Wilderness Therapy: Going Into the Wilderness Stimulates Healing 

Wilderness therapy is a type of practice of healing that has been done throughout history by different groups and individuals who have used either traditional or newer methods. Such methods include, the aboriginal walkabout and the Lakota Vision Quest. In the memoir, “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, the author goes into the wilderness by herself. Being in to find herself and heal. Being in the wilderness helped her not only relieve the stress that she had, but it helped her come to terms with many obstacles that she was facing, and in the end helped her heal. Much like people who are heartbroken or are stressed that take up traditional methods on how to heal themselves by going into the wilderness. Strayed’s method is effective, because going into the wilderness alone rids people of distractions that reminded them of what was holding them back and helps calm the mind, therefore it stimulates healing and self improvement.

Going into the wilderness as a form of therapy promotes healing. Wilderness therapy is proven to relieve stress and improve one's well being. An example of how wilderness therapy is effective is that it is now seen as a treatment for people that have PTSD. In a study by Go Lab, 180 military veterans and youths who experience PTSD symptoms, were taken on 1 to 2 day trips on the California’s American River. After the trips, the researchers measured several variables from the participants such as stress hormones and dopamine regulators. The results were that the participants,“reported a 30 percent reduction in PTSD symptoms and a 10 percent increase in wellbeing measures, such as happiness and social connection”(McGivney). Therefore proving that nature acts as a good healing component. In the memoir, Strayed talks about a particular feeling and calmness that she gets when she is in the wild, “ the experience was powerful and fundamental... how profoundly the trail would both shatter and shelter me” (Strayed 207). The statement demonstrates how being around nature has affected her and helped her throughout her journey. Nature provided a calming factor, similar to those in the study that experience PTSD. This calming factor helped her get through her obstacles and find herself.

The connection between nature and humans is that people cannot live without nature as it brings not only resources but heals, soothes, and restores people's mental wellbeing. Many people use nature as a way to spark creativity, get away from their busy lives, or to alter themselves in some type of way. The connection is not only physical but spiritual too, as people try to connect to nature by going on walks, hikes, or by observing their surroundings and feeling and smelling the nature around them. An example of a group of people that value the connection between nature and humans and believe that it is essential to life are Aborginial Australians. For instance, one tradition that brings them closer to nature is the walkabout that young adolescent Aborginal australians do. Which is when they are left by themselves in the wilderness for up to 6 months, and throughout their journey they transform into adults. The overall goal of the walkabout is so that the adolescent reflects and discovers who they are, by being alone in nature it pushes them to that since there are no distractions (Boban). The Aboriginal walkabout is similar to the memoir “Wild”, where Cheryl goes out into the wilderness alone to find out who she really is and reflect on herself. Being alone on her journey was an essential part of her healing process, because it rid her of distractions. “Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren’t a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was”(Strayed). Being alone let her be who she actually was whereas, with people she had to act a certain way. A different tradition that is similar to the Aboriginal walkabout, and deals with the connection between humans and nature, and finding oneself is the Lakota Vision Quest. Where Native Americans go on a journey in an isolated area without food, water, or sleep. The main goal of the quest is for the person to achieve contact with a spiritual guide. Cheryl Strayed’s journey is an example of how effective nature can be to the human mind and spirit.