Why Nature-based Therapy?
I could present you with the growing body of scientific evidence that supports Nature-based Therapy (which I'm sure I will at some point), but it seems most relevant to answer the question 'Why Nature-based Therapy' from the heart.
In addition to my speciality, it happens to be my favorite way to engage in therapy. I've developed expertise from all sides of this experience - as a client and therapist, across a couch, through a computer screen, and side-by-side in the woods. Nature-based Therapy is just one way to address mental health challenges, cultivate wellness, and experience personal growth. Thankfully, there are many ways to engage in therapy, and what's helpful to one person is not necessarily right for another.
When I speak to Nature-based Therapy in my practice, I'm generally referring to therapy outdoors. But being outdoors isn't essential to connect with nature -or- to experience Nature-based Therapy. We can bring our attention to what's within our immediate environment to make contact with nature, or conjure up an experience of nature in our imagination.
After all...
We are nature.
We're not separate.
Nature is around us and within us.
In my attempt to answer the question of 'Why Nature-based Therapy?', I'll ask you: When was the last time you felt calm? At peace? Playful? Alive? Where were you in those moments? What were they like? What were you doing (or not doing)? What sticks with you about those moments? What makes those moments memorable?
Your answers to these questions matter just as much as any explanation I can offer about 'Why Nature-based Therapy' may be right for you.
For me, being outdoors helps me feel settled in my own skin. My mind - even when it's busy - is more spacious and I can think more clearly. In my work, nature is a partner or co-therapist - a third dimension that is alive and participating in the process. Therapy outdoors becomes interesting and impactful; nature's lessons land in many forms and help us to see that change is natural. Such perspectives can help us to accept reality and inspire us with new possibilities.
The point isn't to go chasing experiences by taking therapy outdoors...though experiential learning is a part of what makes Nature-based Therapy useful. Rather, when we experience being accepted by and belonging to nature, the problems that plague us can begin to make sense. And we just might feel like we're coming back home.
The work of Nature-based Therapy gives back to me many times over, and I hold a spirit of reciprocity as we engage with nature together. Your work in therapy will also ripple out into the world, and the seeds that we sow together will live on long after us.
If you find this inspiring, I'd encourage you to consider Nature-based Therapy. And when you're ready to take the next step, let's do it together. Reach out today.
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