What is Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy evolves out of the idea that people have a deep interconnection with the earth and all its inhabitants which directly impacts our cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing. Being mindful of and attending to this connection when engaged in psychotherapy can have a significant impact on one’s personal growth and progress in therapy.
Ecotherapy has been practiced throughout the world for the past 30 years and draws on many world wide indigenous practices. Ecotherapy can involve loosely structured activities, such as walking along the beach or going for a hike in a forested area. You can also choose to participate in more formal approaches, often with guidance from a therapist.
Many ecotherapy practices also prioritize building a two-way relationship with nature by giving something back to the area, whether that’s collecting trash or planting trees. This may also help with issues related to eco-anxiety, or anxiety related to concerns such as environmental damage and degradation, global warming, or natural disasters.
Even small efforts to reduce your carbon footprint, such as recycling, composting, and limiting driving can benefit you and the planet.
Ecotherapy has many benefits:
Reduces stress, depression and anxiety
Reduces cortisol levels
Improves attention and focus and reduces symptoms associated with ADHD
Strengthens the immune system and lowers blood pressure
Improves physical well-being through physical activity
Improves cognitive functioning and decreases symptoms associated with dementia
Improve symptoms associated with PTSD
Increases dopamine levels and boosts mood
Ecotherapy: The practice of exposing oneself to nature, and therein, letting your soul find the peace it craves.
- Carrie Gault
Ecotherapy may be a good fit for you if:
You are wanting to improve focus, reduce anxiety, process difficult life experiences or improve your emotional wellbeing
You are experiencing issues of grief and loss and want to process your thoughts and feelings through earth-based practices.
You are going through a major transition and need some grounding and clarity
You are feeling overwhelmed and want to develop a therapeutic practice that fosters a connection with the more than human world while bringing you peace and calm.
You have always felt a sacredness in the natural world and want to explore your own natural rhythms through therapeutic earth based practices.
You want to honor a rite of passage (birth, death, change in relationship status, retirement, or other significant milestone)
You feel uncomfortable about going outside alone, and would like this to change
You want to heal from a traumatic outdoor experience
For more information about ecotherapy please reference the following links:
Ecotherapy and the Healing Power of Nature Ecotherapy/Nature Therapy Do You Need a Nature Prescription?
Land Acknowledgement
I want to acknowledge that I reside and work in the now called Portland area, the traditional homeland of the Clackamas, Cowlitz, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz nations. I honor the ancestors and present indigenous inhabitants of this land. I honor their years of stewardship of this land and support their present revitalization of their culture, language, ancestral practices and land restoration. Please join me in supporting the work of the Potlatch Fund, a Native-led nonprofit organization that provides grants and leadership development to Tribal Nations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Potlatch Fund works to promote diversity and address inequality by educating foundations about Tribal communities, introducing them to Native nonprofits, and holding funder briefings specific to Indian Country.
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