Trails Carolina
Lake Toxaway, NC

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Objects Inspire Internal
Change At Trails Carolina

The Theory of Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics clarifies the ways in which objects are an integral part of the internal healing process. At Trails Carolina, the Theory in placed into Practice.

The Third and Fourth of the five identified dynamics are the symbiotic acts of Composing and Making.



COMPOSING

Composing describes the act of bringing together a variety of objects that compliment and/or juxtapose each other in a way that resembles or conveys a meaning that could not otherwise be expressed or fully understood. One way that Trails Carolina Wilderness Therapy does this is by having students create natural sculptures (using objects in nature to describe parts of ones self or state of mind). So much can be learned about a students core-beliefs and world perspectives through the process of this one activity alone.





MAKING

Students do a lot of Making throughout their Trails Carolina wilderness experience - from fires to rope, from meals to carvings. One of the largest 'makings' that students do is their bow-drill set. What makes wilderness therapy unique is the healing and change that comes along with these activities. Students often name their fires and decorate their bow drill sets as a way of making these objects something so much more than just tools. It is through this process that the object develops into an outward expression of their internal self.





The Combined IMPACT of COMPOSING and MAKING

The creation of a bow-drill set and the subsequent building of a fire is a process that brings intrinsic rewards. When a student sees pieces of wood transform into a tool (composing) and they then apply their own internal drive and use that tool to create a coal/ember (making), the unified effect ignites much more than just a small fire. The combined processes of composing and making inspire internal change and instill empowerment;
And as we like to say, put "A Coal in the Soul!"


"Trails is a metaphor for leading troubled kids in the right direction. The children discover the natural terrain and also the inner terrain of their beings. It is a very down to earth way for kids to appreciate the outdoors, camaraderie and themselves"
-Trails Parent (2015)

To read and in-depth blog post on the Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics Theory, developed by Jason McKeown, Family Services Director at Trails Carolina along with Brenda Cowan, Associate Professor of Exhibition Design at SUNY/FIT, and Ross Laird, PhD. click here.

Trails Carolina is a wilderness therapy program based just outside of Asheville, North Carolina that offers a multi-dimensional wilderness therapy model to troubled adolescents, ages 10-17. Trails capitalizes upon the profound effects of a student's wilderness experience, and then combines that experience with strong clinical assessments and therapy.