Do We “Hydrate” Mentally?
We all know that hydration is important for our physical health. But according to Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation, it’s also important to “hydrate” in a mental, emotional, and spiritual way. Transcript of Do We “Hydrate” Mentally?: Yeah, we often like to use the metaphor—when we think about mental health—of hydration. If you or I were to get severely dehydrated, we would show symptoms of illness and if we were to go to an emergency room with those symptoms of illness before a doctor would diagnose us they would—they would put an IV in us and fill us up with fluid. Because they can’t really tell whether there’s a connection between some sort of illness and what we’re experiencing—the symptoms we’re experiencing and the hydration. And so, until we’re hydrated they won’t know that. Sometimes, the symptoms are directly related to dehydration, other times there’s an illness…
Do You Want A New Beginning?
Have you ever wanted a new beginning? Ezekiel Sanchez (Good Buffalo Eagle), co-founder of Anasazi Foundation, offers hope and advice for a new beginning. Transcript of A New Beginning: In the beginning, when we developed Anasazi Foundation, one of the things that we wanted to invite was for people to have a new beginning. And so, I’m often asked what is—what can Anasazi offer a person? And it comes in one word that I give, and I say: hope. And of course, the next question is: ‘Well, hope in what?’ Hope in a new beginning. All of us, at one time or another—during our walking through this earth—have always wished, sometimes, that we could just start all over again. If only I could start all over again, or if I could just have a new beginning. But really, there’s not too many places that will invite you and I to…
The Legend of the Moccasins
Kira Roerig, a Family Therapist at Anasazi Foundation, shares the Native American legend of the moccasins and talks about the importance of parents allowing their children to have their own journey. Transcript of The Legend of the Moccasins: So, something that I often share with parents: there’s this old Native American story about a father and a son. And, in this story, the son is walking about the face of the earth. And he’s stepping on rocks and things that are pokey and prickly and thistles and thorns. And so, this loving father, out of love for his son, covers the earth with leather to help his son’s journey. And, as his son goes on, walking about the face of the earth, he continues to get poked and pricked by the thistles and thorns and so the father lays more leather over the earth. And then, eventually, the father realized…
What Is Your TRUE Identity? (Hint: It’s Not What You Think)
What is your true identity? Nathan Mitchell, the Clinical Director of Anasazi Foundation, talks about the difference between IMAGE and IDENTITY and shares some profound insight . . . Learn More About ANASAZI Foundation Read The Seven Paths
More Connection, Less Correction
How can parents help their troubled teen? Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation says “The more connection, the less correction,” and that “Our influence as parents rests on how often we have those connections with our children.” He then shares a remarkable story of a mother who wouldn’t give up on her son. Watch the video to learn more. Transcript of The More Connection, Less Correction: Our influence as parents rests on how often we have those connections with our children—those windows of time when we’re just right with one another, when my child knows that I care about them deeply and I know they care about me, right? Just those windows of time. If those are happening regularly, then I have a lot of influence in a child’s life. When those are happening few and far between I have very little influence to help a child. And…
What Is Wilderness Therapy?
Kira Roerig, a Family Therapist at Anasazi Foundation, talks about wilderness therapy and why it is so effective at helping individuals heal. LEARN more about Anasazi Foundation. READ The Seven Paths. TRANSCRIPT of Video: At Anasazi, we use a wilderness therapy approach where, basically, nature is sort of one of the “teachers,” one of the main teachers of the children who come through the program. So, one of the reasons that we feel like wilderness therapy is so effective is because we often say that it’s an opportunity to disconnect. It’s a chance for kids to disconnect from their friends back home that might be, kind of a challenge, or an opportunity to disconnect from social media, or video games, or pornography—whatever is going on in their lives that’s challenging—and then, but really, more than just an opportunity to disconnect, it’s an opportunity to reconnect. So, they get to go…
Learning from Monsoon Season in Arizona
The monsoon rains were coming down hard as the vehicle rumbled up the muddy mountain road to the RidgeWalker’s post. The typical routine for the Shadows (therapists at the ANASAZI Foundation) is to immediately tumble out of the vehicle, stretch our legs from the 3-4 hour road trip, then make final preparations to go down into the bands to sit with YoungWalkers. On this particular morning we parked the vehicle and nobody moved. Monsoon Season in Arizona Monsoon rains are often intense but brief and we hoped that this one would subside as we finished eating breakfast and reading the last few letters from parents. The rain pounding on the vehicle was so loud that we had to shout if we wanted to speak. It soon became clear that the storm was going to outlast us, so I donned my poncho and headed down to the BadgerStone boys band. I…
The Best Advice for Parents of Troubled Teens
the best advice for parents of troubled teens In this article is some of the best advice for parents of troubled teens that I’ve heard. Early in 2015, I interviewed Nathan Mitchell, the Clinical Director of the ANASAZI Foundation. The ANASAZI Foundation is a family focused intervention program that helps troubled youth. (And by “troubled” I mean someone who is struggling with the challenges of life. So by that definition we’re all, at one point or another, troubled.) During the interview, I asked Nathan what he might tell parents of troubled teens. Now, this is a tricky area to offer advice because every situation is unique and requires prayerful consideration, patience, and effort; it’s really difficult to condense something as important as that down to a simple soundbite. Nevertheless, Nathan said some pretty amazing things (which I’ve compiled into a playlist here) and toward the end of the interview he said something that was particularly powerful. To be honest, I think it’s some…
Walking in Circles
BOOTPRINTS IN THE MUD I work at ANASAZI Foundation, a wilderness therapy program for at-risk youth. As part of my work, I make frequent visits to the trail to counsel with the YoungWalkers. On a cloudy, moonless winter night, I was making my way back to a vehicle after a full day of good work out on the trail. We had received a little rain during the day, which explained the thick mist and the muddy clay that clung to my boots. The mist and the mud made me particularly grateful for the light from my headlamp. I had some trouble finding the path that would lead me where I wanted to go, but I knew that there were others who had likely traveled that path so I continued to survey the soft ground for the prints of their boots. I began to doubt myself and wonder if I should just follow…
The Anasazi Way
What is the ANASAZI Way? The ANASAZI Way is a way of life—a way of “walking” in the wilderness of the world. It began in 1968 with Larry D. Olsen and Ezekiel C. Sanchez and was developed through years of trial, error, and experience walking in nature with thousands of young people. Olsen and Sanchez attribute the formation of the ANASAZI Way to the Creator, their families, perceptive YoungWalkers, discerning parents, and their associates at ANASAZI. This is the ANASAZI Way: We acknowledge the Creator in all good things. We believe in new beginnings; that each day—indeed, each moment—offers us the chance to start anew. We see greatness in all those who walk this earth and regard them as individuals of infinite worth and potential. We are respectful of the agency of each and every individual and their ability to choose to walk forward or walk backward. We recognize that all those who walk this earth are part of a family and we honor each family’s…