Offerings
Therapeutic Nature Connected Coaching - Passages for Men Grief and Loss
Family Sessions - Family Quests
Journey Groups
The work of healing is to find the roots of trauma.
Family, generational, and societal traumas are serious human challenges that can make looking at happy people in happy families (in life or social media) feel isolating and bring up our love wounds. Love wounds are those times when we really just wanted and needed love, but got something else. These love wounds can pop up at any time or place when the things we hear or the situation we are in remind us of those painful memories. Often we are not aware of the memory and can over (or under) react when our nervous system thinks we are under attack. There are solutions for healing these wounds, but it takes tender unconditional care and awareness. The connection we long for is often there waiting for us and when we can change our minds thoughts and knee jerk behaviors. We can have the love we crave, desire and need.
As a licensed Professional Counselor for twenty years and now as a Nature Connected Coach, Michael has worked with clients healing trauma for using a variety of techniques to assist your healing journey. Please reach out to Michael if you feel you are overwhelmed and in need of guidance and support.
Namaste
Individual Nature Connected Coaching
Journey Groups
Type Here
Family Sessions
When Michael began his clinical career working in treatment programs, they rarely included family involvement. So, when he built his own residential treatment program (Bear River Health, on Walloon Lake, MI) he was passionate about including families in the healing process their family member was experiencing. The founder of Wellbriety, Don Coyis (Elder) talks about the “Healing Forest”. He teaches the importance of family healing being the keystone of individual success. Coyis tells the story of a tree who is uprooted from the sick soil, taken to a treatment center and given three squares, a warm bed and some nice group therapy. But, when that now healthy tree is taken back to the forest and the soil is still sick, it is not long before that little tree is sick itself again.
Willder Sage offers family sessions for a number of challenges family face together such as death, fallout, new diagnosis, a family member coming home from a treatment program, etc. Wilder Sage will craft family sessions to ease transition, heal the past hurts, assist attunement and teach effective communication. These sessions are available near Durango on the land or online and range from 1-3 hours.
Family Quests
Journeying into nature with family members is sacred peace work. From our families, we inherit the good, the bad and the ugly. Through this shared experience, families heal the past through creating a safe space to explore suppressed feelings and build attunement through facilitated communication coaching and nature connected practices. The intensives are built intentionally to be supportive to doing this sacred family work. Willder Sage will prepare all of the food based on preferences and diet requirements, facilitated body practices such as yoga, meditation, music and dance is provided by Willder Sage between facilitated group sessions to allow each family member to relax and deepen into the therapeutic process. Willder Sage offers these 3 day, 2 night camping or rustic settings in the beautiful setting of Durango Co. and northern New Mexico.
Communication Coaching
Communicate Effectively
Misunderstandings, conflicts, and misunderstandings rob us of relationships. The inability to express ourselves effectively due to an unsafe platform can crush our mood, attitude and create isolation and declining health. oor communication? The Willder Sage coaching program is here to empower you with the skills to cultivate these vital communication styles. Michael Sullivan cannot tell you how many thousands of times he has heard an individual or family say something to the effect of “why did they not teach us this in high school, so many problems could have been avoided and when conflict happened it would not have had to be an end to the relationship.
Anyone who has felt the violent end of being cancelled in any extreme knows how painful it is to be shut out. Almost always, a cancel follows an individual feeling that it is of no use to communicate or try to resolve the conflict or mis-understanding. If someone has never had an effective communication (wins in communication), the different perspectives of others can be threatening and felt that resolution is hopeless.
Michael understand the intricacies of human communication and recognize that cultivating healthy interactions requires introspection, self-awareness, and practice. Through twenty years of helping people communicate their feelings and listen deeply to the feelings shared by others, I know you can start your transformative journey towards mastering communication strategies.
The power to connect, understand, and be understood is in your hands.
Couple/ Intimate Relationships
Navigate conflicts, express desires, and honor the emotional needs of both you and your partner. By fostering a communication style that promotes understanding and openness, you will create a stronger foundation for love and intimacy to flourish. No matter what form your love expresses, Michael can help you dive deeper into loving intimacy with healthy and honest communication.
Family Relationships
Though relationships are complex, I can equip you with tools to discuss sensitive topics, resolve conflicts, and establish a framework of open, honest dialogue rooted in respect and love. I offer family sessions online, in person and intensive family retreats focusing on communication, healing the past and weaving together a beautiful future.
Friendships/Partnerships
Coaching can benefit your friendships and partnerships. Willder Sage can help you strengthen and enhance these important relationships. You can learn to show your appreciation, listen attentively, and resolve disagreements without jeopardizing your connection. You can become more effective in your work together. Experience how effective communication can change your friendships or work colleagues into reliable sources of support and motivation.
Passages for Men
“There is a time
when every man
in all that he may do ~ must be a man ~
To stride the gleaming center of each day~
flesh out the sparks of action and
hammer out hard wrought results~
~Such is his honor
- Maynard Dixon 1913
Men can break the cycles of disharmony that were seemingly unbreakable by their forefathers. Relationship to the land, community, fathers, siblings, spirituality, family and self need to be looked at deeply to discover vision, our purpose, love, stewardship, guardianship, joy and fulfillment. When men take genuine care of their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health with other male mentors they can unlock the negative patterns that have caused harm to themselves, their family, society and the Earth.
If you are out there floundering in a confusing world and would like to embark on this new road of manhood, contact Michael to be a guide. We can co-create a path of self discovery and healing through online sessions and in person (in nature) experiences that will bring awareness and growth, the journey of becoming a strong man and a leader in our troubled world.
Please reach out to Michael to inquire about coaching for men and the next open group or offering.
Professional Coaching for Grief and Loss
A loss of life, job or something we cherish can come as an unexpected shock or slowly over time. We all experience at some point in our lives the shock to our minds, hearts and nervous system that a loss brings. When experiencing a loss (or grief from loss) our brains and nervous systems are taxed and compromised, making even basic daily chores feel overwhelming.
Often, the mental challenges increase with loss. We may have to care take another, execute a will, compensate for the loss, negotiate with others and plan events, but our minds are going through huge change and need to integrate. Willder Sage understands loss from a personal and professional point of view and can help plan out these next couple days to come, balancing integration/ grieving with taking care of business. Willder Sage can help you through loss by process the loss in small, bite sized steps that will turn loss into the human experience of transformation to a higher level of integration, rather than another trauma to be healed in the future. If you going through loss (or not able to get back to functioning due to grief) Willder Sage is here to assist and hold gentle space for the heart to heal.
A friend or loved one experiencing loss?
Does your friend / loved one need another bouquet or maybe a few professional coaching sessions with Willder Sage to help them get through this heart wrenching / mind bending experience? These sessions are usually done online and available to the entire English speaking world.
Set up your free 20 minute consultation with Michael to discuss options.
Community Building
The Power of Community Through Nature, Adventure and Creativity
At Willder Sage, we believe in the transformative power of supportive community and want to help you create that in your life!! In a world driven by technology and busyness, it is important to slow it down to reconnect with ourselves, the earth, and others.
Through a wide range of activities such as music, dance, primitive skills, ceremonies, fire side chats, men’s gatherings, gardening, skiing, nature hikes, etc. we assist you in providing a nurturing space for individuals to find solace and form meaningful connections.
Immerse yourself in the joy of creative writing and wild arts, using the beauty of nature as your muse. Adopt clean-up areas within our community, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow enthusiasts as you restore the earth to its pristine state. Venture into the wild (guided by trusted Willder Sage guides) and learn the ancient art of foraging, tracking or birdwatching, awakening your senses to the wonders of the natural world.
Experience the simplicity and peace found in the ancient practices of yoga and meditation. Discover the childlike joy of den building or the precision of archery. Unleash your inner artist with wood carving, channeling the raw energy of nature into beautiful, tactile creations. The nature connected activities in the back yard of Willder Sage (Durango, CO) are unlimited.
Savor the essence of wilderness through wild cooking, embracing the flavors and traditions of the land. Embark on the ultimate adventure with winter camping, embracing the serenity of snowy landscapes while learning the invaluable skill of fire making and staying warm!
In our community, you have the opportunity to connect with yourself, the earth, and others. Embrace the spirit of togetherness and explore the depths of your own being.
Join Willder Sage in creating such gatherngs on the land. Reach out, let’s talk about your passions and how we can build a community around you! We have all felt isolated and in shock after the pandemic. The pandemic had effects to our world that will take years to recover from. There is a healing in nature, face to face with others who love what you love waiting for you!
Let's put the phone down and embark on a journey of connection and transformation!
“The Wilderness Retreat was the most spiritual event of my life.”
-52 year old man recovering from a brain injury