About Nature Therapy
Nature Therapy is therapeutic experiences in and with the natural environment. Especially with guidance, healing realizations come directly from engaging nature, such as: plants, birds, flowers, etc. There are many kinds of nature therapy, also called ecotherapy.
2 kinds I provide for your wholeness:
Therapeutic sessions for individuals. We meet outdoors for mental-emotional processing and engage the support of nature. Read more about this healing in the section below, Counseling.
If you don’t have a particular issue to work on, I can facilitate experiences that help you explore your core self in existential relationship to the earth. This can reduce stress, clarify priorities, and illuminate purpose.
Forest Bathing sessions for groups. We mindfully “bathe” in the healing atmosphere of the woods, prairie, and ecosystems we inhabit. We begin with a 15 minute guided meditation, then deepen our relationship with ourselves and nature through mindfulness and bodyfulness activities, and end with tea that I’ve locally harvested. There are several opportunities to process and be known through Listening circles (sitting or standing). We walk less than 1/2 mile.
~Join an upcoming nature-rooted group workshop: just Book an Appointment via the blue link on this website, or view upcoming and past sessions on my Facebook page.
~Schedule a Private Group Forest Bathing Session just for friends, family, or employees.
Both.
Like mindfulness and meditation practices, the more you practice forest bathing/forest therapy, the more you benefit.
In the UK and in Canada, doctors prescribe nature therapy to help patients heal.
“Forest Therapy, also known as Forest Bathing, is a relational practice that brings people into deeper intimacy with natural places. And one of those natural places is our natural self; it’s a practice that holds the possibility of meeting again the kernel of who we are, and what we are born to be and how we are intended to be of service in the world. It’s also important to recognize how the practice supports every aspect of our well-being. There are many wonderful health benefits attributed to forest therapy including boosted immune function, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health, attention restoration and a reduction in stress and depression.
But these effects are really the collateral impacts of a repaired relationship between people and places. Especially for those dealing with ecological grief, the restoration of relationship to place is the beginning of the healing process.”
~Association of Nature and Forest Therapy
Forest bathing is also called Forest therapy. “Bathing” refers to bathing in the atmosphere of the ecosystem. “Therapy” means it’s a healing treatment.
“Forest Therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, which translates to “forest bathing.” Forest Therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition.
We build on those benefits and look beyond, to what happens when people remember that we are a part of nature, not separate from it, and are related to all other beings in fundamental ways.”
~Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (USA based organization)
Intentional time in nature, especially with a trained guide, offers:
~regulation of blood pressure, lower cortisol, and less stress.
~increased immunity (from increased NK cells and improved mood).
~higher scores on Quality of Life measurements.
~decreased reports of Chronic Widespread Pain.
~alleviation of anxiety and depression symptoms.
~and more.
See the research studies and evidence.
About Divine Nature Counseling
Divine nature is the real, actual beauty* of each living being and all our components. We are simultaneously whole, and hurting and needing to heal. Our wounds cloud our sense of wholeness and diminish our well-being.
Anxiety, grief, anger, frustration, and despair all provide information about how our heart really yearns to enjoy life. Sometimes our patterns are a result of strategies we learned to cope with trauma or difficult experiences.
By gently bringing awareness to how they live in our bodies,
we
create space
for
choice and freedom.
Do you want to know your “best self”? Is some issue preventing you from really thriving?
With emotional counseling, you can develop the strengths you already have, liberate yourself further, and gain tools to become who you want to be. As you gain abilities to enjoy your whole self, you will feel more
confidence,
aliveness,
peace
and joy.
If you’re into or open to spirituality, I can also help you know your internal self as part of– and completely intimate with- the Great Divine Nature (Godde/Spirit/Universe). This is a lineage known as Spiritual Direction or sacred listening.
*Beauty is the unique, authentic way of being that is original to each of us. It’s not a superficial look but an all-pervading life shine.
A 40 year-old earthy volunteer gave permission to share this amazing VIDEO
of her in-person session of her inner struggle with her partner, triggered by growing up with an alcoholic father. See how we release the pain and make space for hope!
A 59 year-old Jewish woman and cancer survivor shares in her recorded online session exploring her grief of aging (and self-judgment that her anger might infer she’s ungrateful to still be alive). We engage nature therapy.
See the WORK WITH ME page to learn more about the variety of what we can do in sessions to help you shift.
There are many fruitful paths toward wholeness that I work alongside. Buddhist lineages aim to know true nature. Christian lineages seek Christ’s inclusive heart. Sufis orient toward love, harmony and beauty. Neo-pagan and Hindu lineages worship the divine in many elemental and deity-specific forms.
Others follow humanist or philosophical paths and seek to navigate life from a true core self.
I serve diverse paths, with a commonality of striving for an integrated, fulfilling life that seeks ever deepening understanding.
Every person, no matter their tradition, also has a unique personal path. I can co-pilot closer toward your goals with you.
What do you call the not-quite-completely-nameable life Essence? Or how do you relate to the unity of the world? We can honor how truth is resonating in you and inviting you forward.
Breathing techniques, guided imagery, and body relaxation (parasympathetic nervous system engagement) are my core techniques for deepening work. I’m particularly attuned to scientific research that demonstrates the benefits of these practices. They include more common ones such as:
- Square breath
- Loving-kindness meditation
- Muscular tension-relaxation and nidra practice
- Emotional Freedom Technique.
There are many more. For example, Sufi teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan (came to the USA in 1910) suggested listening to birds to help alleviate depression. Scientific studies in the 2010’s also showed the psychological benefits of bird watching and listening.
A “butterfly hug” is trauma-informed therapy practice. Someone feeling triggered into post traumatic stress can also tap opposite sides of their body (crossing the midline disrupts the brain’s trigger cycle that puts you emotionally back in the past). The prescribed dance by Murshid Sam (1975) for the Buddhist mantram Namu Amida Butsu involves tapping opposite sides of the body. This chant helps wake us up to the present reality and receive healing light.
The effects of many spiritual practices have been confirmed by science throughout decades. Though many have yet to be researched, what’s most important is that you feel your desired shift.
Ultimately, I support you in studying yourself and how experiences move inside you, and guide your inner direction toward wholeness.
If you’re interested in the field of spiritual mentoring and sacred listening, check out Spiritual Companionship & Direction, by Spiritual Directors International.
Or contact me to see more about how I can support the divine nature alight in you. Experience it for yourself. Each of us is amazing, our journey precious, and to be celebrated. If you seek a more amazing life, I’m with you!
