Tim Herwig grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota in the 1960’s and 70’s. When he was in high school he was sexually abused by a teacher. The grooming began when he was 16. He was first raped on his 18th birthday. The abuse continued into his Freshman year in college.
But it was more than abuse. He was drawn into what can only be called a cult of one. Long hours of mind and heart-altering lecturing imprisoned him until he no longer could differentiate between his thoughts and feelings and those of his abuser. It took him many years of therapy and life to finally free himself from his abuser's influence.
In part he found some solace in the natural and cultural landscape of the rural Midwest. This resulted in a long walk from Chicago to Minneapolis in 2004, and a book about his experience published in 2023 entitled The Long Way Home.
“We never really fully recover from experiences like these. Our trauma is insidious and reasserts itself in times of stress and anxiety. All we can do, as Woody Guthrie said, is “to keep on keeping on.”
Tim is now retired and lives in Chicago with his wife and their son.
CLICK HERE to see Tim's full video series on Zero Abuse Project's SurvivorSpace.
