Wellness in the Wild with Brandon Harding

Experiences in nature reveal the interconnectedness of our world.

I realize I have no doubt, that the natural world, that the way things move... is not benign. I’ve seen it happen too many times, there is communication between the more-than-human world, the human world... the way things happen.

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Deep connection with each other has a transformational power.

I think that, if anything that I’ve learned, is the magic of being out there in the woods with folks: after a week together and doing all these physical things, whether it’s rock-climbing, fasting, hiking, backpacking... the key element in my mind is when they’ve experienced being seen as a person, as a real person, by the group. That just seems to be the magic sauce that really transforms people.

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Getting back to basics in the wilderness allows reflection on each facet of our lives.

We had people talk about the roles that they play in their day-to-day life - not their job title, their roles... and then the roles that they wanted to be playing in the group, based on what they had learned so far. They were able to reclaim who they were in this small micro time-bound community and place-bound community, everything kind of flowed. It didn't matter if you had power as a CEO outside and so you're really good at coordinating massive groups of people... it didn't matter when it came to sharing the kitchen. There was no transferable power there. I guess what I'm getting at is... and making sense of this now: the stripping away that happens, there's also another side of that which is a reclaiming of natural or inclinational roles.