Adventure Therapy Archives

March 14, 2017 by Andrea

Experience is the greatest teacher they say… Whatever dysfunctions we have going on in our lives (and yes, we all have some) – we come by them honestly. None of us wakes up one morning and decides to be defensive, destructive, avoidant, etc. for no reason. We approach life based on the experiences we’ve had and the meanings we’ve made of them. When those meanings are no longer functional, that’s where therapy comes in. Together, we explore past experiences and how we interpreted them to identify the sticking points that cause negative results today. Then, we work together to re-examine those experiences and expand the meanings to understandings that lead to more positive ways of doing life. The healthy relationship formed in therapy provides a model for the rest of life and offers a safe base from which to go out and change our worlds for the better.

The work done in the therapy room is not effective without implementation into daily life. Healing requires doing. We must test out our new meanings, creating new experiences that will cement those meanings in our hearts and not just our brains. This is the terrifying part. It can be so comforting and enlightening to have ah-ha moments in therapy. “Whaaat?! That’s why I’ve always done that? Oh my gosh, this totally makes sense now!” Those insights are wonderful and make for much internal relief and de-stressing. But then….we have to act “as if”. If this new understanding is true, what do I do differently? This is where the terror comes in because it is a great act of vulnerability to go out into an unchanged world with our changed selves and trust that we will be successful.

Sometimes, this becomes a stumbling block for clients. It could be because we need to do more work on our own internal anxiety before we can take action. Often though, it is due to confusion about how to actually handle things differently. Isn’t it normal to need some practice with a new skill before we use it ‘for real’? This very basic truth about learning is why I believe therapy has to be active. Perhaps the most common technique is to role play anticipated situations/conversations. That is an incredibly valuable exercise as we get to form new words and even hold our bodies in different positions than we have before.

I am finding though, that there are plenty of additional ideas for experiential learning. Last week, I joined a team of colleagues at WinShape to participate in team building exercises with a facilitator who happened to be a therapist. As we funneled tennis balls through short plastic tubes, held mousetraps in our joined hands, and moved a bowling ball without touching it, I saw so many connections between these activities and the principles that clients are often struggling to implement in their lives: Creative problem solving, collaboration, trust, believing they can do hard things, believing it is possible to do things differently than before, etc. Our activities culminated with a climb to the top of what they refer to as the “Pamper pole”. I’ll let you imagine why it has garnered that name. Let me just say that I have not experienced that level of terror in a very long time! Conquering it was the best thing that could have happened though, at a time in my life when I’ve been questioning my ability to rise to the amazing mission unfolding before me. It gave me absolutely tangible proof that I can dominate and that has already provided energy to move forward with the hard things. There is nothing like actual success to fuel further success. The same techniques I used to get through the exercises at WinShape are the same techniques I will use to power through the obstacles I face in the rest of my life. That is how this works.

I am so excited to bring these kinds of activities back to my clients. Not just individual sessions, but family sessions, groups and especially corporate workshops. I have a passion for leadership development and building corporate culture, so this approach fits perfectly! I do promise however, not to utilize 30 foot telephone poles 🙂

The great adventure!

November 16, 2016 by Andrea

Last week, we discussed expressive therapy. This week, I wanted to discuss a related modality – adventure therapy! This form of therapy is also active and experiential and utilizes a similar focus on process. Clients engage in fun activities like ropes courses, rock climbing, kayaking, etc., in the presence of the therapist. In expressive therapy, I explained that the product was not the center – the process is. Similarly, with adventure therapy – the activity itself is not the center which means that the possibilities are endless. What matters is that therapist and client choose an activity that offers some challenge, either physically or psychologically, to be overcome. It is in facing this challenge and working through it together that transformation happens. Your therapist is able to observe the way in which you approach the activity and offer encouragement along the way. They take note of what emerges verbally and non-verbally. After the activity, therapist and client discuss the process to identify both the conscious and unconscious meanings. The goal is to transfer the lessons learned during the activity into the life challenges faced. It is one thing to discuss solutions and new perspectives. It is another level entirely to actually apply new perspectives to novel challenges – providing an experiential testing ground. There is an undeniable power in such tangible evidence..making it far more likely that you will actually apply what has been learned.

Like expressive therapy – adventure therapy bypasses the typical defenses we have in place for traditional verbal communication. Participating in a novel activity opens us up in ways conversation alone cannot. Though the research on neurological effects is sparse, it is reasonable to deduce that this form of therapy also utilizes unique areas of the brain, leading to results not achieved when sitting in a chair. We have already proven that exposure to nature has profound healing effects on depression, anxiety and ADHD. With most of these sessions happening outside, we have a double benefit. Certainly, it is also interesting to consider how the physical activity of adventure therapy may bring healing to physiologically stored trauma. In the end though, I once again emphasize the relationship between client and therapist as the safe container within which this work must occur if it is to be effective! We’re excited to be looking at ways we can incorporate adventure therapy in the practice here at Phenix. We believe these modalities, combined with the relational foundation of our therapeutic approach offer a powerful combination for healing and transformation.

Doing

Doing

The great adventure!