Our Change Challenge class has been going well and has provided each of us, staff included, with some great processing and learning opportunities. I wanted to share a quick write up about our lab last week and the experience we had with one of our students:
Last week our Change Challenge class (which uses a role playing game as a means to help students make changes is their personal life) left us stranded in an elevator shaft at the Sheraton in Tokyo. In order to get out of the shaft we would have to climb. Rather than climbing in the elevator shaft in our building (something I think the maintenance people would frown upon), we determined that indoor rock climbing at a local facility a better option.
Three of the four students had no problem with rock climbing as they each had some previous experience climbing or rappelling. They took turns climbing or belaying as Elein, our part-time rec. therapist, taught Adam the figure-8 follow through knot that is used to connect the harness to the rope. Finally, he was ready for his turn to go up the wall. Adam expressed to me his fear of heights, but told me that he was willing to give climbing a try.
It was difficult for him from the get-go for various reasons. The large hiking shoes he wears are not conducive to some of the smaller grips you use in rock climbing. Adam also said that “the heights played more of a role…than I let on. The breaks had a lot to do with making sure the rope actually would hold me up if I went another two feet.” Needless to say, the going was slow and with many pauses.
Gradually he made his way up the 40 foot wall until he was about 10 feet off the ground. I climbed alongside him doing my best to give him encouragement. Finally after continued attempts to go higher up the wall, Adam decided that he was done and was slowly lowered to the ground.
Adam sat off to the side while the other students climbed the wall multiple times each. Sometimes he would belay other students, but declined each time we asked him if he wanted to climb again. Finally one of the last challenges we offered the students was to climb the wall blindfolded. By participating in this challenge, the students could earn money for their character to use in the role-playing portion. The higher the students climbed the more money they could earn. The three more confident students each took a turn each reaching the top by gradually feeling their way up the wall.
Though it was nearly time to go, we approached Adam and asked if he would like to try it blindfolded. Even if he didn’t make it all the way, his character would get some money just for trying. He tied himself to the rope, blindfolded himself, and started up the wall. Immediately I could see a difference in his climbing. He reached the same spot he had been before with greater ease and in a much quicker amount of time. He didn’t seem so hesitant in where he put his hands or his feet. He put his boots on much smaller holds with far less complaining than the previous time.
We were amazed at how quickly he scaled the wall. Finally we hollered out for him to reach out his hand and touch the bar at the very top. He later told us that he was surprised that he had climbed the entire wall. He was sure that he had only reached the spot where he had gotten before—ten feet up the wall. With the blindfold on he went three times as high as he had gone without it. He talked about how with the blindfold on, he simply focused on climbing. He wasn’t worried about the height, who was belaying, or any of the fears that he had had on his first climb. He just climbed. He also said that he thinks he could now go just as high without the blindfold as he did with it.
In processing we discussed how often we subconsciously set limits for ourselves that are far below our true-potential. We tell ourselves that we can only go so far because our endurance is weak; we say we can only go so high because we are afraid of heights. As Elein put it, “when we face our fears with acceptance and blindness to the dangers, our limits will disappear, because they no longer matter.” In reality, if we can learn to become blind to our fears and our perceived limits—which we generally set because of our fears--we would push far beyond what we thought we could do and into the realm of reaching our full potential.Adam reaching the top was an energizing moment for each of us and helped us to reflect on ways that we could all set our fears aside and push past the limits we have set for ourselves.
-Ryan Hawks, TRS/CTRS
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