Ecotherapy

Do you ever feel just… disconnected? Like more and more lately you get to the end of your day and you realize you were “checked out” for most of the day?

Yeah, I get it.

This is a response that can happen when we’ve been feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed for a very long time. For whatever reason, we aren’t able to deal with the emotions coming up, so our brains decide to go offline here and there. It can be a useful survival skill, but for most of us, it becomes something that gets in the way of our healing.

This is why I incorporate Ecotherapy in my sessions.

Person using nature therapy for anxiety and religious trauma, overlooking a lake

What is Ecotherapy?

When you hear “ecotherapy”, think of nature therapy. It can be done indoors or outdoors, in person or over telehealth video. When the two of us engage in this type of therapy, I actually view nature as my “co-therapist”- someone who we are going to to help us reconnect to ourselves and the world around us.

By connecting with nature in our sessions, we’re better able to drop into the present (“grounding”), bring awareness to our physical and emotional bodies, and then bring awareness to the world around us. By doing all this, we can actually start to work with what it troubling you! If you are chronically “checked out”, you might not even know what you’re checking out from anymore. And if you don’t know what you’re checking out from, it’s going to be really hard to do anything about it.

Who is Ecotherapy for?

We are all human and, therefore, a part of nature. So, ecotherapy is for everyone.

With that being said, there are particular people who might benefit from ecotherapy versus regular talk therapy.

Ecotherapy might especially be for you if:

  • You feel disconnected from yourself, your family/friends, or the world around you.

  • You feel nervous about starting therapy or the thought of talking to a therapist sitting directly across from you brings you a lot of anxiety.

  • You’ve tried traditional talk therapy before, but feel like you need something more.

  • You already view nature as your “therapy” and know that it works for you.

  • You’re simply interested in ecotherapy!

Bird singing on a branch, found during nature therapy for anxiety and religious trauma

If you’ve read all this and think it might be something you’d like to try, reach out to me today. You can use the button below to schedule a free 15 minute consultation where we’ll talk more about what you’re looking for and answer any questions!

I can’t wait to talk with you!

Request Appointment

FAQs

  • Definitely! Ecotherapy can be used indoors or outdoors and in person or over video. When we first start working together, we’ll talk abut what you have access to- green spaces near you, windows, natural items or plants inside, etc. We can also make use of visualization and calling upon parts of nature (our “nature allies”) to support us.

  • Ecotherapy isn’t long distance hiking. I walk less than a mile at a slow pace with most of my clients. However, even this can be tailored to meet you and your needs. We might spend more time in the shade of the Tulip tree in an open field or sitting at a table under the shelter house.

  • If you have the desire to try it, it sure is! We’ll talk ahead of time about what you need to know and what you need to bring with you (things like a rain jacket if it’s raining, water bottle, sunscreen, etc.). The goal of this is not to test your outdoors skills. Rather, my hope is that we can find a way to help you connect with nature more than you already are.