully treat emotional illness." –Mike Youds
  Kamloops Daily News

There is a truly positive side to my story.
A triumphant side!


"A compelling read. The honesty with which the author recounts the horror and the pain of her memories and familial relationships are overshadowed by the triumph of her journey. This book is a rare gem, it tells a difficult truth about the author's life, but it focuses just as much on the journey and the successes as it does on the pain and the struggle. Once I had finished the last page, I needed a few minutes of stunned silence to digest the powerful message that the author weaved, that there is a possibility of unconditional love and acceptance from oneself as well as others after the most horrible of experiences." –Amy
  Attorney, Alberta, Canada

I didn't only survive child abuse...
I was a survivor victorious!

I wrote my story because I want my victories to shine through. Not just my memories, but the victories, great and small, that I achieved along my own path of healing and recovery.

I want other survivors who are wracked with guilt and shame to know that it wasn't their fault. And that I understand why they might still believe it was their fault. You see, I too went through those terrible feelings. I too believed I was to blame because I believed the lies I had been told. But I got help. And with that help, along with a shift in mindset, I was able to let go of all the lies I had come to believe.

I shifted my way of thinking...
I KNOW you can too!

I want other survivors who are desperately trying to cope with feelings of hopelessness and despair to know that they're not alone; I too was stricken with those same hopeless thoughts, even suicidal thoughts. And I found Who I Really Am when I got the help I needed. I want other survivors to know there IS hope. Real hope. I'm a testament to that hope.

From Victim to Victory
My story can help you find that hope!


"Very powerful story" –Amy S
  Student, Camosun College, British Columbia, Canada

I want you to believe in yourself.
You ARE worthy.
You ARE lovable.
You ARE deserving of dignity and respect.

You DO have purpose.
The world IS a better place because you're here.
No one believes that more than I do.

You CAN turn pain into power.
I believe it.
Now it's your turn to believe it.

BELIEVE in yourself!
You're too special NOT to!


"I was hooked from the first pages I read." –Dawn
  Alberta, Canada


From Victim to Victory a Memoir

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Back to Child Abuse Effects Homepage from this My Child Abuse Story page

Page last updated April 6, 2014


E-book: Victim To Victory

From Victim to Victory
a memoir

How I got over the devastating effects of child abuse and moved on with my life

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