Health and Education

Now that you know the basics about  mindfulness , let’s dive in a little bit more… The benefits of mindfulness So why practice mindfulness?  As we take time to be present to our experiences, and practice focusing on the present, we actually rewire our brains by creating new neural networks.  What are neural networks, you ask? When we learn behavior (how to swim, how to write the alphabet, how to drive a car) we create a neural network in the brain--neural networks, essentially, are neurons collecting signals from others and this creates an electric activity that creates connective branches in the brain. The more we repeat this behavior, the stronger the neural network becomes, and we establish this network as an “expert”—meaning that it is fully learned behavior (we don’t have to relearn it).  Students hiking through the wilderness is a beautiful metaphor for this process.  Imagine a single-track trail in the woods.  The more this single-track is u...

Blue Ridge first opened our Footsteps group for pre-teens in 2006, as one of the first wilderness therapy programs to work with this younger adolescent age group. It has always been developmentally focused to fit the needs of 10-14 year-olds, with an emphasis on nurturing these kids through every interaction. Our field staff balance supporting students through tasks while not rescuing them from what needs to be done. In this way, our students develop new skills while having the “safety net” of caring adults. We are a co-ed group led by co-ed field staff. This mirrors the traditional school setting where students develop their communication skills and build healthy relationships with peers and staff of different genders. These young students spend most days backpacking, but every ten days, they get to regroup and spend time at our hybrid base camp, called The Fort. In the Footsteps program, we work with our students to increase their understanding of the role they have played in...

Although you’ve probably heard that mindfulness is currently a therapeutic “buzz word”, it is truly a practice that has been around for thousands of years. It has its roots in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, but also in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In addition to it being rooted in these religious traditions, it also has been embraced and popularized by secular institutions. Misconceptions about mindfulness There are many common misconceptions about mindfulness. Mindfulness is often mistaken for a specific religious practice. Although many religions embrace practices of mindfulness, it is a practice that can be incorporated into any religious belief system, and also can be practiced by non-believers. Mindfulness is also often mistaken for relaxation. Although relaxation can sometimes be the result of mindfulness, it is not the goal of the practice. If we are practicing mindfulness authentically, the result can actually be feeling more agitation! People also often mist...

“ It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit ” —Robert Louis Stevenson   The majority of teenagers that come to wilderness therapy enter the woods in a state of almost chronic stress and exhaustion. They are over-aroused and over-stressed. Many are carrying a  laundry list of diagnoses , specifically anxiety-related disorders, that are treated through a complex diet of psychotropic medications. When you hear their stories and get a sense of their lifestyle choices, you realize that many kids are constantly stimulated and stressed: by electronics, caffeine, drugs, social media, academic pressures, parental demands and the ever-mystifying challenge of growing up into adulthood. On a physiological level, these stressors trigger their sympathetic nervous systems, which governs fight-or-flight behavio...

How many times have we seen someone we love refuse to do something without ever trying? In our hearts, we know that if they would just give it a try, there is a good chance that they would succeed. We may think, “They lack self-esteem or self-worth”' this is partially correct, but it is missing the most important part of the equation: Self Efficacy.  Self-efficacy is one’s belief in the ability to accomplish a particular task. Self-efficacy differs from self-esteem, which is the respect one has for oneself; this is an important distinction when dealing with adolescents. For the pre-teen and teen population, the general confidence adolescents have in their ability to accomplish a task correlates directly to whether they are successful in that task or not. At Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness we find it particularly true while working with individuals suffering from substance use problems.  Self-efficacy or increased confidence in the ability to sustain recovery was t...

Not long ago “at-risk youth” could be defined as a young person exposed to a daily onslaught of gangs, drugs, and violence within a single-parent, low income demographic.  According to the organization: At Risk Youth Programs, behaviors that result in “dangerous lifestyles” are often the result of stress that kids experience.  In recent years we have seen a shift in demographics of at-risk youth.  With the stress of school, extra-curricular activities, learning differences, and ever increasing mandates to test and measure progress, our kids are being medicated and go to therapy to “normalize” outcomes.  As a result, our education system in America has created an entire population of at-risk youth from every demographic! Our education system in America has created an entire population of high-stressed, at-risk youth from every demographic! At Makarios Community School we aim to reverse this trend by providing a safe and supportive environment for ALL student...

source : google A rebellious young person can be a tremendous test for guardians. They won't listen, nothing is by all accounts breaking through to them, they're carrying on dangerously–and you don't comprehend what to do. You're not the only one. Many guardians encounter this obstacle, however, there are a couple of approaches to get over it. A few guardians swing to outrage and disappointment, taking the greater part of their kid's benefits away–while frequently fills the fire. A few guardians don't do anything and enable the conduct to keep on spiraling until the point when it levels out (once in a while) or deteriorates. These aren't the main ways accessible, however. There are more compelling and productive approaches to manage a rebellious young person. How To Approach Your Troubled Teen A sign of a rebellious young person is contending each day. The contentions never appear to end and they tend to abandon you feeling sadder as a parent than...