Life can be overwhelming and it doesn't discriminate when it challenges our mental health. Young adults are bombarded with daily distractions, life path choices, and general life expectations. If you or your young adult is feeling lost or struggling with mental health issues, wilderness adventure therapy is an exciting way to build confidence, challenge your negative thoughts, address mental health issues and provide lasting guidance for healthy living. and prosperous.
First, a little clarification - although "jungle therapy" has become a popular term, at Pure Life Adventure we feel that our program can best be described as "outdoor adventure therapy". Pure Life Adventure is an outdoor mental health program that uses an adventure therapy model.
What is Wild Adventure Therapy for Young Adults?
Wilderness Adventure Therapy is an opportunity to break out of the normal, distracted life we all experience every day.Changing our attitude and environmentit is essential for us to break barriers and challenge ourselves. Experiential therapy will provide new experiences that involve physical and mental challenges. Some of these activities include surfing, abseiling, white water rafting and much more. Our adventures give our clinical staff unique insight into each student's individual issues, allowing us to create personalized treatment plans that have proven successful both here at Pure Life Adventure and in the student's personal life at home.
What makes Pure Life different
"We really wanted to create a space for someone who is struggling with their mental health and could really benefit from outdoor therapy, but isn't necessarily in crisis or exhibiting reckless or aggressive behavior," says Andrew Taylor, founder. As we operate in a foreign country and interact with a different culture, we require a certain level of stability and functionality for our customers. Pure Life requires all students to be fully on board before coming to the program. While it is common for anyone dealing with depression and anxiety to feel reluctance or resistance to a new experience, we want to ensure that clients are informed about the commitment they are making and we go to great lengths to ensure that they are informed about all aspects of the program .
Das Pure Life Outdoor Adventure Therapiemodell
- part ofOutdoor Behavioral Health Board (OBHC)EAssociation for Experiential Education AEEAccredited.
- Front Country Experience - Students are not isolated from the outside world, they interact with the Costa Rican public and community during their stay.
- Confidence-Building Adventure Elements - Activities are designed to challenge and empower students.
- Base Camp 3 Nights a Week - Our students are at Base Camp and sleep in beds 3 nights a week. Other nights include excursions and camping experiences.
- Healthy Eating – our program includes changing student habits through healthy eating and involving students in preparing fresh meals.
- Access to showers and outdoors - Students spend most of their time outdoors but still have regular access to showers and personal amenities. This is not a boot camp.
- Committed to High Standards – Our program is fun and engaging, and we are a mental health program with high safety standards, which means we have rules and structure in place to keep everyone physically and emotionally safe.
- Joint Admissions Process – our program director speaks with each student before committing to join us in Costa Rica. We use trauma-informed practices in our admissions process and the student must agree to come without coercion.
What You Won't Find at Pure Life Adventure
- "Traditional Wilderness Therapy" involves a fully immersive experience in the backcountry, also known as the nomadic model, where the student is completely removed from the community and will not see a building or car for weeks.
- Forced or unexpected student admission.
- punitive practices of any nature.
- Aggressive or defiant behavior within the environment.
- Strong addictive behavior related to substance abuse.
What does an experiential therapist do?
Although "adventure therapist" is a common term on the Internet, it is technically not a correct term for our team. At Pure Life Adventure, our licensed therapists implement adventure and outdoor activities into treatment plans to benefit our students.
Our licensed therapists provide individual and group therapy for our students and use the latest research and data to refine our treatment programs and approach our young adult students. Our therapists assess the challenges students are facing and create an individual treatment plan that will continue to apply after the adventure therapy is over. Our therapists will also involve the student's family in healing and therapy, including on-site visits as needed. Licensed therapists also work closely with our field guides and discuss very detailed goals with each student in the field each week. This allows us to support you every step of the way.
How does jungle therapy work?
Desert therapy, or outdoor adventure therapy, works because being immersed in nature is good for our overall mental health. There ismany positive benefitsidentified by being outdoors, sights, sounds and smells help our brain chemistry and reduce stress levels so much that doctors recommend that their patients spend time in nature.
Another important benefit of adventure therapy is taking the student out of their daily routine and current patterns. We call this the "new environment" and it is effective in conjunction with therapy in reprogramming our neural pathways.
Cultural immersion is another form of innovative environment that makes Pure Life Adventure a unique program within the practice area. As they experience new outdoor skills and challenges, our clinically informed field representatives are able to assess each student individually and use practical, strengths-based, student-integrated models that allow our participants to quickly learn healthy coping skills.
Along with these strategies, our goal is to instill behavior and emotion regulation skills, leadership skills, and life skills that will help them move forward.successful way of life. Those who choose adventure therapy will be immersed in the local Costa Rican community. Our group will live with a host family and engage in local chores while renewing our mental and physical health with an organic diet, meditation and exercise. We work with therapists individually and in groups and also involve family members as needed.
“Exploring new environments and challenging ourselves is good for our mental health. Within a few weeks I always see a difference in our students because their facial expressions change, I think being outside all the time plays a big part in that.”- Andrew Taylor
How effective is wild adventure therapy?
Our community is committed to research results in collaboration with theOutdoor behavioral health center. The results are extremely positive. Adventure Therapy is unique and highly effective for avariety of reasons. One of the main benefits of adventure therapy is freeing the student from the daily tasks of life that can be overwhelming and freeing them to turn to other critical needs that may be neglected.
Our students speak highly of their jungle adventure therapy experiences! If you're curious to know if adventure therapy really works, here's what our students have to say.
“By learning to accept the physical discomfort of being in nature, I have learned to manage my emotional discomfort so that it no longer prevents me from living.” Female, 19 years old
“Pure Life literally saved my life! I went into this program depressed and suicidal. I had lost my love of life, my family and friends, and my motivation to keep going. I learned with the help of my therapist and my group that I cannot repress my feelings. I learned to overcome physical discomfort and not let it get to me. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't joined Pure Life! Happiness takes a lot of work... I know that and I found a reason to work for it."– Female, 22 years old
“My experience at Pure Life was more than I could have hoped for. The supportive atmosphere and structure of the program, combined with the Costa Rican culture and lifestyle, had a profoundly positive effect on me. After my time there, I felt more comfortable being myself, a much stronger leader and emotionally healthier person.”-Male, 21 years old
You can read more from students and parentsHere.
Why Are Jungle Therapy Programs Effective?
In our high-tech, fast-paced, "I want it now" society, we tend to get lost in the many distractions that are so freely available to us. Wilderness Therapy offers students the opportunity and challenges toescape distractions. The Costa Rican wilderness allows students to focus on what matters most in life. just live and feel good. Wilderness Therapy offers students the opportunity to serve their local community and think beyond themselves. Students will gain a thorough understanding of a very different culture with tasks they would not normally experience, such as harvesting and preparing food, completing daily tasks unique to their surroundings, and a clear, distraction-free environment that reflects this allows them to reflect on their own needs. versus your desires. Wilderness Therapy allows them to reflect on the value of relationships, what they want in everyday life, and to explore and strengthen their core values through simplicity.
Common mental health issues in young adults
There are many different reasons why desert therapy is considered. A focus of desert therapy is healing the overwhelming mental health issues we face every day. Some of the most common problems we see in students are:
- Depression
- Anguish
- substance abuse
- Screening/Spielmissbrauch
- Executive functional deficits
- low motivation
- Low self-esteem
- body image struggles
- trauma in different forms
- learning deficits
All of these mental health issues and challenges can involve much more than a single task or desire in life. Mental health issues can affect all aspects of life, big and small, leading to sometimes not even realizing the damage that is being done. Until you can address the core issue, the negative effects of a mental health issue will continue to wage war on you. In addition to working to address mental health issues, Wilderness Therapy offers a long-term plan that will support and positively impact students' lives well beyond their time in Costa Rica.
What to Look for in a Jungle Adventure Therapy Program
If you're looking for a young adult nature adventure therapy, there are some key points to consider when choosing your program.
Cultural Immersion
Our Wilderness Adventure Therapy program seeks to create a life experience that is new in every way for our students. We want to remove them from what they are used to, overwhelmed or even comfortable with. Changing the lifestyle they are familiar with offers new opportunities for learning and growth. Cultural immersion will give students a new perspective on life. You will help others develop more empathy and compassion through cultural homestays with native Costa Rican families. Your student will roll up their sleeves and help our local family with household chores. Cultural immersion offers distraction-free experiences you can't find anywhere else.
Health and wellness with a holistic approach
A wilderness adventure therapy program should focus on all aspects of health. By offering new cultural experiences, we want to ensure that students take care of their bodies and minds. Health and wellness come first. Students will participate in activities such as yoga, gym classes, equine therapy and meditation. Self-improvement starts with a healthy routine. As we learn to fuel our bodies with nutritious food and regular exercise, our mental health will experience the direct benefits of these healthy choices. Students receive weekly medical checkups from our local nurse and enjoy fresh, home-cooked organic meals to help restore their bodies to a healthy state from the inside out.
Pure Life can offer students the opportunity to do just that.earn college creditsduring your stay in our program. Students can purchase up to 18 credits in total. These are highly transferable general education credits. Each week, students have the opportunity to apply for college credits. You will be presented with the learning objectives and asked for a reflection at the end of the week, which will be discussed with our academic director.
KEEP READING:University credit bei Pure Life Adventure
certification and security
Pure Life Adventure is accredited by the AEE. AEE or theExperiential Education Associationis committed to ensuring that outdoor adventure therapy programs not only operate safely, but also follow best practices in mental health therapy and treatment.
At Pure Life, our goal is to create the safest and most beneficial programming for our students. Our staff is fully trained in our risk and security assessment processes, and we have a risk management committee that includes people from outside our organization to ensure we continue to apply best practices to our students. AEE visited Pure Life in Costa Rica to review our facilities, processes and staff before granting our accreditation to ensure we meet their rigorous standards.
New life experiences require new skills and education. Our Young Adult Wild Adventure Therapy program aims to ensure your student is confident and experienced when learning new skills. Because water activities are an essential adventure, we offer students a Water Rapid Rescue (WWR) Certification Course, Wilderness First Aid Certification (WFA) and Rope Rescue Certification (RRO). Safety is paramount to our program and we ensure that all students are educated and competent in all of their wilderness activities.
family work and therapy
Leading our young adults to a happy and healthy place in their lives is not just about the student themselves. Sometimes change and well-being need to involve the whole family. In our jungle therapy program, we believe that family involvement is an integral part. We understand the struggle and discouragement parents feel. As our therapists work alongside the young adults who participate in our program, we will also work closely with parents to provide a weekly focus on family dynamics and parenting training.
Parents are expected to work as hard as their young adults while at Pure Life. You will have weekly interactions with your child, have the opportunity to participate in weekly virtual parent support groups, and encourage family or sibling visits in Costa Rica when therapeutically appropriate. Family visits include a 2-day plan that includes outdoor activities with your child, group events, a visit to Pure Life Basecamp and a family therapy session.
If you think Pure Life's Wilderness Adventure Therapy program could benefit your loved one, contact us to learn more about Pure Life Adventure!Contact us today!
Learn more about Pure Life's Wilderness Adventure Therapy
Pure Life Adventure Therapy
Benefits of Adventure Therapy for Young Adults
Who can benefit from adventure therapy?
FAQs
What are the primary goals of adventure therapy? ›
Adventure therapy helps promote healthy identity development, self-efficacy, grit, and a growth mindset. At an adventure therapy program, students get the opportunity to engage in various new activities and experience several novel environments during their stay.
How much does Carolina trails cost? ›How much does wilderness therapy cost at Trails Carolina? Tuition is based on a daily rate of $715 per day for our Youth Groups (10-13) and $675 for our Adolescent Groups (14-17). We request that the initial deposit covers the first 42 days plus the Enrollment Fee of $4,900.
Why does adventure therapy work? ›In part, Adventure-Based Therapy works by allowing teens to venture outside their comfort zones. By providing opportunities to escape from the daily routine, Adventure Therapy helps teens see themselves in a new light.
What are the benefits of nature-based therapy? ›Furthermore, engagement in nature-based therapies resulted in psychological benefits, such as enhanced self-concept, self-esteem, positive identity, confidence, emotional stability, motivation, self-reflection, and a sense of achievement and responsibility for the participants (Christie et al., 2016; Kusumawaty and ...
What are the five components of adventure education? ›These elements were: the physical environment, activities, processing, the group, the instructor and the participants.
What are the characteristics of adventure therapy? ›- it is a physical augmentation to traditional therapy for the purpose of a shared history with the participants and the therapist.
- there is a sense of natural and logical consequences in the activities.
- social environment should be structured into the activities.
Bruce's death came in September 2013, two years after his arrival at the ranch, when he fell from the back of the camp owner's pick-up truck, which another boy was driving in the dark on a dirt road.
What is the hardest trail in North Carolina? ›The Art Loeb trail is one of the longest and most difficult trails in North Carolina, and it's also a popular one! Hiking this trail will mainly involve peaks and ridges rather than valleys, which means many views along the way. This is undoubtedly some of the most beautiful scenery in Pisgah National Forest.
How much does aspiro wilderness cost? ›It is marketed as a wilderness therapy program for troubled teenagers aged 13-17 with a history of “school failure, difficulty with interpersonal relationships, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and more.” The average length of stay is between 6-10 weeks, and the tuition is reported to be around $30,000.
Why is adventure good for mental health? ›These include an enhanced sense of connection to others/social support, responsibility for others, perseverance/willingness to overcome adversity, self-awareness, confidence, achievement, physical challenge, ability to manage stress and adversity, and direct involvement with the natural environment (e.g., Davis et al., ...
Do children who play adventurously have better mental health? ›
Researchers found that children who spend more time playing outside had fewer “internalizing problems”—characterized as anxiety and depression.
Why is adventure important to mental health? ›The Benefits of Adventure for Mental Health
Improved mood: Adventure releases endorphins, which can improve our mood and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Boosted self-esteem: Accomplishing new challenges can improve our self-confidence and self-esteem, which can have a positive impact on our mental health.
Grounding is a technique that can help survivors of trauma. The act of grounding is having a physical connection with the earth. Research shows that the electronically conductive conduct of the human body with a direct connection to the earth produces positive effects on a person's health.
Does nature help with PTSD? ›Danish veterans participated in 10 weeks of nature-based therapy at an arboretum and were interviewed about their experience. The results indicated that the veterans had new tools to use in stressful situations and experienced an improvement in PTSD symptoms.
What is an example for nature therapy? ›Nature therapy might involve places like gardens, farms, forests, or parks. Usually, nature therapy involves experiencing nature (like taking a walk through the forest) or working in nature (like gardening). The amount of physical activity you'll get in nature therapy depends on the person.
What are the 7 stages of adventure education? ›The stages make up the AE process: acquaintance activities, icebreakers/deinhibiters, communication, problem solving, trust, low ropes, and high ropes elements (Bisson, 1998). The seven stages are designed to teach new skills at each stage and progressively build off of those skills in the next stage.
What are the disadvantages of adventure learning? ›In addition, adventure learning can result in discriminate against older employees or unlawful disability discrimination prohibited. Another concern with adventure learning is individual who either religious dependent or born to have alternate thinking; they unable to accept touching next person or vice versa.
What are the core values for adventure? ›Adventure means a great deal to me. It means appreciating the little things in my life, it means always trying new things, and it means accepting, even being excited by, challenging situations.
What emotion is related to adventure? ›Although adventure is typically associated with feelings of excitement, fear and danger, participation in less challenging activities also has the potential to evoke feelings of deep satisfaction.
What are the 4 adventure types? ›Though all travel the same road of life, there are different approaches to the journey. There are four Adventure Styles. I identify them as Explorers, Trailblazers, Navigators, and Travelers. Each approach, pursue, view, and even enjoy life differently!
What is an adventure mindset? ›
Living in the mindset of adventure is about taking action towards goals in spite of fear. You have to be willing to take risks to achieve your dreams, even if success is not guaranteed.
Is there wilderness therapy in the UK? ›Wilderness Therapy in the UK
The Wilderness Programme is a unique opportunity for anyone proactively seeking to exist in a new and more positive way. Specifically designed to help meet the needs of adult individuals simply needing genuine 'Time Out' or struggling with aspects of life.
- Southern Maine. Mile Marker : 1,909 Distance : Roughly 100 miles. ...
- White Mountains, New Hampshire. Mile Marker : 1,792 Distance : Roughly 100 miles. ...
- The Roller Coaster, Virginia. Mile Marker : 995 Distance : 13.5 miles. ...
- Northern Pennsylvania. ...
- Mt. ...
- Southern Virginia.
Sugar Mountain is located in Banner Elk, North Carolina, which is approximately 2.5 hours northwest of North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte.
What is the hardest mountain to climb in NC? ›First and foremost is the amazing Mount Mitchell, the state's highest and hardest bike climb. We also have two extremely scenic national byways, the incomparable Blue Ridge Parkway and Cherohala Parkway from the North Carolina side. Cycling Mt. Mitchell -- a bike climb in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.
Is Wilderness Therapy a real thing? ›Wilderness therapy, also known as outdoor behavioral healthcare, is a treatment option for behavioral disorders, substance abuse, and mental health issues in adolescents. Patients spend time living outdoors with peers.
Is Wilderness Therapy still around? ›Today, there are over 59 wilderness therapy programs in Utah alone. Until 1995 there was very little public awareness of the industry.
What is the Anasazi wilderness Program? ›The ANASAZI Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Program is designed for youth 12-17 years old who are struggling with substance abuse, emotional, or behavioral concerns. Participants (YoungWalkers) spend a minimum of 49 days in the wilderness of Arizona hiking and camping with little manufactured gear.
Do nature walks improve mental health? ›Many people report feeling elated and happy after a decent outdoor walk. Studies show that walking pushes your brain to release endorphins, which are known to help lighten your mood and build some positive emotions throughout your body.
Which is the best mental emotional benefits of exercise? ›Exercise can: Reduce feelings of depression and stress. Enhance your mood and overall emotional well-being. Increase your energy level.
Is Nature Walk good for mental health? ›
A study found that taking group nature walks is associated with decreasing depression, improved well-being and mental health, and lower perceived stress. Walking is an inexpensive and low risk form of exercise, combining that with nature and group settings it can be a very powerful, under-utilized stress reliever.
What age is play therapy most effective? ›When play therapy is used. Although people of all ages can benefit from play therapy, it's typically used with children between the ages of 3 and 12. Play therapy may be helpful in a variety of circumstances, such as: facing medical procedures, chronic illness, or palliative care.
Who benefits the most from play therapy? ›Who benefits from play therapy? Play therapy is most appropriate for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Older children and adults with some cognitive impairments may also benefit from play therapy. Younger children and even infants can also benefit from play therapy as a tool for early intervention.
What childhood problems is play therapy best suited? ›Play therapy is considered helpful for children who have experienced physical or emotional abuse or for those who have been bullied. It has been shown to be of help to children who have experienced war and other atrocities.
What are the benefits of seeking adventure in life? ›Adventuring not only expands your mind by building up your bravery, but is also an opportunity to grow and learn. New environments and cultures are packed full of meaningful life lessons that you might not be exposed to in your everyday life. Adventures expand the way we see and interact with the world.
What are the benefits of outdoor therapy? ›From a therapeutic standpoint, outdoor and adventure therapy offers increased efficacy in the areas of self-confidence, emotional resilience, trust-building, social skills, interpersonal communication, life skills, stress reduction, and more.
How does nature help stress and anxiety? ›Stress is relieved within minutes of exposure to nature as measured by muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain activity. Time in green spaces significantly reduces your cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Nature also boosts endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes happiness.
How nature heals anxiety? ›These studies have shown that time in nature — as long as people feel safe — is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.
What is the best vitamin for PTSD? ›Increase multivitamin and mineral intake
Vitamin D is often called the 'feel good' vitamin, is of particular importance to our wellbeing. A study of PTSD participants found 62.7% were deficient in Vitamin D (7).
For PTSD, cognitive therapy often is used along with exposure therapy. Exposure therapy. This behavioral therapy helps you safely face both situations and memories that you find frightening so that you can learn to cope with them effectively. Exposure therapy can be particularly helpful for flashbacks and nightmares.
What are the best holistic treatments for PTSD? ›
- Acupuncture. There has been one published randomized clinical trial of acupuncture as a treatment for PTSD. ...
- Meditation. ...
- Relaxation techniques. ...
- Yoga. ...
- Other CIH mind-body practices.
Being outside renews our spirits, encouraging us to look beyond our immediate circumstances. It also allows us to process difficult feelings in a judgment-free zone, playing a particularly important role with emotional regulation. Quite simply, nature is restorative. Research supports the healing power of nature.
What is another type of nature therapy or treatment? ›Ecotherapy is a formal type of therapeutic treatment which involves doing outdoor activities in nature. There isn't one single definition of ecotherapy, but it's often used to describe a regular, structured activity that: is led by trained professionals (sometimes therapists), who are there to support you.
What is the process of nature therapy? ›Results revealed that the nature-based therapy process contained six categories: Stimulation, acceptance, purification, insight, recharging, and change. When in the natural environment, participants first experienced positive emotional change, followed by cognitive and behavioral changes.
What are the goals in recreation therapy? ›Recreational therapists treat and help maintain the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients by seeking to reduce depression, stress, and anxiety; recover basic motor functioning and reasoning abilities; build confidence; and socialize effectively.
What is the primary goal for the first therapy session? ›The main goals of a first therapy session are usually: To allow the therapist to gather background information about the client and the client's current concerns. To begin to build trust and therapeutic rapport. To allow both the client and the therapist to see whether they are likely to work well together.
What are the primary goals of therapeutic rehabilitation? ›The goal is both to restore physical health, quality of life and overall wellness to the patient, while minimizing the risk of injury or illness in the future. Physical therapy can be helpful for people of all ages, with a wide range of health conditions.
What are the goals of insight oriented therapy? ›The goal of insight-oriented therapy is to help clients understand how past experiences can affect their current behavior. 1 Although insight-oriented therapy has several formulations, there are common elements. One of these elements is the concept of unconscious internal conflicts stemming from early life experiences.
What are the 5 domains of recreation therapy? ›A good recreational therapy program provides activities for the client that cover the physical, spiritual, artistic, intellectual, social and sensory domains.
What are the 5 motivations for recreation participation? ›The LMS identified four main factors that motivated people to participate in recreational activities: (a) intellectual, (b) social, (c) competence-mastery, and (d) stimulus-avoidance.
What is an example of a therapeutic goal? ›
“I want to heal from depression and get my hope and energy back.” “I want to stop having the same fight with my partner over and over again.” “I want to stop overeating when I'm stressed out and find healthier ways to cope.”
What do I say in my first therapy session? ›Most likely, you'll find yourself talking about your current symptoms or struggles, as well saying a bit about your relationships, your interests, your strengths, and your goals. Most importantly, in that first session, you will begin making a connection with your therapist.
What questions do therapists ask in the first session? ›- What are your symptoms?
- What brought you to therapy?
- What do you feel is wrong in your life?
- Some questions about your history, including your childhood, education, relationships (family, romantic, friends), your current living situation, and your career.
- What are you feeling?
- What are you thinking?
- How does your body feel right now?
- What are you seeing and doing in this very moment?
- What sounds do you hear around you?
- Promote Adaptation.
- Emphasise Abilities.
- Treat the Whole Person.
- Time.
- Educate.
- People Centred Care.
- To Help You Restore Your Personal Best Level of Functional Ability. ...
- To Speed Your Recovery. ...
- To Help You Recover Safely and Comfortably.
Harold Derbitsky is the author of “Evolution of Addiction Recovery”. In this new book, he examines and compares well-known treatment methods and indigenous ceremony with the three principles. These are the principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought.
What are behavioral goals in therapy? ›Behavior therapy is focused on helping an individual understand how changing their behavior can lead to changes in how they are feeling. The goal of behavior therapy is usually focused on increasing the person's engagement in positive or socially reinforcing activities.
What 3 characteristics do therapists have to exhibit? ›According to Rogers (1977), three characteristics, or attributes, of thetherapist form the core part of the therapeutic relationship - congruence,unconditional positive regard (UPR) and accurate empathic understanding.
What are the four types of insight therapy? ›Most research sources refer to four types of insight therapy. These include psychoanalysis, cognitive therapies, humanistic therapies and group, family, and marital therapies.