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Exploring the 12-Step Philosophy in the Wilderness
“I only went out for a walk and concluded to stay out until sundown. For getting out, I discovered that I was really going in.” -Robert Frost
In the wilderness, you will discover a number of very specific and mandatory truths. Without plumbing, kitchens, beds, heaters, grocery stores, or television, you must learn to hydrate, feed, warm, provide comforts, and think for yourself – all the while organizing your daily routine to serve not only yourself, but the needs of your group. This will become your ritual, as the wilderness has its own.
As you experience the rhythm of survival on nature’s terms, you will begin to understand the nature of powerlessness and the need for manageability. This is the first of the 12 Steps. Through the beauty, peacefulness, and serenity of nature, the loneliness and solitude, and the removal of societal distractions, you will embrace the teachings behind the 12-Step philosophy.
While living in the wilderness, you will experience many trials and challenges. Each night, you will be given the opportunity to process with your group the way in which you lived those experiences, thus raising your awareness of self and the world around you. As part of your spiritual journey, we offer meditation groups and time for reflection, and will help you find what we call a “medicine spot,” a beautiful and powerful spot of your very own in the wilderness where you can reflect on your thoughts and write in a journal. These times of introspection give you the opportunity to explore Step Three.
In order to work through Step Four, you will be given the opportunity to explore your past behaviors and thoughts, with the support of your group and staff, thus taking a fearless moral inventory of yourself. If you choose, you may share your personal inventory with your group, therapist, or other staff members. This is the Fifth Step.
Working through the first four steps of the 12-Step model brings about awareness, humility, and acceptance. Sharing ourselves truly with our community and a higher power brings about trust and support. The next step is to begin ridding ourselves of the “baggage,” or defects of character, that we carry.
One way to determine these defects of character is to assess your wilderness skills. What negative emotions or patterns do you see when you approach your skills? Do you avoid them? Do you get frustrated or angry with the process? Do you look for the “easy way out?” Are you naturally so proficient with your wilderness skills that you struggle to find meaning in them? Are you looking? Just as the wilderness is a mirror for our own powerlessness and unmanageability, primitive wilderness skills are a mirror for our emotional state of being.
The wilderness experience is replete with opportunities to meditate on and revisit who we were and who we harmed in our past. If you are willing and able, you may have the opportunity to explore the eighth and ninth steps with your therapist during individual sessions.
As for exploring who you are today, you will have the opportunity each evening to discuss with your group how your day went and if you achieved your personal and group goals. By living in a community of peers, we become aware of the importance of personal accountability for the benefit of the community. The tenth step consists of continuing to take a personal inventory, and when wrong, promptly admitting it.
How Long Should I Stay in Treatment?
Every client’s length of stay at Four Circles will depend on his or her particular issues, needs, and circumstances. Our clinical team will create a personalized treatment plan that adapts to the client’s pace and ensures that every individual receives no more and no less treatment than necessary.
Our staff of clinical professionals also works with clients, their families, and referral sources on aftercare and discharge planning to minimize the risk of relapse and reinforce the client’s long-term recovery. This planning may include the development of a sober support system, an introduction to 12-step fellowships, and assistance locating continuing care programs or support groups.
Research Proves Longer Is Better
In the past, 28-30 days was the standard length of treatment for addiction at most drug rehab centers. But in recent years, research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and other organizations has shown that patients in addiction treatment programs lasting 90 days or longer have significantly reduced relapse rates.
During the first 30 days of treatment, clients are focused on detox, withdrawal, and establishing therapeutic relationships, according to Bennett Fletcher, a senior research psychologist at NIDA. In many cases, the issues underlying the substance abuse problem are just beginning to surface after the initial 30-day treatment period. The real learning and progress occur within the next few weeks and months, with ongoing supervision and insight from addiction specialists.
As a result of these findings, some of the most renowned substance abuse treatment centers have begun to offer 45- and 90-day programs. A research-based wilderness therapy program, Four Circles was one of first young adult programs to understand the importance of long-term addiction treatment and aftercare. With a minimum length of stay of 42 days and treatment plans that extend up to 90 days, Four Circles has been on the cutting edge of addiction treatment since its inception.
Addiction is a chronic, progressive illness that can be fatal if left untreated. Like other serious medical illnesses, such as diabetes or heart disease, treatment must occur over months and even years in order to achieve a full recovery. With appropriate long-term treatment, young people can learn how to identify and cope with triggers for drug or alcohol use, build a social support network, and cement the skills that are essential for lasting recovery.