Sadly, our world is currently suffering from a social and ecological psychosis, and it manifests in our environmentally destructive behaviour.įurthermore, we have been misled by the myths of a post-industrial world that has taken humans out of nature and placed us above all else. This state is referred to as a ‘psychosis’. We lose the gift of insight and reflection. Once the boundaries between thought, feeling, perceptions and intuition become indistinguishable, there is no sense of the ‘self’. And who are we without our relationships? Things get confusing and it’s very difficult to find meaning. It acts as our point of reference to who we are. Ego plays an important role as it enables us to make sense of our world. This is dangerous territory for the ‘ego’. Once we isolate ourselves from that which defines us, we experience a disconnect or sense of loneliness. We are defined by our relationships, both human-to-human and human-to-nature. It’s a result of an unmet psychological need. More than 35% of the civilized world suffers from this feeling of loneliness. Our frantic pursuit of happiness has caused us to become the loneliest society in human history. Most factors that cause anxiety and depression do not reside in our biology. Civilization may provide us with more material resources and longer lives, but it often leaves us feeling confused, anxious and depressed. Our compulsive behavior, addictions and psychological complexes are a direct result of an incompatibility between our hunter-gatherer ‘software’ and a post-industrial way of living. We are all still wild, it’s just that civilization is getting in the way of our human being. Our ancestors were part of the savanna ecosystem just as the Lion, Giraffe and Zebra still is today. They too had a deep awareness of themselves and their relationship to everything around them. They practiced ‘animism’ in which each place, plant and animal has an awareness. Hunter-gatherers moved across the landscape carrying only essential possessions on their back. They had no permanent settlements and therefore had access to a wide variety of foods across their home range. Our ancestors lived a simple, adaptable and opportunistic lifestyle, following the seasons and resources in a nomadic fashion. Consequently, hunter-gatherers spent little time ‘doing’ and more time ‘being’. They spent very little time foraging (< 5 hours a day) and had very few chores. In this way they gained most of their calories and resources. Despite the perception that they were predominantly hunters, their main activity was gathering. Loneliness and privacy were very rare and they had a strong sense of community.
Hunter-gatherers lived in small and tightly knit bands. Our minds are adapted for a life of hunting and gathering. The past 200 years during which we have become urban dwellers (and previous 10 000 years of agriculture) is a fraction of our evolutionary history. This is when our biological ‘software’ was programmed. You see, evolutionary psychologists suggest that many of our present-day social and psychological characteristics were shaped during Homo sapiens ~200 000-year history. Why do Primitive Trailsmake me feel so good? I had to understand myself better. Although I’m devoted to treating the symptoms, I need to understand the cause. The Trails push me beyond my comfort zone, yet they get me so ‘high’. Each night is spent on the ground under the stars and members of the group share the responsibility of ‘watch duty’. We don’t take tents, technology or luxuries. Everything we need for this multi-day expedition is carried in a backpack. These completely immersive experiences through Africa’s wild spaces have dominated my life for the past 16 years. I am currently taking my second step to believe that there is a power, greater than myself, that can restore my sanity. Most rehabilitation programs that assist people who suffer from an addiction follow a 12-step process to recovery. Admitting my helplessness over this type of compulsive behavior is the first step to recovery. This is a difficult and significant statement for me to make. Hello, my name is Brenden and I am an addict.
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