First off, let’s hear it for my first post. Yay.
For context, I’m an 18 yr old cis white male. I have depression. For more info go to my profile.
The name of the camp is Blue Ridge Wilderness Therapy. It’s headquartered in Georgia and the therapy happens in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
The idea for wilderness therapy was originally recommended by my therapist. I don’t think they were super well informed on the details of wilderness therapy. He tossed out an idea and I latched on hard. I pictured sleeping under tents and doing group sessions with people my age, and being invigorated by the responsibility and natural healing properties of nature, coming back a completely different person.
This is not what happened.
I did my research on wilderness therapy locations. I decided on one location that I did not end up going to. It was nomadic, we’ll reviewed, and as expensive as the other candidates. $695 a day. The location I ended up going to was also nomadic, had a 2.5/5 review on google, and was $50 dollars a day cheaper. This is the one I chose. The program lasted on average 10-13 weeks. If that sounds like a long time when compared to outpatient programs, that’s because it is.
Because this is not a mental health institution.
It’s a open walled prison that gaslights and manipulates you into “fixing” behavioral problems.
The other clients did not have mental health problems. They had various types of addiction. All of them had dropped out of college.
I haven’t used drugs ever, I just successfully graduated high school, and was doing MUCH better than I was 1 year prior. At the very least, the fact that I wanted to go here should have been disqualifying. If you want help, you don’t need to be forced into being fixed. None of the other people there were there because they wanted to be. They were all given ultimatums by their parents.
Whenever I tell this story, I tend to jump around a lot. It takes place over the course of 5 days, and includes a lot. If people are interested, I can link a google doc where I’ve written the whole thing out. But right here, I want to focus mainly on the program’s wrongdoing.
Thing #1
You spend the first 48 hours isolated from the rest of the group. You aren’t allowed to talk to them, and they aren’t allowed to talk to you. You are told he staff to sit about 30 feet outside of camp. You can see and hear everything that goes on, but are not allowed to participate.
I can’t properly explain how horrible it is to be far away from your family in the middle of the woods, alone, with a very cheery and open group of friends 30 feet away. It makes you want to be in the group so bad that you’ll be willing to do whatever to be accepted.
I believe that if I were not accustomed to being lonely, I would’ve broken and done whatever it took to connect with these people. I would’ve followed every rule for fear of being put back in isolation.
Yeah, that’s right, if you don’t follow the rules, THEY PUT YOU BACK IN SOLITARY. Let me remind you that this is supposed to be a mental health institution.
I’m going to go off on a bit of a tangent now and talk about cults. Why do they work? Well, according to me, it all stems from this want to be part of a collective. To have a sense of belonging. It can be very effective against lonely people. However, most cults are held back by a couple of things.
People who are not initially interested can just leave.
People who don’t need a new sense of belonging don’t have anything to get from a cult.
These two problems are nonexistent to Blue Ridge, because they make you uncomfortable and alone, and don’t let you leave. Together, these two things make you susceptible to the cult.
I’d like to clarify: Blue ridge is not religious. When I use the word cult, I’m talking about the indoctrination, conditioning, and money grubbing cults are known for.
Ok, next thing: the customs.
The practices, vernacular, and rituals of the camp help to exclude those who are not aware of the customs, and foster a sense of belonging with those who do know the customs. The number of special names for things is comical. My 2 favorites are Scoobs Bags and ‘Bears’.
Just ‘bears’.
Ok, so, last thing that makes them a cult, the money.
The cost of the program is about $50,000.
The longer you are in the program, the more it costs. So, not only are you being held hostage (not really held hostage, just held against your will), your family is also held financially hostage if you don’t follow the rules and finish the program ASAP.
Because the more you resist, the more therapy you must need. So the longer you stay.
The idea that if you don’t do what you’re told the longer you’ll be kept is straight up evil. In line with everything else at this place.
During this time, your only method of communication is through letters to your parents. Why just them? Why just letters? It limits communication between you and your parents, while the camp tells them that you’re just struggling and that everyone starts this way.
I’m not being paranoid, they literally read your letters to and from your parents. I should know, my dad got his first draft letter to me sent back to him with revisions. They told him to say I couldn’t come home if I left.
They cut you off from your support system and tell them that you’re the problem. After I successfully escaped, apparently they recommended I be put in a psychiatric hospital. They want to discredit and delegitimize anyone who speaks out against them.
They are so careful about what they do and say. They try so hard to keep from breaking the law. Thinking back on this place makes me so angry. This is the longest I’ve been able to sit and type out what happened, and I haven’t even gotten to when I realized I needed to leave. If people are interested, I can finish the story, and talk about:
The 3.5 hour hike to freedom.
Me being physically restrained from calling the police.
Me trying to get kicked out of group.
And how I actually managed to get home.
Let me know if you’re interested in hearing the rest. There is so much more, but Better Call Saul starts now, so I have to go.
TL;DR
I went to a cultish program in the woods.
xx
J.K. Rowling and the Running Grave
Any people in Bay Area interested in creating a peer support group for depression?
I haven't been on for a long time, But heres my update why I was depressed and I have come out to say why I was. 
ARE WE THE SAME
A respectful request
