Restoring Self
may 31-June 4, 2024
Restoring Self is a 5-day, 4-night guided wilderness quest led by psychotherapist and wilderness guide Megan Newton, MA, LPC, and professional wilderness guide Leif Kraus. This quest is a rite of passage designed for individual adults seeking to reclaim and restore themselves from past difficult experiences or trauma.
When you survive a difficult experience or trauma, you often do so by compromising or sacrificing a part of yourself and/or are not allowed the opportunity to fully know or express your true self. As an adult, this can manifest in chronic illness, inflated sense of self, depression, anxiety, complicated grief, or a lack of self-worth. In those kinds of experiences, your nervous system is compromised, and your ability to navigate the world without defenses or coping strategies eclipses your authentic self. We believe intentional connection in nature is essential to reconnecting with yourself. Nature does not judge, fight back, ignore, need you to pretend, or ask you to take care of it in unhealthy ways; nature reminds you of your resilience and your essential belonging, free from masks, personas, or alter-egos.
Read more about Rites of Passage/Wilderness Quests here.
what to expect
During the initial part of the program, we will meet as a group in a council setting, and the guides will help you clarify your intention and identify what you long to reclaim. With this intention in mind, you will spend solo time on the land for two days and one night, connecting with nature and yourself, letting go of what’s no longer serving you in order to reclaim and restore your authentic self. You may choose to fast from food and proper shelter during this time, but doing so is not required and may not be appropriate for you. However, while we do suggest you fast from distractions (technology, substances, company of others, materials you use to ‘check out’, etc.), we invite you to engage in nourishing, caring, and self-edifying practices while on your solo. Following the solo time, we will resume in a group setting, and the guides will debrief, mirror, and support you in integrating the wisdom from your experience into your life.
For the duration of the program, we will be camping on private land. During the intention-setting and integrating portion, you may choose to camp in your car or tent. During the solo, you may choose to sleep in your tent or without shelter.
You will be provided with an optional yoga nidra practice during the intention-setting period and a meal when returning from your solo time. During all other times, you will be responsible for preparing your own food. We will provide stoves, fuel, and cookware. Before and after the day’s program, you will have time to yourself to spend on location however you please.
is this program for me?
This quest is for you if you are an adult over the age of 25 and have experienced one or more of the following:
In your relationship with your parents or caregiver growing up, you experienced one or more of the following: were judged, blamed, ridiculed, compared to others, or ignored; a parent avoided or diminished your emotions; had a parent need you to take care of them either emotionally or physically; had a parent who was often verbally aggressive or physically abusive; had a parent who consistently put their needs before yours in unhealthy ways such as drinking, using substances, binge eating, or deferred to their preferences with little or no consideration of you; you felt like you had to be better or perfect in order to gain approval; experienced a regular sense of chaos in your home environment; found yourself to be more emotionally mature than your parents; witnessed physical or emotional abuse in your parent’s relationship.
Experienced sexual violence at any stage of life.
Suffered the loss of a parent before the age of 18.
Witnessed or survived violence at any stage of life.
Experienced the death of a spouse or child.
This group is for you if, in adulthood, you experience one or more of the following:
Highly stressed, a lack of purpose despite a ‘successful’ career, easily overwhelmed, either persistently having to be ‘right’ or believing you’re not enough, parenting your children with similar patterns of behavior as your parents, self-shaming, experiencing difficulty either establishing or maintaining fulfilling relationships, feeling lonely despite having friendships, think you have to ‘fix’ things for others or make sure other people are happy, are concerned with your physical appearance/body image, are often scared or anxious, are often hopeless or negative and feel down.
This group is for you if you:
Can successfully regulate your emotions. This means feeling your emotions, expressing emotions in healthy ways, and returning to a regulated state.
Can abstain from substances for five days.
Engaged in therapy or with another healing professional regarding these issues before.
Can engage in deep listening of others.
Can source your own safety and provide your own emotional/psychological containment.
This quest is not for you if:
You cannot regulate your emotions.
You are not able to abstain from substances for five days.
You view other people as bad or wrong or consistently blame others.
You actively self-harm.
investment
$1,000
If you are in need of financial assistance, please reach out to request and apply for a sliding scale.
10% of profits will be donated to the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). Read our Land Acknowledgement and Cultural Relationship statement.
Group Info
This group is for adults and is limited to 8 participants. This group is open to all genders, races, and sexual orientations.
location
On private land approximately 20 miles west of Boulder near Ward, Colorado.
If you are coming from out of state, DIA is a 1.5-hour drive to Ward, Colorado.
gear
A specific gear list will be provided. Participants must supply all their own camping gear and food. Gear needed for cooking and fuel will be supplied. Gear, such as tents or sleeping bags, can be rented at various outfitters in the Boulder-Denver metro area.
Meet Your Guides
Leif Kraus
Megan Newton