Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: a therapeutic team adventure

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Date
2005
Authors
Kriek, Hendrik
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: This study presents a description of an adventure therapy experience undertaken by an individual who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a hiking team. Using phenomenological analysis and operating from a social constructionist stance, it describes how the narratives of the subject were altered through the interplay of individual, team and adventure. It shows how she reclaimed nurturing behaviour, regained emotional competence and relinquished independence. Through the experience, she also escaped her situation of entrapment by redefining her competing relationships, allowing leadership and re-evaluating spirituality by means of an enhanced sense of connectedness. Thus, she used the adventure experience as an event or text through which she created meaning and reconstructed some of the operant narratives in her life. The study indicates that adventure provides an opportunity for participants to deconstruct and reconstruct the operative narratives of their lives.
Afrikaans: Hierdie studie gee ’n beskrywing van die terapeutiese ervaring van ’n individu wat die berg Kilimandjaro as deel van ’n staptoerspan geklim het. ’n Fenomenologiese analise vanuit ’n sosiaal-konstruksionistiese uitgangspunt word gevolg en dit beskryf hoe narratiewe van die individu verander is deur die wisselwerking van individu, span en avontuur. Dit dui aan hoe sy versorgingshandeling herontdek het, emosionele toereikendheid herbevestig het en onafhanklikheid laat vaar het. Dit dui voorts aan hoe sy haar gevoel van beklemming ontkom het deur kompeterende verhoudings te herdefinieer, leierskap toe te laat en spiritualiteit te herevalueer deur middel van ’n groter belewenis van verbintenis. Dus, die avontuur-terapeutiese ervaring is gebruik as gebeurtenis of teks waardeur sy betekenis kon skep en sommige operante narratiewe in haar lewe kon rekonstrueer. Die studie dui daardeur aan hoe avontuur aan deelnemers die geleentheid bied om operante narratiewe te dekonstrueer en te rekonstrueer.
Description
Keywords
Adventure therapy, Mount Kilimanjaro, Team experience
Citation
Kriek, H. (2005). Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: a therapeutic team adventure. Acta Academica, 37(3), 65-85.