Resourcing and regulation: a collective learning for wilderness ROP guides
Fri, May 21, 2027 - Tue, May 25, 2027 · OPEN
As guides, we are the central nervous system of the groups we lead. Part of the training and seasoning of becoming a guide is learning to hold that seat of this nervous system of the group in relationship to the ceremony, and in support of participants moving through personal thresholds in wild nature. Yet most of us were never trained in the more recent practices that guiding is now beginning to ask of us.
Because guiding today has greatly expanded from what the role entailed twenty years ago. Guides are expected to be trauma-informed, whether the origin of the trauma is primary, secondary, ancestral, or collectively as a society. We are called to be inclusive, to work with differences, and to be an ally for marginalized and disenfranchised people. Yet have we done enough of our own work in understanding systemic oppression and harm, so we don’t unintentionally perpetuate it?
The ceremony as the myth of the hero's journey has also shifted into a different narrative — one far more concerned with the state of the collective, the planet, and the interconnection and interdependence of all things. And group process work has evolved beyond council as the only default for navigating sharings, tensions or decisions.
As guides we are now being asked to show vulnerability, and be open to listening and learning, rather than hiding behind a mask of authority or experience, while still making the tough calls as needed.
So how do we as guides regulate our own nervous systems? How do we resource ourselves, and as a group in ceremony? How do we model vulnerability and learning in front of participants? How can we meet the collective context of our time by creating community agreements and check-ins that organically create alignment and ownership within the group, rather than operating from an existing mandate?
Join Kim and Praveen to practice these skills as a collective. Whether you are a seasoned vision fast guide, a guide in training, or a facilitator of some capacity in wilderness rites of passage work, we invite you to bring your questions, your curiosities, your learnings, your practices, your wisdom, and your challenges into this container.
What We Will Do Together
Tracking ourselves, out loud. We work with a shared language for where we are in each moment, individually in self-regulation and collectively in co-regulation. Are we taking ownership of our own thoughts and feelings and staying open and curious to others? Or are we acting defensively in self-interest, protection, and wanting to be right in the face of differences?
Collective harvesting. What are you sensing? What is your nervous system saying? How does this collective feel right now? Everyone will function as an instrument — naming, feeling, and sense-making together.
Cleanups and clearing withholds. Unintended impact gets to be named and cleaned up 1-1 or in front of the group whenever that serves. This is how we release the guilt and shame spiral where people hide, isolate and perpetuate the patterns of disconnectedness.
Somatic centering and resourcing. You will track what is happening in the body, including resourcing yourself, moving out of dis-regulation, and re-regulating with the group. So you practice it in your own body before supporting others to do the same. This resourcing will happen on the land, from within, and with others.
Community agreements and check-ins. Practice how sharing with radical honesty and listening from the heart nurtures connection and real alignment in a group.
Group Resilience. The word resilience is bandied about a lot these days. But asking individuals or even groups to endure more is not helpful. How do we carry it together, while also changing the conditions that made it such a big burden in the first place? We will learn to stay present with complexity, listen across differences, name what is happening in our communities and systems, and how we can continue to transform patterns that reproduce harm.
Case scenario work, debriefs, and after-action reviews. We will all bring the hard moments we went through, the ones we may still be carrying, and work them together to grow everyone’s capability to handle the unexpected.
This will be a collective learning, not a lecture. We gather on the land at Wild Mountain with an arrival day, three full days together, and a half day to close. We create agreements, share, learn, practice on ourselves and with each other, make mistakes, clean up, and lean into our edges. This is a journey of transforming guides into becoming community leaders. We will take this journey together.
Note: This is not a program to learn how to guide others in a vision fast, or rite of passage. Those specific trainings are covered elsewhere, reach out to us if you would like to know more about them. This is a different kind of communal program that supports guides, or guides in training on complementary skills in their presence, space holding and facilitation skills.
Guides
You can learn about us on the ABOUT US page. We look forward to connecting!
Kim Moriyama (she/her) and Praveen Mantena (he/him)
Preparing for this Program
This program is a camping-based event, meaning you will be sleeping in a tent at nearly 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Come prepared with warm and waterproof layers, including footwear and pants. Wild Mountain offers fresh drinking water, outdoor showers, and a simple outdoor kitchen. We encourage shared meals and collective cooking, so please bring food to contribute.
Spring weather in the Rockies can be unpredictable, from snow to warmer days, expect temperatures ranging from high 20s at night to high 50s during the day. Come prepared with warm and waterproof layers, including footwear and pants.
Most days will include time in council, so bring a comfortable chair if you’d like (we can provide one if needed). Pack layers for a variety of weather conditions. An equipment list will be sent upon registration, and extra gear is available. Please reach out if you need support.
Covid Protocol
We ask that you closely monitor your health prior to and throughout the program. If you feel unwell during the two weeks prior to the program, we ask that you contact your guides and test for covid before coming to Wild Mountain.
We will discuss as a group any concerns once we meet together, and please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Deposit
To secure your spot and participate in the pre-gathering calls, a nontransferable and nonrefundable deposit of $300 is required. Keep reading to learn how to register.
Donation-Based Contribution
At Wild Mountain we operate on a donation-based model and want our programs to be accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay.
For this program we offer a suggested sliding scale between $500 to $2,000 that take into account the time, energy, and resources that go into this offering.
If you are unable to pay the minimum suggested amount, please send an email to info@wildmountainretreats.org and we will work with you to find a way for you to join us.
When you pay above our base cost, you are supporting others who may not be able to pay the minimum amount of the program, and enable us to continue offering these programs in the future. Please give what you are able. If you are unsure what you should pay, please read more here.
Registration
Email guidetraining@wildmountainretreats.org to setup a brief interview for fit and readiness with the guides of this program (program is open to rites of passage guides, or guides in training)
After the interview, you will be sent a link to register for the program.
Your place is confirmed once you pay the deposit or set up a payment plan.
Questions & Contact info
To register, join the waitlist, or ask questions, please email our team at: guidetraining@wildmountainretreats.org