Dan and Hilary Saracino had watched anxiously as their "delightful" young son Mario - whom they called "Mr. Sunshine" - grew into a street-hardened, macho teenager with drug and alcohol problems.
從父母愛稱的"陽光先生"到浪跡街頭與毒品酒精為伴的小混混,Dan和Hilary Saracino曾經(jīng)焦慮萬分地目睹了自己"人見人愛"的小兒子Mario墮落的過程。
Despite being therapists themselves, the Saracinos felt helpless when it came to helping their 17-year-old son clean up his act, get along with his classmates, and chip away at the coat of anger that seemed to consume him.
盡管他們本人就是治療專家,但Saracinos夫婦對幫助他們17歲兒子改進(jìn)不良行為感到束手無策,無法使他與同學(xué)友好相處,無法消除兒子一觸即發(fā)的憤怒,而這怒火正在侵蝕他的心靈。
"We had reached a point where we didn't feel like we could do anything for him," said Hilary. "He was out of control and he needed help - and we couldn't give it to him."
Hilary說:"我們達(dá)到如此境地,感到毫無辦法,兒子已失去了控制,他需要幫助,而我們又無能為力。"
Fearful and desperate, Mario's parents turned to "outdoor behavioral health" in a last-ditch effort to turn their child around. Very early one morning last August, he was taken from his bed and escorted to the Catherine Freer Wilderness Trek Program in Albany, Ore.
Mario的父母在恐懼和絕望中孤注一擲,他們向"戶外行為健康組織"求助,為挽救兒子做最后的努力。去年8月的一個凌晨,Mario被從床上拖起來,由專人護(hù)送到建在俄勒岡州Albany的Catherine Freer野外遠(yuǎn)足營地。
"When I looked at him walking out the door, I was seeing him being busted, being arrested," said Hilary. "And then there was another side of me that said: 'No, these are angels that are taking him to figure this out, to get me my son back.'"
Hilary說:"當(dāng)時,我看到他走出家門時,就感到他被人抓走了,被逮捕了,然而我又想,他是被天使帶走了,去脫胎換骨,還我一個以前那樣的好兒子。"
Mario was forced to embark on a 21-day wilderness therapy program, along with five other troubled teens and four counselors, an experience that would be the first step in helping him get clean, back on his feet, and communicating with his family.
Mario被迫開始接受一次為期21天野營治療計劃,他和另外5位問題少年和4個輔導(dǎo)員同行,這種體驗(yàn)是幫助他戒掉毒品,重新做人和家人溝通的第一步。
After weeks of long hikes, silence, sweat and therapy, Melissa appeared to show signs of improvement. "I can't bulls--t out here," she says. "I'm able to bulls--t my therapist back at home."
在經(jīng)歷了幾周的長途跋涉、沉默、汗水和治療后,Melissa表現(xiàn)有所改善。她說:"在這里,我不會欺騙誰,回家以后再騙我的治療師吧。"
Mario's anger, however, remained on full display throughout the trip. Rather than letting his guard down and confronting his feelings, he told tales of his drug dealing in an attempt to impress his peers.
然而,Mario卻在一路上都表現(xiàn)出惱怒,他不是放下戒備心理和面對自己情感,而是向同伴描述了毒品交易的經(jīng)過,試圖炫耀自己。
Then, as the trek drew to a close, the staff dropped a bomb on him: His parents wanted him placed in a residential treatment program. Only then did he express the feelings that fuel his anger.
然而,當(dāng)遠(yuǎn)足接近尾聲時,輔導(dǎo)員又給他一個重?fù),他們告訴他,他的父母要把他送進(jìn)一所寄宿治療營地,直到這時才激起了他憤怒的暴發(fā)。
"I don't like being thrown into a path and being told 'This is what you have to do!'" he said. "I should be able to see what I want to be able to see out of life. If that means that I'm a heroin addict and I die, that's what I see."
他叫到:"我不愿意被人逼著走這條路,不愿意讓別人告訴我'這是你必須做的'"。"我應(yīng)該能從生活中看到我想要看到的東西,如果這意味著我成為癮君子而后死亡,這就是我所看到的。"
For Mario, it is a control issue: "I see what happened to people whose parents take control of their lives. They end up doing exactly what they want them to do the rest of their lives."
對于Mario,這是一個控制的問題。"我看到父母控制這些孩子生活后發(fā)生了什么,孩子們在以后的生活中按父母的要求去做了。"
The Journey Ahead
The climax of the three-week journey for most participants is the "solo" - three days and three nights of complete isolation and intense introspection, a chance for them to understand that they are truly alone with their problems, and that only they can help themselves.
未來前程
對大多數(shù)受訓(xùn)者來說,3周歷程的高潮是"獨(dú)處"--3天3夜的完全隔離和強(qiáng)烈的反省,使孩子們有機(jī)會理解他們真正要獨(dú)自面對的問題,懂得只有自己救自己。
After 42 miles of traversing canyons, ridges, rivers and hills, there were changes in most of the kids - they began to address the underlying issues that brought them to this crossroads in their lives.
跋涉了42英里的峽谷、山脊、河流和山丘之后,大多數(shù)孩子有了變化,他們開始追問究竟是什么把他們帶到了生活的十字路口。
Melissa, for example, looked at the true costs of her drug use, as well as the reasons she started using them in the first place.
例如,Melissa看到了她吸毒的真正代價,找出自己開始吸毒的原因。
It's only the beginning of a much longer journey. She decided to live in a transitional home near Portland, Ore. before moving back with her mother in San Diego.
這僅僅是漫長旅途的開端,她決定在回到圣蒂戈與母親同住之前,先住在俄勒岡Portland附近的一個過渡營地中。
After an additional 8-day trek, even Mario's demeanor had softened.
在又經(jīng)歷了8天遠(yuǎn)足以后,甚至Mario的行為都"變軟"了,
"I just want to apologize for the disrespect, pain, lies and suffering that I put on you," he told his mother. "Sorry I haven't shown you the love and care you deserve as a loving and caring mother… I hope you accept my apology so we can start a more stronger and honest relationship."
他對母親說:"我要為自己的失禮、說謊和給您造成的種種痛苦而道歉。"母親說,"很抱歉,我沒有像一位富有愛心的母親那樣給你應(yīng)得的關(guān)愛",我希望你能接受我的歉意,讓我們從頭開始建立一種更強(qiáng)大和更忠誠的關(guān)系吧。"
For the first time in a long time, Mario and his parents began to communicate.
這是很長時間以來,Mario第一次與父母開始溝通。
But the wilderness program is not a miracle cure, says program director Paul Smith: "Most of these things develop over time and they take time to resolve. It's not going to be instant."
但是野外訓(xùn)練不是靈丹妙藥,該計劃的主任Parl Smith說:"這些問題中的大多數(shù)是長期形成的,所以需要時間去解決,不可能一抓就靈。"
As his trek came to an end, Mario said, "I feel like I'm beginning to climb out of a hole."
當(dāng)這次野外遠(yuǎn)足快結(jié)束時,Mario說:"我感到自己正在爬出洞口。"