Malibu Wellness Ranch

Adventure Therapy for Treatment and Recovery

Success in recovery should be measured by your ability to grow and improve continually. You will be setting and achieving goals surrounding your physical and mental health. Managing setbacks and building resiliency is also vital to the recovery process. Finding support from family, friends, and peers in recovery can make a huge difference in achieving your goals.

Achieving long term-sobriety after struggling with substance use disorder (SUD) looks different for everyone. Your path to recovery is an extremely personal journey. You will need to consider your options and decide what the best path for you is. Your recovery should be built around your strengths, resources, and values. 

There are various evidence-based therapy and treatment options available to you. Often you will participate in a combination of different therapies, finding the best fit for you and your lifestyle. Adventure therapy is one form of psychotherapy that has grown in popularity.

What Is Adventure Therapy?

Adventure therapy is a program or service that utilizes outdoor activities to help individuals participate in unique experiences that allow them to learn skills in a hands-on fashion. These intentional therapeutic processes are generally place-based, feature active bodily engagement, and deepen the awareness of the connection between humans and nature. Adventure therapy has proven effective in treating a wide range of psychological challenges, including SUDs. 

How Does Adventure Therapy Work?

During activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and rafting, you will be able to learn various physical and mental skills. First, you will learn the practical skills you need to complete the activity. Participating in the activity will also teach skills like problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.

On a deeper level, adventure therapy can help you become more open to new experiences. By mastering new skills and accomplishing new goals, you will build your self-confidence and self-esteem. During adventure therapy, you will start to feel more relaxed and able to open up to your therapist and peers in a way that promotes deeper healing.

Adventure therapy allows you to tackle new challenges and face your fears with a mental health professional to guide your experience. During the activity itself, your adventure therapist can guide you through difficult emotions that might arise. They can also help you make connections with the people around you. Your adventure therapist serves as a source of support in the moment.

Typically after your adventure therapy experience, you can process the activity as a group. Your adventure therapist will help connect your experience with other challenges you may have experienced in your life. They will also help you recognize how the skills you learned can relate to your recovery goals. 

Success After Treatment

When you participate in adventure therapy during SUD treatment, you are able to process internal conflicts and work on healing damage. You are also learning to develop new skills and hobbies that you can carry with you beyond treatment. Finding activities that you are passionate about and enjoy can make a significant difference in your new, sober lifestyle.

As you move forward in your sobriety, you will need a variety of coping skills to help you navigate mental health challenges in a healthy way. Getting out and immersing yourself in nature has proven to have a positive effect on a wide range of physical and mental health aspects. Being in nature, by yourself or with a group of friends, can help you manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. Exposure to nature improves your overall sense of well-being.

Adventure Therapy and Malibu Wellness Ranch

Malibu Wellness Ranch is an 800-acre property in the Pocono Mountains. Our unique setting allows us to provide our clients with a wide range of outdoor activities and adventure therapies. These resources allow our clients to go hiking, fishing, ATV riding, and participate in different sports. They can also make social connections during our movie nights, music sessions, and attending bonfires.

Our most prominent feature at Malibu Wellness Ranch is our equine recovery program. Upon arrival, each client is assigned a horse they will help care for during their stay. We have over 40 horses, each with its own personality. Our goal is to match each client with a horse that will help them be most successful in the equine recovery program.

Clients will be involved in all aspects of caring for and having fun with their horses. They will learn grooming, tacking, handling, and other general horse care. Clients will also have the opportunity to go horseback riding and enjoy the beautiful landscape the Malibu Wellness Ranch has to offer. 

Activities in our equine recovery programs help our clients improve their physical wellness, such as strength and coordination. Working with the horses also helps our clients improve their emotional vulnerability and their ability to trust and love. By bonding with the horses and opening themselves up to new experiences, they will experience healing and develop the skills they need for long-term recovery.

 

Treatment and recovery is a personal journey that each person must discover for themselves. Your treatment plan must be built around your own personal strengths and interests. It also has to fit in with your lifestyle and values. Adventure therapy is one way that you can discover new things about yourself, work on skills you will need in your everyday life, and develop passions that can last you a lifetime. Malibu Wellness Ranch is a unique destination for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment that can provide a variety of experiences designed to help you find success in recovery. Call us today at (800) 862-5428 to find out more about our adventure therapies.