Beginning to Integrate Eco-Therapy Into Your Work: A Starting Point
When thinking about integrating a new therapy modality into your practice, there can be many feelings and questions that come up. Will this new modality actually be helpful for the client population I work with? Is it worth my time, energy, and money to go to another training? How will I integrate this new modality into my practice? How will my clients feel about a new approach, especially if it feels different than what I currently do?
Eco-Therapy may be one of these modalities that could feel difficult to begin integrating in your practice, especially if you practice in a highly urban area or primarily via tele-health and have been told that Eco-Therapy is “therapy that happens outside”. While Eco-Therapy can happen outdoors in many ways, there are also many ways that Eco-Therapy can be practiced indoors and virtually. Below are a few ways that you may be able to begin incorporating Eco-Therapy into what you already do and some great resources for further training on Eco-Therapy, as it is a modality that has been proven to support people navigating a myriad of mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Broadening the Definition of Eco-Therapy
It feels worth repeating: Eco-Therapy does not only mean therapy that happens outdoors! Eco-Therapy is centered on fostering reconnection to our own nature and rhythms as human beings and in fostering a deeper connection with the rest of the natural world. Eco-Therapy can also be a modality that supports us in recognizing our capacity for resilience and improving our self-esteem. It can help people tune back into their own bodies and nervous systems and to connect with the rhythms of the Earth, while also helping people consider what can be learned from the rest of the natural world. This can sometimes be more readily accessed by being outdoors but there are plenty of opportunities virtually and indoors to practice Eco-Therapy!
Resourcing
A large component of Eco-Therapy is recognizing the resources that exist, both inside of ourselves and as we connect to the rest of the natural world. Resources exist everywhere. They could be an individual’s connection to their ancestors, to spiritual practices, to cooking and food, to herbs, to gardening, to different plant species, to animals or insects, to a place they enjoy going outdoors, to an item that represents a natural being that feels sacred or special to them, to an image of nature that feels calming, to a scent that feels supportive, to a natural sound that they enjoy, the list goes on and on.
Resourcing can be a beautiful practice to do outdoors on the land as it is possible and there are so many different ways to resource when indoors or virtually. If you are working with someone virtually, consider supporting them in recognizing any connections they have to themself or the natural world in their home, in their backyard, in their neighborhood, or out of their window. If you are working with someone indoors at your office, see if someone could recognize any resources in your office that connect them to the natural world or to their own bodies or consider having them bring in an image or representation of something that supports them in feeling supported. If you are able to go outdoors, consider selecting a place that you can return to during sessions where people can begin to build a relationship with the natural beings in that area and foster a deeper connection.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices are not exclusive to Eco-Therapy and have come from the wisdom of spiritual and healing practices globally. If you are already familiar with mindfulness or grounding practices and bring them into your work with clients, see if you could consider adding a connection to the natural world as a part of the practice. This could be by inviting clients to connect with the ground at the start of a mindfulness practice, to recognize their connection to gravity, to feel their bodies rooted to the Earth, or to visualize their connection to another natural being and how this feels in their body.
This could look like using natural imagery, such as bringing to mind a part of nature that they find soothing, supporting people in recognizing their “internal landscape”, or inviting people to recognize their own reactions to the current season, the time of day, or the time of year.
Mindful awareness could also happen between sessions. You could invite people to begin recognizing what kinds of natural beings they are encountering in their daily life in their neighborhood, their commute to work, or in their home. What do they know about these beings? How do they feel connected or disconnected from them? What does it feel like in their bodies or minds to connect to this season or to the plants and animals they are surrounded by currently?
Natural Beings in Your Space
If you primarily practice indoors or virtually, you can create a space that encourages connection with other natural beings. This could be by adding art or photography of natural beings and natural places to your space, bringing plants into your space, bringing in natural scents, making tea together during a session, or asking people to be aware of different beings in their own space that feel comforting to be near during virtual therapy sessions.
Encountering Nature in Daily Life
Eco-therapy practices can also be an invitation for clients to engage with in between sessions. While readily accessing outdoor spaces can be challenging for some, most people encounter natural beings at some point in their day, whether out a window while driving, walking or biking to work, out their window at home. These moments could be invitations for people to begin to notice the beings they encounter more intentionally. There can also be an invitation towards a mindfulness or visualization practice that connects people more deeply with a visualized natural place or their own nature, their recognition of their bodies, emotions, and thoughts and how this encourages them to interact with the rest of the world.
Finally, a sit spot practice may be a great invitation for some clients to make intentional time to connect with themselves and the natural world between sessions. I write more about these in another blog so please check it out if you are interested!
I hope the ideas above could allow for some ways to begin considering the incorporation of Eco-Therapy into your practice! If you want to learn more about Eco-Therapy as a client or consult about integrating Eco-Therapy into your work, please reach out to me!
I also would highly recommend trainings and further education from the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute and the Colorado Ecotherapy Institute.