Touch the wilderness

Mother Theresa once advised, harmony is not found in noise and restlessness. Nature grows in silence. Arguably, we have to look outside the city limits, outside the concrete to get a true sense of self – essentially to look inside.

The key to wilderness therapy is that it is founded in natural self-discovery. There is no manipulation or man-contrived activities or consequences, orchestrated games or bonding, artificial stimulants, no force, no confrontation or competition in the style of a boot camp or regimented activity or in stressful physical challenges. It is simply a case of being there in the wild and becoming aware of the moment and the self in that moment.

The Australian wilderness connects us to the most ancient of lands and if we so choose, an indigenous culture which far surpasses the few thousand years of human history or events which we have become pre-occupied with in glossy international travel programs.

Our landscapes date back hundreds of millions of years, our first Australians walked the land at least 50,000 years ago, approx 90% of our plant and animal species are endemic to Australia and 40% of the country or 3 million sq kms is regarded by some studies as the most extensive, largely intact wilderness on earth, different but ranking in quality to the Amazon forest, Antarctica and the Sahara – all this, a legacy to the world, right here in our own back yard.

Wilderness is the base asset from which we can compare biophysical change and the progress of our actions and it offers a connection to ancient times and our core belonging. It is a perpetual venue for scientific discovery. The biodiversity of Australia's primitive lands may hold the secrets to potential treatments for pain relief, cancer, Alzheimers and even antibiotic resistance. Such studies do not involve the wholesale reshaping of the environment or land. The greatest proportion of prescription drugs used around the world have been derived from indigenous medical practices and plants of the wild.

Some would say, through nature there is a God. Beyond the religious reference, the spiritual benefit of wilderness is felt as we release ourselves from our ego and become connected with something timeless and universal. This giving over to something of ultimate value larger than ourselves is central to the experience. It reminds us of our primal instincts or condition to also be natural, wild and free.

Within the wilderness the individual will discover that everything in life can change and has done so for millions of years. Within the context of one's personal existence on earth, one can experience a sense of enduring, of adventuring beyond the comfort zone, enduring the walk, the climb, arrival at a vital decision or a clarity of ideas and values, while simply sitting on a rock somewhere.

The wilderness provides a sense of immensity and power, mountains, rivers, glaciers and deserts beyond our realm, stimulating awe. This power can humble us. To be insignificant within nature is comforting. Alternatively, being insignificant in a crowd can be painful. The challenges and frustrations of everyday life are much less important while in the wild than when endured in the office cubicle.

The wilderness provides a sanctuary of infinity and space not available in the confines and restrictions of a city. In the vast and distant horizons of the outback, a sense of infinity brings clarity for the mind to explore expansive thoughts. Guests on our outback journeys often talk of how much there is to discover and experience in what they expected would be a remote "featureless" landscape. Once you are there, the wilderness and detail grows on you. You become one with the place and the larger natural world, moving outside the interior realm of your own mind.

The wilderness appeals to all the senses and not just what the eye might see. The feeling of rain or mist in a forest, the purring of sea breezes in the Casaurina, a flock of birds echoing in the uncanny silence of an isolated desert, the changing of light across the landscape, the surprise arrival of a creature passing by.

Personal challenges beyond our comfort zone empower us with proof of our place and worth, contributing to our calm and spirit.

In competition with others there are winners and losers. In the wilderness we can all triumph over our personal challenges and comfort zone and in doing so, gain wisdom.