Voices of Resilience: Men's Survivor Stories of Triumph Over Sexual Abuse

TOM KERR

Centuries-old spiritual ceremonies helped unlock Tom’s buried past and propelled him to a healthier, more centered life.

The signs were always there. Tom’s life looked fairly normal. He married young, had three kids, fell into a career in construction, and then management. With a natural talent for almost everything he tried, he began interpreting the world through photography. But something was wrong. He felt haunted. The world seemed a mysterious and confusing place. Everything was heavy. Anger simmered just below the surface.

Driving through the New Mexico desert, his relationship of 17 years unraveling, Tom came apart.

He sought answers in spiritual ceremonies that helped to open his mind and reveal long-buried memories. An inner door opened and revealed the terrible truth behind his lifelong fear of an old barn beside his childhood home: Tom, over fifty years later, remembered the horror of being abused in this barn. After five decades of hiding, came a commitment to face, feel, and speak the truth. Today, Tom lives in a way he could not even have previously contemplated. Following his inner compass, he feels more whole, more healthy, more centered than ever before. He is embarking on a journey, stepping into the abyss.

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