What Is Wilderness Therapy? Can It Help With Substance Abuse?

Wilderness therapy is a form of therapy that combines the therapeutic process with outdoor experiences in nature to address mental health and behavioral issues. Mental health issues, in particular those related to substance abuse, are on the rise and mental health professionals are adopting a number of avenues to address them. The basic idea is to heal with minimal use of medication. Wilderness therapy is one such approach which combines outdoor activities in nature to build attributes of adaptability and perserverance.

What Is Wilderness Therapy Used For?

Wilderness therapy is most commonly used with adolescents who suffer from various mental and behavioral issues. It is also known as adventure-based therapy or outdoor behavioral healthcare and was initially intended to treat teenagers suffering from substance abuse issues.

Apart from substance abuse, wilderness therapy is used as part of the treatment for anxiety, depression, reckless behavior, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Wilderness therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space in nature where individuals can work on self-reflection and emotional recovery.

Therapists guide individuals through their maldaptive behavioral patterns that are in response to the negative circumstances they experience in their lives. This therapy approach uses nature to gently mimic the stressors and challenges found in daily life. The vastness of nature encourages patients to seek inward for tools to best the circumstances in the wild. The constant effort brings on a sense of accomplishment.

The immersion in nature in a wilderness therapy program is used as a way to facilitate introspection and change in individuals by developing necessary life skills. These life skills translate to improving their self-esteem and self-efficacy thereby improving their quality of life. This therapy also promotes personal and social accountability, improves interpersonal relationship skills, and enables emotional growth in clients.

Benefits of Wilderness Therapy

Wilderness therapy utilizes the transformative powers of wild nature through expeditions, adventures, games, and recreational activities. It promotes and develops positive attributes like teamwork, survival skills, leadership skills, problem solving, and physical fitness.

Individuals who go through wilderness therapy often feel a big sense of accomplishment at the end of it. This reaffirms their belief that they are capable of achieving their goals with persistence and effort. This will act as a reminder for the future when they try to achieve something else.

While therapists conduct one-on-one therapy sessions, patients need to participate in expeditions and challenges as part of a team with fellow patients. This requires the individual to learn how to cooperate and communicate with their fellow travelers. These skills come in handy once they return to their routine and their interpersonal skills evolve for the better.

The wilderness can be a daunting and uncomprimising place as it requires individuals to adapt to their surroundings. Individuals in wilderness therapy develop their coping skills to handle many situations, which leaves them prepared to face most of the stressors found in their lives.

Learning to survive in the wilderness can help teenagers to survive the challenges of adolescence. (Pexels/ Jens Mahnke)

In wilderness therapy sessions, individuals are forced to adapt to their surroundings by drawing upon their physical, emotional, and cognitive reserves. In doing so, they develop robust problem-solving skills that can be applied to any situation in their day-to-day lives.

Away from their routine lives, the wilderness provides a space for reflection where individuals have the time and space to contemplate about themselves. They get to think objectively about their actions and their impact on themselves and those around them. Those who abuse substances reflect on how substance abuse has detrimentally affected their lives.

Wilderness Therapy and Substance Abuse

Wilderness therapy is a fantastic option for teenagers with substance abuse as they can actively engage with their treatment. Teenagers and most adults who abuse substances are reluctant to go for traditional forms of therapy but can be persuaded to try wilderness therapy.

Wilderness therapy allows for enjoyment during the therapeutic process, which is a great incentive for those suffering from substance abuse disorders. Individuals can relax and participate in adventurous expeditions during their treatment and develop the necessary personal tools to withdraw from abuse and succeed in life.

They learn how to survive in the wild and the world at large while gaining independence by finding out their purpose in life. There are three phases in how wilderness therapy provides support to those suffering from substance abuse disorders.

Cleaning Phase

The first phase develops healthy habits in individuals while removing them from the environment in which they exhibited the substance abuse behavior. Individuals undergoing therapy will start to build their physical fitness while learning to take care of themselves and survive in the wild.

Personal and Social Responsibility Phase

Time spent in the wilderness and interactions with fellow patients allows individuals to understand the concept of accountability for their actions. Their experience will reinforce the importance of their actions while highligting the necessities of self-care and personal responsibility.

Transition and Aftercare Phase

This phase is about ensuring that patients remember the lessons and skills they develop in the wilderness as they transition back to their normal lives. Patients have to take special care in processing their struggles from their lives and applying the newfound knowledge they developed during therapy.

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Conclusion

Wilderness therapy is a viable alternative for those who struggle to go through traditional forms of therapy or have difficulty quitting substance abuse. The many benefits of spending time in nature and combining that with therapeutic interventions have shown some interesting results from research.

A word of caution though that the therapy cannot be self-administered nor is it suitable for everyone and for every mental health condition. A well-qualified therapist needs to assess the patient and suggest the suitability of the therapy before heading out into the wild.