Synopsis "Together Alone: A Summer in the Desert"
Wilderness therapy. What is it? How does it look, and how did it look? Written in a conversational tone, this book recounts a Summer spent in the high desert lands of southern Utah, working for one of the first wilderness therapy programs. Described between the covers are stories that really happened on the trail. Eating bugs. Falling in a cactus patch. Getting lost and digging three feet down for water. Finding petrified dinosaur bones on a mountain named Death Ridge. And building bow drill fires. Yes - the fires!This same area that we roamed in, slept in, defecated in, ate in, and grew in, later became the Grand Staircase / Escalante National Monument. Or, at least most of it did. And since then, some it has been 'un-monumentized.'But this isn't about the monument, or the change in the land. It's about a change in heart; the change in the hearts of those who called this land home for 9+ weeks of their life. This is a brief glimpse into the life that we lived, the primitive survival skills we learned, and the civilized relationship skills that we attempted to make into a part of who we were and are. And it's a glimpse into the three-month evolutionary journey that we all found ourselves on. Together Alone. A journey that started then, and continues to this day.The first part of this book details some interesting, fun, and occasionally painful experiences that the 'Abos' (participants) had in the program. Read about a teen killer who was a gentle good person at heart, feasting on sheep, eating ants, and a swollen testicle.The second 'section' of the book recounts some of the successes, and abuses, that have occurred in wilderness therapy programs. There is an abundance of good 'wilderness therapy, ' or 'outdoor behavioral programs, ' now available. Read about some of the major players in these programs, as well as some of the major players in the primitive skills arena.You will also read about the experiences of three individuals who completed a wilderness survival / therapy program in different eras. The most recent account is from a young man who came back less than a year ago. He spent nearly three months in the western desert of Utah, and found this experience to be life-changing. A few years ago there was a student at a college who went on a 'final exam' as part of her college course work. Though brief in her account, the 'flavor' of the experience comes through. Then, back in the 1970's, when BYU and Larry Dean Olsen first started the outdoor survival and primitive skills movement, there were dozens of individuals who went on a 30-day course experience, hiking hundreds of miles. Read the fascinating and fun diary of one of these individuals. He shares his experiences as well as his thoughts in both a fun and insightful read.Though written by a psychotherapist, this isn't a textbook or a book of 'cases.' It's meant to be 'readable, ' and not boring. None of this textbook stuff, with ten-dollar words meant to impress. Rather, it's meant to catch and keep your attention.Lastly, included is a chapter from the book "Ruminations From the Burr Trail." A book detailing a trip along the Burr Trail, by the author with his sons. It sets onto pages the inner dialogue of a trip through this ancient, sacred land. Musings about ranchers, tree huggers, the government, and values are all addressed.Without spending $24,000 tuition to see first-hand what wilderness therapy is all about, buy this book and take a front-row seat and see how one of the earliest wilderness therapy programs operated.
