– I was a blood addict. I stayed on the street and slept in stairwells for a short period of a couple of years. It was just a garbage life. Ronny Frydenlund (49) has never hidden on his past life as an addict. Now he has longer speeds as a dog runner, participates in races and is mostly out with his four -legged herd. It gives him enough intoxication. The rescue was a treatment center in Folldal. – I wouldn’t have lived today if I hadn’t gone there. Getting nature as a rehabilitation was what made me get through it. Ronny Frydenlund and the dogs participate in Finnmarksløpet 2025. He and the flock spend their time towards the race in Levajok in Finnmark. Photo: Irmelin Kulbrandstad / news Several got help for substance abuse problems in the specialist health service in 2023 compared to the previous year. It shows figures from the Institute of Public Health. Ronny believes that more people will benefit from treatment that differs from the traditional. Especially for people like him, who have never been able to sit completely still, is nature medicine. He has the researchers in the back. After all, we are nature, points out Carina Ribe Fernee at Sørlandet Hospital. We have not changed that much since our ancestors lived outdoors, hunted and sank. Fernee describes what happens in the open sky: – We peel away all the distractions that lose our mental capacity. We seek out the environment that instead gives stress reduction, charges our attention and gives a relaxation. In nature you can lower your shoulders and find the resting heart rate. In any case, many of us apply. Some people experience it differently. – For many, nature can be unsafe and alien. They are more comfortable with asphalt under their feet and city arms around them. Ronny is from Brumunddal inland. He describes himself as a dog runner and has competed in a number of races over the years. Photo: Irmelin Kulbrandstad / news – It may sound like a camp school There is no overall overview of all institutions and treatment centers that offer outdoor therapy. Nevertheless, there are places that stand out and have decades of time in offering treatment through open air and activity. Such as Tyrili Frankmotunet in Folldal municipality. There, nature and community have been an important part of treatment for over 30 years. Outdoor life, bonfire trips, hunting, fishing and dog sledding are among the tools used in treatment for severe addiction. Thomas Sauerlia, unit leader at Tyrili Frankmotunet, says that nature and community have been an important part of the treatment for a long time. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news – It may sound like a camp school. But it is important to emphasize that this is combined with an interdisciplinary specialized treatment program that includes psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors, says Thomas Sauerlia, unit manager at Tyrili Frankmotunet. According to the unit manager, it can help patients open more than in a regular treatment room. – So the idea is that we do not have to take all conversations into an office. The combination can provide necessary breaks, but also opens up new interests and opportunities. – And then we do this; Others are doing something else that is good in their own way, says the unit manager. Outdoor life, bonfire trips, hunting, fishing and dog sledding are important tools in the treatment of addicts coming to Tyrili Frankmotunet. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news – It saved my life Ronny had been a drug addict for ten years when he applied to Frankmotunet. It happened after he intoxicated crashed the car in a mountain wall and was seriously injured. – I remember being stuck in the car wreck for almost an hour before the fire department managed to cut me out. Exactly that episode changed me. He realized that now he had to get help. – What significance did this place of treatment have for you? – It saved my life. And I came in on a whole new track. The first step was to get enough distance to the intoxicating environment. But it was especially dog sledding and activities outdoors that did the trick for Ronny during the rehabilitation. – I couldn’t have talked out of addiction. Ronny Frydenlund has completed the Finnmarksløpet nine times before, and several times been among the top five in the longest class. Here pictured at a previous race in 2017. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn, news Many are interested outdoor therapy uses nature as part of the treatment. You don’t have to go far into the wilderness. The near nature is good enough. The Competence Center for the Rus field (KORUS) is working to build up and disseminate expertise in the field of intoxication in Norway. They have outdoor therapy as a focus area and notice increased interest. – We see that there is a very high demand, says Vibeke Fure Wulfsberg, psychologist at Korus East. They have held courses in outdoor therapy for the past two years. Many of the participants work with intoxication and psychiatry in the municipal health service. The research shows good effect and makes outdoor therapy more recognized as a method. Vibeke Fure Wulfsberg says that there are different levels of outdoor therapy. – There can either be a high degree of therapy in activities in nature, or just being in nature has a function in itself. Photo: KORUS East / news Wulfsberg says that regular conversation therapy in an office can be difficult for anyone. – And then you can ask if they benefit from that form of treatment. It is important to be able to offer other forms of treatment Frankmotunet in the Inland is an example of such a diversity. Another example is the Finnmark Collective, which we find in the north of the country. The Finnmark Collective in Langfjordbotn in Alta is conducting long -term treatment of substance abuse. Emphasis is placed on common activities as a basic element of treatment. This applies to various activities inside, outside or with the dog group. Olivia Van Uytvanck is a psychologist at the Finnmark Collective and leads the dog group. She, by definition, believes that it may not be outdoor therapy, but that activities are being facilitated out there combined with therapy. Living in a community is important here, she emphasizes. The Finnmark Collective has ten dogs in the yard. These are together with residents and staff through the dog group – where they do dog sledding, training, feeding, care, walks and cuddles, among other things, in addition to conversations. But to stay intoxicated? It’s been just over twenty years since Ronny had his stay at Frankmotunet. But how did it really go after? He says that the activity and dog run during rehabilitation created rhythm in everyday life, and an interest that joined him further. – I got hooked! For several years he has been a well -known dog runner in Norway. – It’s my life and identity. I don’t know what to do if I quit dog. He thinks interests can be a good grip to become drug -free. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be dog sledding. – Being able to find an interest in a drug addict is something to hold on to if they want to. Ronny is surprised by the shape of his dog team before this year’s Finnmarksløp. – I will win, he says when news meets him in mid -February. Photo: Irmelin Kulbrandstad / news Wulfsberg in Korus East points to the transfer value from treatment to life after. – What makes you well under treatment, and as you learn, can be something to bring along. You get tools for everyday life. The sense of mastery Carina Ribe Fernee works at Sørlandet Hospital, where open -air therapy is part of the treatment offering at the Department of Children and Young People’s Mental Health. She says there is tremendous potential in outdoor therapy. – First, you use the body, which is essential in all health -promoting work. – You connect the sensory apparatus. The longer you are out, to a greater extent you get in touch with your natural circadian rhythm, feel the body’s signals of hunger, need for rest and so on. Through her own research, she sees how young people manage to contact their own thoughts and feelings that they often distract away from. – Many people manage to calm down the mindset. The tongue lights. They see other opportunities, new perspectives and eyes hope. There is a lot of mastery in learning how to take care of yourself and at the same time is a fellow human being for others. Even better may be if therapy occurs in a group. – Young people dare to be themselves in nature, the mask eventually releases and dares to open up above peers, she says. Carina Ribe Fernee researches outdoor therapy. Photo: Private herd and mascot In the last six months, Ronny Frydenlund and the dogs have traveled around from Koie to Koie to the north of the country. He describes his herd as both family and best friend. – The contact I have made with my beekeeper now is better than I have ever had since February he has lived in Levajok, Finnmark. There he will be until Finnmarksløpet 2025 starts, because he will participate in the 600 kilometer class. The plan has now been to complete the race, but now he has set a new goal. “We’re going to win,” he hums. – What do you think about your life today versus the time as a drug addict on the street? – You world how good it is not to live the way I did as a drug addict. There was no life, says Ronny, looking around and on his herd. – This is a life and that makes sense. So life today versus then is not comparable. Ronny feels closer to the dogs than he has ever had. – It’s family. It’s my best friends, everyone. Photo: Irmelin Kulbrandstad / news worth fighting for Ronny Frydenlund believes more will benefit from treatment through open air and activity, such as outdoor therapy. – I think it’s healthy for everyone anyway, getting out into the field and getting fresh air and talking. He thinks there should be more places, such as Frankmotunet and Finnmark Collective. – Clearly, even though I’m a little incompetent then. Both the Frankmotunet and the Finnmark Collective have risked to be closed down in several and different rounds. – Frankmotunet saved my life, no doubt. If they put down that place, then. They have no idea what they do once. He believes this form and breadth of drug treatment offers are worth fighting for – and not closing down. Follow Finnmarksløpet 2025 Follow Ronny Frydenlund and other dog runners when competing in Finnmarksløpet 2025. The race consists of three classes. A junior race of 200 kilometers. Finnmarksløpet at 600 kilometers and Finnmarksløpet at 1100 kilometers. There are almost 100 dog runners this year. Everyone starts their races from Alta in Finnmark.
ttn-69
