Looking back over an incredible and exciting journey that encompasses over 35 years of working with adolescents and young adults I am always amazed at the power of nature. From being a camp counselor to a primary care substance abuse counselor in the wilderness I have seen nature be a calming and transforming source in people’s lives. Having grown up camping and exploring the great outdoors, I know the profound effect nature has had on me, so it is no surprise that I would find myself still working as a therapeutic wilderness guide at the age of 50.
I began my career as a guide some 150+ expeditions ago with the words of a mentor saying “You can be the worst therapist in the world and be a great Wilderness Therapist.” And while his words were spoken in jest, some of the best therapists I have ever met were wilderness therapist, I must agree there is something remarkable to the healing power of nature.
So why nature? There seems to be many misconceptions about wilderness therapy and how effective it is. Certainly in the early days of wilderness therapy the “boot-camp”, “scared-straight” style of wilderness therapy proved to be less than effective. However, as with all therapy, wilderness has evolved. We have learned that we do not need to establish superficial, abrasive, non-logical boundaries. Nature has a very “natural” system of rewards and consequences. In the words of Stephen Foster nature is “the most exacting teacher of all”. There are so many lessons I have learned through nature and the reasons I believe it is the most powerful therapeutic tool we have available to us today that I could not possibly include them all in one post. So I have decided to do a series of post on Why Wilderness. This is the first:
Needs Vs Wants
First, there is the lesson of needs vs wants. Many of our adolescents and young adults have a very distorted view of what “the world owes them” and what they need to do to get it. Dan Millman defines happiness as the ability to put needs over wants. When you are backpacking the back country and having to carry everything you need to survive an extended expedition in the pack on your back, you learn very quickly to decide what is important and needed versus what is just a luxury. It is then that a book can become a luxury not to mention an ipod. When you learn that you can live off of rice, then that special meal you want becomes so much more precious. When you learn that a cold bath in the river is all you need, then a hot shower is a blessing. When you are sleeping four deep in a tent with someone snoring in your ear, then a roof over your head and a private room becomes almost miraculous. There is no entitlement in nature. Have you ever seen a tree go I am an Oak so I am more important and deserve this. Or a bear say I am more important than the raven? Nature works in harmony with itself each part working as it should. The lesson of needs vs wants is quickly taught through nature. Once we have learned what is a “need” and what is a “want” then we can become truly grateful for all the “wants” that we do have. Gratitude is the beginning of the journey toward love of oneself and others and that is where the healing begins.
Larry has spent most of his life as a counselor, coach, and mentor to adolescents and young adults. He is a master level wilderness guide, North Carolina Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and a Virginia Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Larry also helps facilitate rites of passage ceremonies and believes in the power of nature to heal. Larry has seen how substance abuse affects the entire family dynamics and knows that in order to achieve long term sobriety the family must heal as a unit. As owner of Buck Run Recovery Solutions and a Certified ARISE Interventionist and Continuing Care provider, he is committed to helping those hurting to find the help they need.
I began my career as a guide some 150+ expeditions ago with the words of a mentor saying “You can be the worst therapist in the world and be a great Wilderness Therapist.” And while his words were spoken in jest, some of the best therapists I have ever met were wilderness therapist, I must agree there is something remarkable to the healing power of nature.
So why nature? There seems to be many misconceptions about wilderness therapy and how effective it is. Certainly in the early days of wilderness therapy the “boot-camp”, “scared-straight” style of wilderness therapy proved to be less than effective. However, as with all therapy, wilderness has evolved. We have learned that we do not need to establish superficial, abrasive, non-logical boundaries. Nature has a very “natural” system of rewards and consequences. In the words of Stephen Foster nature is “the most exacting teacher of all”. There are so many lessons I have learned through nature and the reasons I believe it is the most powerful therapeutic tool we have available to us today that I could not possibly include them all in one post. So I have decided to do a series of post on Why Wilderness. This is the first:
Needs Vs Wants
First, there is the lesson of needs vs wants. Many of our adolescents and young adults have a very distorted view of what “the world owes them” and what they need to do to get it. Dan Millman defines happiness as the ability to put needs over wants. When you are backpacking the back country and having to carry everything you need to survive an extended expedition in the pack on your back, you learn very quickly to decide what is important and needed versus what is just a luxury. It is then that a book can become a luxury not to mention an ipod. When you learn that you can live off of rice, then that special meal you want becomes so much more precious. When you learn that a cold bath in the river is all you need, then a hot shower is a blessing. When you are sleeping four deep in a tent with someone snoring in your ear, then a roof over your head and a private room becomes almost miraculous. There is no entitlement in nature. Have you ever seen a tree go I am an Oak so I am more important and deserve this. Or a bear say I am more important than the raven? Nature works in harmony with itself each part working as it should. The lesson of needs vs wants is quickly taught through nature. Once we have learned what is a “need” and what is a “want” then we can become truly grateful for all the “wants” that we do have. Gratitude is the beginning of the journey toward love of oneself and others and that is where the healing begins.
Larry has spent most of his life as a counselor, coach, and mentor to adolescents and young adults. He is a master level wilderness guide, North Carolina Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and a Virginia Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Larry also helps facilitate rites of passage ceremonies and believes in the power of nature to heal. Larry has seen how substance abuse affects the entire family dynamics and knows that in order to achieve long term sobriety the family must heal as a unit. As owner of Buck Run Recovery Solutions and a Certified ARISE Interventionist and Continuing Care provider, he is committed to helping those hurting to find the help they need.