Wilderness experiences deepen our awareness
Dr Boy van Droffelaar - Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning.
"I spent hours watching 'solo' over the Imfelozi River in KwazuNatal South Africa. It was the third day of my first FNL Wilderness trail (2009). Suddenly, two Egrets flew past me with a loud cry: You are one of us! An intense sense of connection with all of nature flooded me. It opened the way to my deep consciousness.”
Wilderness often possesses a pristine quality that offers the opportunity to transcend our ordinary, ego-driven consciousness, which is often constrained by social structures, cultural constructs, and artificial environments.
After all, one of the greatest obstacles to deeper consciousness is the ego, a psychological construct shaped by individual identity, personal experiences, and social conditioning. The ego acts as a filter that sets boundaries between the self and the outside world.
When we immerse ourselves in natural environments, we step into an atmosphere that not the same requirements as human societies. Wild nature provides a space defined less by human-centered goals and more by spontaneous, natural processes, allowing our consciousness to escape the usual constraints and connect with a more universal layer of consciousness.
The weakening of our ego is not just a byproduct of those altered experiences, but an opening to a deeper, more fundamental form of consciousness. For example, our trail-goers in the wilderness often experience groundbreaking insights that, according to analytical idealism (Kastrup, 2019), are closer to the true nature of reality. When one feels” one “with nature, that person may be zooming in on what Kastrup describes as the” transpersonal " aspect of consciousness, where the fundamental unity of all experiences becomes clearer. We then realize that consciousness is fundamental to reality. This means that what we consider the “physical world” is a manifestation or expression of a universal consciousness rather than an independent physical reality. This philosophy emphasizes that all experiences and phenomena originate in consciousness itself, and not in a material external world. Thus, experiencing wild nature can uniquely contribute to a deepening of our consciousness and bring us closer to the essence of consciousness itself.
Unlike artificial environments, which are purposefully constructed and controlled, wild nature is chaotic and spontaneous. This gives our consciousness the space to break free from conditioned reactions and expectations. In this sense, nature acts as a kind of mirror, in which our consciousness can meet itself in an unfiltered way.
When we observe a pristine landscape, ocean or forest, we see a reality that comes closer to the original, unconditioned mind. This” purity " in nature provides our consciousness with the opportunity to free itself from the usual conditioning that colors perception. Philosopher Alan Watts (1966) describes nature as “the face without a mask,” which offers us the opportunity to see ourselves and our consciousness without the veil of civilization and culture. This experience aligns with Kastrup's description of consciousness as an “unbound field” that is more accessible when the filtering mechanisms, including cultural constructs and cognitive conditioning, are pushed aside.
Research shows that spending time in nature significantly reduces "brooding and grinding," a mental state often associated with ego-driven thoughts and repetition patterns.
When we are in a natural environment, the brain's default mode network often calms down, allowing a more open, less bounded state of consciousness to emerge.
My own research (van Droffelaar, 2021) also shows that all trailgoers have emotional, episodic memories of their experiences in the wilderness. Memories, which always seem to arise naturally from their deep consciousness, at moments that matter, such as challenging or stressful situations. According to the trail participants, this generates peace of mind, and gives direction to their thinking and acting.
In conclusion, we can state that wild nature, free from human constructs, provides a context in which we can transcend our ego, experience unity with nature, and connect with a larger, universal consciousness. Wild nature, in its unfiltered state, offers us an environment in which we can push aside the limitations of everyday perception, giving us the opportunity to make direct contact with this fundamental form of consciousness. Thus, immersion in nature provides not only psychological and physical well-being, but also a shift in consciousness that helps us access a deeper, more connected sense of reality.
Boy Van Droffelaar, PhD
