Wilderness therapy

Wilderness therapy is a style of therapy that involves taking a group of individuals on a controlled expedition into the wilderness. On this expedition, patients are encouraged to challenge themselves and take risks. Accomplishing these challenges promotes self-esteem, self-confidence, and teamwork.

Various types of therapy, including both group therapy and individual therapy, are administered during the expedition. This promotes bonding among the patients, encouraging interpersonal connections and mutual support. In many cases, patients who struggled with forming interpersonal connections in their everyday lives have found success during wilderness therapy.

During a wilderness therapy expedition, patients are removed from many of the stressors of the modern world. They do not have to worry about classes or jobs. They are not distracted by cell phones and modern technology. They are unaffected by traffic and the loud noises associated with urban living. Instead, they are focused on simple yet challenging tasks, such as creating a shelter. This provides an environment suitable for introspection, which may be lacking in the patients' daily lives.

Background

Wilderness therapy is a subset of adventure therapy. Adventure therapy involves taking patients out of familiar environments to promote new patterns of thought, interpersonal connections, and habits. During adventure therapy, patients are encouraged to participate in seemingly risky or fear-inducing activities to promote personal growth.

The origins of wilderness therapy can be traced back to the early twentieth century. When the psychiatric ward of the Manhattan State Hospital became severely overcrowded in 1901, numerous patients were relocated to tents on the hospital's lawn. Unexpectedly, many of the patients presented a marked increase in both physical and mental health. Doctors and psychiatrists attributed this increase to spending more time outdoors. When damage to the San Francisco Agnew Asylum in 1906 caused many residents to be moved outdoors, similar results were reported.

In the early 1960s, educator Kurt Hahn founded an outdoor education program that featured intentionally challenging expeditions into the wilderness. These expeditions were designed to encourage bonding and personal growth in troubled adolescents. Hahn's program was considered a resounding success. Many programs emulated and refined the experiences started by other therapists and psychiatric institutions. Over time, these programs developed significant amounts of empirical evidence showing their success.

Overview

Wilderness therapy refers to outdoor therapy sessions. In many cases, individuals pursuing wilderness therapy will spend days or weeks at a time outdoors. Most wilderness therapy sessions are conducted by an experienced wilderness therapist, who leads a group of patients.

During wilderness therapy, patients are removed from many of the distractions associated with modern life. They are not constantly stressed by cell phones, internet activities, traffic, employers, or school. Instead, they are placed in a contemplative environment in which they can reflect more easily. Peaceful scenery and a more natural environment may also help calm troubled people, helping them to recover from traumatic experiences at an accelerated rate.

Patients enrolled in wilderness therapy are often given challenging tasks to accomplish during their sessions. These may include fundamental tasks related to camping, such as starting a fire or erecting a tent. It may also include physically exhausting activities, such as hiking or rock climbing. Participating in these novel or difficult tasks can help patients learn to confront their fears. Finishing them can increase patients' self-confidence and self-esteem. Difficult tasks may also provide a distraction for patients who are focused on traumatic events, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in new activities.

Some tasks—such as rock climbing, kayaking, and rafting—are designed to evoke a feeling of risk in patients undergoing wilderness therapy. This risk gives patients a sense of fear and challenge in a controlled environment under the care of a skilled instructor. For example, patients may be required to climb a rope network while wearing a protective harness. While the height may induce fear, increasing the difficulty of the challenge, the harness prevents any injuries from occurring.

During most wilderness therapy sessions, therapists and guides facilitate group therapy. In group therapy, the therapist gathers the entire group together to talk. Patients may be instructed to discuss a specific subject, such as healthy communication, grief, emotional regulation, or personal feelings. Group therapy gives patients experience discussing their feelings and inner thoughts with others. It allows them to learn how to support others while also feeling supported themselves. In addition, this type of therapy encourages patients to form emotional connections with others, which some patients may struggle with in the outside world.

In some wilderness therapy sessions, individual therapy is offered to patients. Without many of the distractions of the modern world, some patients feel that they can create a deeper connection with their therapist. They may also make more progress in identifying their core emotional values and/or the motives behind their actions.

Like adventure therapy, wilderness therapy is recommended for individuals who suffer from a variety of disorders and mental illnesses. It is often used to help adolescents recover from trauma, anger management issues, conduct disorders, or other emotional problems. Wilderness therapy is recommended to help both adults and adolescents recover from substance misuse disorders. It is also recommended to help individuals recover from grief associated with the loss of a loved one.

Some experts, patients, and parents of adolescent patients have concerns about wilderness therapy. One of the most commonly cited concerns is safety, due to the fact that patients spend extended periods in the wilderness. Safety concerns can be significantly alleviated by carefully screening programs before applying. To make sure a program is taking proper safety measures, experts suggest that individuals interested in wilderness therapy ensure that the staff is properly licensed and trained. They should also check that proper safety equipment is on hand for any dangerous tasks and ensure that the special needs of patients can be met. Prospective patients can also ask a licensed mental health professional to recommend a program in their area.

Bibliography

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