Expedition Therapy participated in a service project during the recent Ironman Race in St. George, Utah. Nearly two thousand athletes took part in this grueling all-day event. A group of Expedition Therapy students and field staff crewed a hydration station, providing water and nutrition to the Ironman athletes during the 112-mile biking segment of …
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For Parents, A Family Expedition Of Rediscovery
It’s hard to find words to capture all the emotions we felt during our three-day Family Expedition with our son and the Expedition Therapy staff. The young man we had said goodbye to eight weeks earlier was lost, trapped in a self-defeating spiral of depression, impulsivity, denial and guilt. He was a stranger to himself …
A Peak Experience…by Expedition Field Instructor J.J.M.
The mountain was something to behold. It looked intimidating yet inviting, as if it were challenging us to brave its jagged peaks and experience its grandeur. “We have to climb it – we just have to!” exclaimed student S, but we knew that it was much farther away and quite steeper than it appeared from …
A Mid-Point Testimonial…by J.Z.
The combination of action and reflection that Expedition Therapy promotes is by far the most effective means of therapy I have ever received. I have been pushed to emotional, physical and intellectual boundaries that seemed too far away to imagine only four weeks ago. I now address conflict, scale 170-foot cliffs, and climb sheer rock …
Giving Back To Zion…by Expedition Field Instructor J.L.
Zion…a place to find solace and refuge. An aerial photo of the infamous Walter’s Wiggles switchbacks, the exposed knife-edge ridges, and the outstanding Angel’s Landing hangs in my family room back in suburban Pennsylvania. Back when I was just sixteen, my Dad and I scrambled our way up to the Zion National Park destination that …
From A Student To A Mentor…by T.D.
Five months after I had left, I came back to Expedition Therapy to be a Mentor. Even though my stay only lasted a week, it was a fantastic, fun and powerful experience. Coming back as a Mentor felt totally different from being at Expedition Therapy as a student. Being able to have the trust to …
Understanding The Purpose Of the Expedition…by A.S.
As I sat down to write this Expedition Therapy blog entry, I initially felt overwhelmed. How do I encapsulate the week I have had? Two new group members, a personal milestone, three amazing sites…it’s hard to know where to start. Personally speaking, the most valuable part of this week came while rock climbing. …
The Kaibab Loop Challenge…by Field Instructor J.L.
This week, we headed to the Kaibab, or “mountain lying down,” to make an ambitious backpacking loop. This loop would be about 26 miles, with over 2,500 vertical feet covered, mainly on the first day. We started at the southernmost part of the cliff band at an elevation of 6,300 feet, surrounded by juniper, sage, …
WFA – Hooray!
Our group had the opportunity earn our Wilderness First Aid certifications by completing the WFA Expedition. Powerful and exciting realizations happened in an environment we could all relate to – the outdoors is our classroom! Our Instructor taught us how to be a Rescue Team, where we were each assigned a specific function related to …
Playing The Slots…by A.M.
I had just arrived at ET earlier in the day. I got my gear, then joined the group on a Canyoneering Expedition. I was motivated to get over my fear of heights when I voluntarily decided to come to Expedition Therapy. This decision was a challenge I set for myself. When I was younger, I …
