The Father and Son Reunion...

Family Systems focus...

I have just spent a full two days on an expedition with my son as part of the Expedition Therapy experience.I had not seen him or spoken to him in the nine weeks since my wife and I had sent him to Expedition Therapy for treatment.

At that point in time, my relationship with my son had deteriorated to nothing more than small talk about the weather. He had fallen into a pattern of substance abuse, denials and outright lies. The unbearable level of stress created within the family by his toxic behavior had driven us to the point where either he had to get treatment, or he was going to be put out on the street. The son I sent to Expedition Therapy nine weeks earlier was extremely bitter and wanted nothing to do with me.

This was to be a surprise visit. I was reassured by the Expedition Therapy Treatment Team that our travels would take us to several of Southern Utah's most sought after natural treasures. As I drove out to the Expedition meeting site with Primary Therapist Beth Fogel, I was both nervous and hopeful about what might happen. As soon as my son realized that I was there, he immediately ran over, greeting me with a big smile and a hug. It was if I had stepped back in time to four years earlier, before his terrible downward spiral started.

For the next two days we talked...a lot. My son confessed that his resentment towards me and the other family members had been driven by his pattern of avoiding the responsibilities of his life. He talked about – and demonstrated – a sense of self-awareness I had never before seen in him. He took full accountability for his actions (again a first for him), and spoke about wanting the relationship with me that I had been hoping for.

I was deeply moved by our conversations. I realized that these two days were quite possibly the best two days of my life; it seemed like we had been given a unique opportunity for a "do over".

I have never felt closer to my son than I do right now. This was absolutely unthinkable to me just a few days ago. I am under no illusions about the likelihood of some additional bumps in the road ahead, but I am much more optimistic about my son’s future than I have been in many years. As we hiked the North Rim, I felt a sense of calm inside me.Taking in the immense beauty and majesty of the canyon, I felt at peace within myself knowing my son was feeling positive about his progress, too. 

When I initially placed my son at Expedition Therapy, I viewed it as a last resort after many other treatment failures. After seeing the difference Expedition Therapy has made in his life, I am now very hopeful for my son’s future and the future of his relationships with the entire family.

THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDS US

Our Fearless Leader Naime C. rocks and her climbing resume is quite impressive!

 She is a creative, intelligent, super organized, and a very compassionate leader.

 

It's hard to imagine how those who have lived here before us could manage to survive these windswept, harsh lands. Along the way, we did see a pronghorn sheep, deer, and a wide variety of birds...and made a friends with a Stellar Pinyon Jay, rich with cobalt blue color.  During our culture and  history discussion, we learned that as early as 1776, the Escalante Dominiquez expedition observed Paiutes gardening and cultivating corn and other food crops.

A Mule Deer makes a quick airborne appearance!

We always make time for technical and hard skills focus such as fire making, learning knots for climbing and canyoneering, as well as numerous safety talks. A huge, welcome me to  Senior Expedition Specialist Mike K. who as extensive wilderness therapy and professional guiding experience. Mike has climbed Mt.Kilimanjaro 5 times!    

To be continued...