How Can Wilderness First Aid Support Your Mental Health?

Hi, Jill here, this is no AI generated post. Just a girl with one of the many cans of worms that I like to rant about when I teach.

I am no mental health expert, but as a paramedic with a decade of service, I have unfortunately learned the reasons why training and mental health go hand in hand.

** Care Warning **

Imagine rushing into avalanche debris, your friends are buried, and your adrenaline is pumping. You pull your friend to the surface only to find they aren’t responding to you. For many, including myself, these moments trigger our fight-or-flight response. Our minds race, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding before us. If it’s the first time facing such trauma, the overwhelm is even more profound.

In those critical moments, our training kicks in—or doesn't. Without proper mental preparation, our brains struggle to process what we see. The images, the sounds—they linger, unsorted, and can haunt us long after the incident ends. That's why debriefing is crucial. It gives our minds a chance to untangle the jumble of memories, to store them away in a place where they won't overwhelm us.

In the wilderness, where help can be hours away, the feeling of helplessness can be profound. Nature, our sanctuary for reflection and rejuvenation, can also become a place of triggers—where memories of injuries or moments of unpreparedness linger like shadows...

By taking a wilderness first aid course, simulations are designed to replicate various wilderness environments, aiming to acquaint your mind with potential traumatic situations you might encounter in the austere environment. This preparation can help you maintain composure amidst chaos, enabling you to assess situations effectively and take necessary steps to help a colleague, client, or friend. Ultimately, these skills could be instrumental in saving a life and hopefully making the outdoors, a place of sanctuary and healing, feel a little less triggering.

-Jill