Challenging Experiential Activities
Alcohol and drug rehab provides different and unique activities here. Cirque has a giant indoor ropes course designated for working with residents. But not all elements of the ropes course involve high wire walking and challenging climbing events. Some of these events challenge in a different way, the cognitive mental process. A number of different activities are referred to as “low ropes”. Low ropes events require problem solving skills and working as a team to overcome challenges. Such elements can help in building support, and provide individuals a different way of thinking about a difficult situation (One that does not involve drugs or alcohol).
Our experiential team is always coming up with new ways to challenge residents with these problem solving exercises. Residents come up with new and different ways to accomplish the challenge at hand. One time the residents used all the shoelaces from their shoes to faction a rope to accomplish the task. This can be a fun and therapeutic experience as the residents work together to attack and overcome their challenge.
When all is said and done, each low ropes activity begins or ends with a discussion. Residents can discuss what they learned from the exercise, and not everyone has the same emotions or experience with the activity. Residents learn from each other as they support one another. The Cirque Lodge uses many different types of recovery programming. Some of it is intensive therapies, and parts of it are exercises like the ropes course. We strive to give each resident so many different opportunities to learn, grow, and have that needed internally changing experience.