Myriad attempts to escape were reported. These encompassed both physical action and mental processes. Those who were able to escape physically did so either by running away, keeping busy, or dressing protectively. Others engaged in mental processes that included pretending the sexual abuse was not happening, daydreaming, isolation of affect, dissociation, and partial or complete repression of memory of the abuse. Researchers conceptualized these responses as falling along a continuum from conscious and voluntary to unconscious and involuntary. Despite this complex array of attempts to escape from sexual abuse, most of the research participants continued to blame themselves for the abuse. The author suggests that an understanding of the complexity and diversity of escape as a response to sexual abuse could assist sexually abused children and adult survivors of sexual abuse in more readily accepting their lack of culpability for the abuse. 1 table and 24 references