Along with many others in the television viewing public I have become fascinated by the Alone series, screened here in Australia on SBS. Season 2 of the Australian version was set in the South Island of New Zealand, a bleakly beautiful, mountainous part of the world. The final episode screened on Wednesday night and there was a special reunion episode straight afterwards with MC Hamish Blake interviewing all the participants.

What became very clear was the general uniformity of the reasons why so many participants opted to tap out and go home.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, published in his famous 1943 paper, has the basic biological and physiological needs required by humans to survive at his foundational level. Certainly, the Alone participants were generally preoccupied with securing shelter, water, food and creating a comfortable temperature in which to sleep.

But what struck me the most was that once these had been secured and the possibility of reaching the required number of days to win the $250,000 looked more than likely, most chose to go home because they missed human contact.

They missed their families and loved ones.

At just 4 years on from one of the most life changing events on a mass scale that modern humanity has ever witnessed, no lessons seem to have been learned. Surely the recent Covid pandemic showed us the true importance of community and of societal equality? Of how vulnerable we all are when we are alone and disconnected from everything that nourishes and sustains us?

Many of us have been struggling with poor mental health since the lockdowns, and many people cannot access psychological counselling services, either due to location, cost of living issues or limited availability to services.

Cammeray Counselling offers affordable online telehealth counselling which bridges that gap and allows you access to qualified therapeutic sessions without the need for a GP referral or a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan.

Call 0413 829 141 or click CONTACT in the above menu to find out more.