Something Was Wrong

S24 Ep12: Someone Who Believes Me

September 12, 2025

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  • The podcast "Something Was Wrong" investigates allegations of abuse and trauma at therapeutic wilderness programs, highlighting a survivor's harrowing experiences at Second Nature Blue Ridge and Carlbrook School. 
  • Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness, in its response, defends wilderness therapy as life-saving and claims to have evolved over 24 years, while the podcast host disputes claims of alumni outreach. 
  • The survivor's narrative details a childhood marked by parental neglect and emotional abuse, leading to self-harm, eating disorders, and ultimately, her placement in these programs, which she describes as traumatic and manipulative. 
  • The "workshops" at Carlbrook were designed to be increasingly intense and emotionally taxing, progressing from guided activities to self-directed therapy and confrontational exercises, often resulting in significant distress for students. 
  • Punishments at Carlbrook, such as isolation and physical labor like "running crews" and digging stumps, were severe and often administered by untrained older students, highlighting a systemic lack of proper oversight and care. 
  • The long-term impact of Carlbrook on survivors includes persistent anxiety, difficulty reintegrating into normal life, a struggle with self-trust due to "brainwashing," and a deep-seated awareness of the trauma inflicted by the institution, which often contrasts with their parents' continued denial or minimization of the experience. 

Segments

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness Response
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(00:00:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness defends its programs, emphasizing positive alumni experiences and continuous improvement, while the podcast host questions the validity of their claims and the nature of the allegations.
  • Summary: This segment covers the podcast’s outreach to Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness, the executive director’s initial request for a phone call, the submitted questions regarding allegations, and the subsequent email response from Blue Ridge, which highlights their commitment to evolution and the positive impact of wilderness therapy.
Survivor’s Childhood Trauma
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(00:12:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The survivor details a childhood marked by parental neglect, emotional abuse, and unmet needs, which she now recognizes as traumatic and foundational to her later struggles.
  • Summary: The survivor, Danielle, begins to recount her childhood, describing her parents’ issues, her feelings of not being wanted, and how her parents’ inability to handle her emotions led to her being labeled and dismissed.
Experiences at Second Nature Blue Ridge
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(00:31:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The survivor’s entry into Second Nature Blue Ridge involved a deceptive intake process, immediate strip searches, and harsh wilderness conditions, highlighting the program’s coercive and physically demanding nature.
  • Summary: Danielle describes the forceful arrival at Second Nature Blue Ridge, the strip search, the physical challenges of hiking with heavy packs in harsh weather, and the restrictive rules and lack of communication within the program.
Carlbrook School Environment
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(00:44:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Carlbrook School, a boarding program following wilderness therapy, imposed strict rules, a shaming-based disciplinary system, and a cult-like atmosphere that normalized emotional distress and discouraged genuine self-expression.
  • Summary: Danielle details her transition to Carlbrook, the strict dress code, sleeping arrangements, food restrictions, the ‘railing’ disciplinary practice, and the emphasis on group therapy and emotional confessions, all contributing to a highly controlled and emotionally taxing environment.
Intense Workshop Experiences
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(01:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The workshops at Carlbrook escalated in intensity, moving from guided sessions to highly confrontational and emotionally draining experiences that left students in distress.
  • Summary: This segment details the progression and nature of the workshops, including the ‘cry sessions,’ the ‘Integitras’ and ‘Animus’ workshops, and the use of analogies to describe the increasing emotional burden placed on students. It highlights the confessionals, lifeboat exercise, and physical activities like pounding pillows, all contributing to significant anxiety and emotional turmoil.
Punishment and Control Tactics
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(01:04:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Punishments at Carlbrook, including extended isolation and physically demanding ‘crews,’ were severe and often administered by untrained peers, demonstrating a lack of proper supervision and a focus on control over rehabilitation.
  • Summary: The speaker describes their six-week punishment of isolation and out-of-school suspension, detailing the assignments, limited social interaction, and the experience of being ‘yelled at’ in group sessions. The segment also covers physical punishments like ‘running crews’ and the extreme cases of students being assigned to ‘stumps’ or carrying pebbles, illustrating the harsh disciplinary environment.
Parental Interactions and Departure
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(01:07:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Communication with parents was heavily monitored, and even brief off-campus visits could be emotionally damaging due to critical feedback and the lingering effects of the school’s programming.
  • Summary: This section discusses the bi-weekly, monitored phone calls with parents and the strict rules surrounding communication. It highlights a particularly painful experience during an off-campus visit where the speaker’s father made a critical comment about their weight, leading to immense distress and a desire to return to the school. The segment also touches on the overwhelming experience of returning to normal life and the anxiety of interacting with ’normal people.'
Post-Carlbrook Adjustment and Reflection
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(01:11:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Survivors of Carlbrook often struggle with reintegration into society, experiencing a disconnect from their peers and a prolonged process of deconstructing the ‘programming’ they received, with many only realizing the abnormality of their experiences years later.
  • Summary: The speaker describes the graduation process and the difficulty of assimilating back into normal life, feeling like a ‘robot’ of the person Carlbrook created. They discuss the inability to relate to typical high school memories, the shock of friends realizing the abnormality of their experience, and the delayed understanding of the trauma, particularly after other survivors and public figures began speaking out.