Many of the students that I went to middle school with became interested in alcohol and drugs much earlier than the students I encountered in high school. My middle school, Tierra Linda, is set in a town with what my friends and I called "ghetto" characteristics; kids were not motivated to do well in school and thought it was cool to get poor grades and get in trouble with their parents and teachers. I distinctly remember walking into the bathroom during lunch to find two of my eighth grade classmates drinking rum from a thermos. Another girl, who I later discovered was silently struggling to define her sexuality, told me she had felt an unexpected jealousy under the influence of drugs and alcohol when two or her best friends slept in the same bed, but felt it was just because she was drunk. I knew these students needed intervention and hoped that that someone or something could eventually help them.
I knew that these priorities were not in line with my own (and recognized that my classmates were consistently using substances to drown out emotional issues) and decided to switch school districts for high school so that I could be surrounded by other motivated students who were passionate about their academics. I didn't keep in touch with many of my friends, but even just after graduating, the friends I did keep in touch with informed me that these students who had been experimenting with rebellion had been caught with drugs and sent to "wilderness camp", as they referred to it. "Wilderness camp" is a general slang term for a group of rehabilitation programs for young adults dealing with addiction and various emotional issues. Students were sent to these camps, mostly set in Utah, to receive therapy and form a relationship with the outdoors through various trips and activities. I remember feeling initially impressed that this sort of program existed, and then bewildered at the realization of how many of the struggling students were sent to such programs. Again, though I didn't keep in touch with many students from Tierra Linda, I heard through the grapevine that many students had returned shockingly "clean" and happy.
I view wilderness therapy as one of the most beneficial aspects of engaging in a relationship with nature. Even those who don't seek rehabilitation or therapy experience a sense of hope and awe in nature and feel refreshed by its beauty and natural intricacy. In class, we have discussed why natural habitats should be preserved and protected... I think it's ever-important that we remember how nature can affect and heal us with just its presence. As a psychology major, I'm interesting in cures other than harsh medication with harmful side effects for mental inconsistencies. Such programs as these wilderness camps give me hope that we're all capable of experiencing rich and incomparable relationships with the natural world.
http://www.rehabcenter.net/wilderness-alcohol-and-drug-rehab-centers/
Attached is one example of a wilderness rehabilitation webpage. It emphasizes key aspects of what makes such programs valuable and worthy.
This is a really interesting aspect that can be added to the list of reasons on why we should be protecting the wilderness in the Adirondacks. It's awesome that its able to provide such positive benefits to those suffering from mental illness.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think its important to also think about the local residents of the park suffering from mental illness and how the park influences them. The lack of adequate healthcare and treatment centers for locals in the park makes it very difficult for locals suffering.
Maybe in the future there can be a way to help both outsiders and locals.
I find it interesting how the wilderness is considered a cure or a place where you send "bad children" to become "good children" Two years ago I took part in a backpacking course through NOLS in Wyoming. A lot of the people I met on the trip talked about how in their previous experiences, many of the students were forcefully sent there by their parents because they misbehaved. It's really interesting how living such an intensive lifestyle can be viewed as a remedy for misbehaving children instead of just proper parenting. Of course there are more factors other than parenting but I find it a little distasteful when parents send their children away hoping they will come back as a "better individual."
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