WHAT IS ECOTHERAPY?
Reawakening Your Innate Roots.
Ecotherapy is a way of supporting wellbeing and mental health by incorporating the wisdom of nature into the process of healing. Grounded in a holistic perspective, Ecotherapy works with the interconnected relationships between the individual (including their mind, body, and spirit) and the natural world. It acknowledges that humans and the natural world can exist in a mutually nurturing relationship with one another.
Ecotherapy is grounded in Ecopsychology and the understanding that the health of humanity is inextricably linked to the health of the natural world and all its inhabitants: we are a part of this world… this Web of Life. Gaia theory, recently popularized by the New York Times, refers to the Earth as a living organism, which makes humans and other earth creatures its cells . Others see this “Gaia” organism as an extension of themselves… their Ecological Self. So, with this understanding, if the “cells” of our world (you and I, the birds, trees, and all of earth’s creatures) can work together and build harmony, it will bring healing to the whole.
Ecotherapy acknowledges and merges with the healing power of the natural world.
Benefits of Ecotherapy:
Ecotherapy has impacted me both professionally and personally. Below are key findings of research, as well as my own personal revelations, around the benefits of Ecotherapy and spending consistent time in nature. Citations are listed below.
Enhances physical health and overall wellbeing (supports better sleep, energy, and the immune system).
Improves attention, memory, and ADHD symptoms.
Reduces stress, anxiety, depression, and anger
Regulates and soothes the nervous system, lowering levels of cortisol.
Increases positive emotions such as wonder, reverence, and peace.
Activates dopamine release and enhances a sense of purpose, joy, and energy to pursue goals.
Increases openness to others and to new creative patterns of thought.
Supports social wellbeing through encouraging trust, closeness, generosity, and altruistic behavior.
Shifts ones sense of self. Provides the awareness that they are a part of something larger, feeling less entitled and self-important.
Creates a sense of place and belonging.
Supports a deeper relationship with nature that will always be a healing resource.
Sources: What Happens When We Go to Nature, Why Forest Bathing Is Good For Your Health, A Walk in The Park
The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door. If you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.
– Clarissa Pinkola Estes
