If you or someone close to you is struggling with addiction, many holistic, nature-oriented treatment options can be integrated into your individual and group therapy sessions. With wilderness therapy programs, Florida and Tennessee residents can enjoy exposure to all of the natural beauty that each state has to offer, while also embarking on a reflective experience full of personal growth.
Wilderness therapy may seem like a somewhat new idea, but it has been successfully studied for its efficacy since the beginning of the 1990s.
Research at that time covered wilderness therapy programs in Florida as an emerging intervention to treat psychological problems, addiction, adjustment issues, and emotional problems.Â
As the name suggests, wilderness therapy is any type of program where you are integrated into nature, where you spend time in the wild. You are immersed into an unfamiliar environment where you master primitive skills like Backcountry travel or fire-making, all designed to help address things like problem behaviors while fostering personal and social responsibility among a group of peers.
Wilderness therapy does involve being outside, but it has a very low risk of physical injury especially compared to activities like driving or high contact sports. What’s more, a big part of this type of activity is making sure that you are safe and secure the entire time and that you learn how to care for yourself and how to care for others when it comes to basic outdoor survival.
For Florida-based wilderness therapy or Tennessee-based wilderness therapy, contact Prevail Recovery Center.
Different wilderness treatment plans may include contained wilderness or continuous programs.
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Contained programs are those where you go on a type of expedition like a camping trip, and you do it for a specific length of time. This could be a one-week expedition or a three-week expedition. Whatever the length, you stay with the leaders for the duration of the trip, and you typically remain in nature.Â
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Conversely, continuous programs are those where you might go in and out of nature for regular experiences or adventures, and you might have different leaders each time. This type of therapeutic process can be much longer because you don’t have to remain out in nature, but rather, you can visit periodically.
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No matter the length or type of program, it has the same structure. It includes a cleansing face where you might embark on an outdoor pursuit like backpacking and focus on your surroundings, being in nature.
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After that, you might transition into a personal and social responsibility, where you focus on learning new skills like building fires and spending a lot of reflective time alone. You can also acquire plenty of skills about self-care and group safety in the wilderness, how to deal with natural disasters or weather changes, and how to create a safe environment when things are difficult.
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The educational curricula and the application of real and metaphoric lessons for when you return to your daily life and still struggle proved very helpful.
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Wilderness therapy should only be one part of your comprehensive therapy program if you are looking for addiction treatment. A Florida wilderness therapy should be one part of your comprehensive therapy program if you are looking for addiction treatment. This type of therapy can include day trips or long-term contained trips with other group members, all of whom are learning important life skills, getting exercise, enjoying leadership training, working to express themselves verbally, and working together as a team.
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Day trips like hiking or rock climbing can help you relax much more than you might while sitting in a doctor’s office being asked a series of questions about your feelings. Situations where you are in nature hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, or camping, can help you lower your guard and display behavioral patterns that your therapist might not be able to see in any other setting. This can prove helpful in allowing your therapist a better idea of how to treat you long-term and how well you are progressing with certain life skills and social skills.
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Let Prevail Recovery Center help you find a Wilderness Therapy program near you.
Why Choose Wilderness Therapy
Connecting with nature brings so many positive benefits. Breathing in the fresh air can help improve your physical health, while the deep breathing associated with things like hikes can serve as a meditative way to slow down clavicular breathing and help you relax and reduce stress.
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Being in nature means exposure to bright colors and shapes that are therapeutic. Exposure to the color green can enhance creativity and improve your mood. Moreover, being in nature helps you cultivate basic survival skills knowing that you can take care of yourself if you need to. Being with other people as part of a wilderness therapy program improves your feelings of connectedness and belonging and helps you create that sense of trust, especially with the leaders.
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With wilderness treatment, you can reap many benefits that improve socialization and self esteem, building long-term results. For example:
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If you are ready for wilderness therapy, let Prevail Recovery Center help.
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