Learning is a metaphoric function in which the individual confirms or reorders his sense of reality by relating previous experiences with present ones. Outward Bound, an experiential learning approach, incorporates this insight in its theoretical foundations. The effectiveness of the metaphor is dependent on the extent to which the experience is isomorphic of, that is, similar in structure to, the normal life situation of the student. The validity of an attitude to human existence can be judged by the accuracy with which it reflects the characteristics of the natural world as encountered in wilderness experiences. Various chapters of this book, which is intended as an instructor's manual for Outward Bound staff, discuss the techniques involved in (1) assessing what experiences will be isomorphic with the needs of students; (2) reframing the experience so that its value will be more accessible; (3) understanding the archetypal value of the wilderness setting of Outward Bound (archetypes specifically discussed include growth, space, justice, fate, The Mother, Community, The Leader, The Hermit, and The Hero); and (4) circumventing metaphor failures. Two appendices provide outlines of the Outward Bound process and objectives. (SKW)