Deleted
Moderators: eye_of_tiger, shalimar123
-
sweetsunray
- Posts: 359
- Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 12:48 pm
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
I'm a tourleader for Joker, a Belgian adventure travel company. Traveling adventurous with backpack, on local busses, experiencing local cultures, eating local food (including from street stands) can be very enriching, but it is also confrontational. People can grow a lot because of it, but only if they are standing strong in their "shoes". People might have issues, but they must be able to deal with several unfamiliarities all at once. It so happens that sometimes therapists get it into their heads to advize their patients to go on a trip with us for their self-development. Not only does it always ends with us having to put the person back on a plane after they totally broke down after a couple of days, but tourleaders aren't therapists, and the visited country often lacks appropriate back up.
I will explain the reason why a break-down or psychosis tends to develop with people prone to it, especially on trips in foreign countries, especially ones that involve a culture shock, such as India. People have three "zones" in relation to what they experience physically, emotionally and mentally: a comfort zone, a learning zone and a panic zone. A comfort zone is when you are in a situation where everythign for you is familiar: people, environment, acts you have to perform. Once you alter one of those elements into an unknown you enter a learning zone. But when everything becomes unfamiliar you overshoot and end up in the panic zone. The only way to deal with someone in a panic zone is by bringing them back into a comfort zone.
I once had half the group panicking after a rafting flip in the jungle in Chiapas in Mexico. I gave them short directions to carry the material back to the camp, guided them along the path, and the first thing they were ordered to do was to take a hot shower. The panic settled after that. The people in the group by then were friends with eahc other (so known element), the campground was familiar to them and less threatening to them than the jungle (even though it was but a 15 min walk), but most of all "taking a shower" was a familiar utterly ordinary task to perform.
When you travel you end up meeting new people, in an unfamiliar environment and end up doing things that are different from what you are used to at home. This automatically will be a big risk for you in retrospect of your mental history, and yes you would be prone to end up back in a panic zone, for you in the form of a psychosis. It is too much all at once.
You don't always need to remain in a comfort zone, but with regards to traveling, it's better to remain close to your comfort zone. If you wish to expand your horizons, then meeting new people in a familiar area and culture, or doing something adventurous and new with friends might be sufficient learning which you truly might enjoy without ending up in a panic zone.
I think you made a healthy decision for yourself
Good on you :smt003 Traveling should be a pleasant experience, not an unpleasant one :smt002
I will explain the reason why a break-down or psychosis tends to develop with people prone to it, especially on trips in foreign countries, especially ones that involve a culture shock, such as India. People have three "zones" in relation to what they experience physically, emotionally and mentally: a comfort zone, a learning zone and a panic zone. A comfort zone is when you are in a situation where everythign for you is familiar: people, environment, acts you have to perform. Once you alter one of those elements into an unknown you enter a learning zone. But when everything becomes unfamiliar you overshoot and end up in the panic zone. The only way to deal with someone in a panic zone is by bringing them back into a comfort zone.
I once had half the group panicking after a rafting flip in the jungle in Chiapas in Mexico. I gave them short directions to carry the material back to the camp, guided them along the path, and the first thing they were ordered to do was to take a hot shower. The panic settled after that. The people in the group by then were friends with eahc other (so known element), the campground was familiar to them and less threatening to them than the jungle (even though it was but a 15 min walk), but most of all "taking a shower" was a familiar utterly ordinary task to perform.
When you travel you end up meeting new people, in an unfamiliar environment and end up doing things that are different from what you are used to at home. This automatically will be a big risk for you in retrospect of your mental history, and yes you would be prone to end up back in a panic zone, for you in the form of a psychosis. It is too much all at once.
You don't always need to remain in a comfort zone, but with regards to traveling, it's better to remain close to your comfort zone. If you wish to expand your horizons, then meeting new people in a familiar area and culture, or doing something adventurous and new with friends might be sufficient learning which you truly might enjoy without ending up in a panic zone.
I think you made a healthy decision for yourself
Good on you :smt003 Traveling should be a pleasant experience, not an unpleasant one :smt002Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests