EcoTherapy

Nature Therapy & Eco-Therapy use connecting with nature as a way to support mental health. I respect nature as an ally in healing. How we interact with nature depends on your interests. It could be as simple as taking a hike, cooling our feet in a stream on a hot day, or building a campfire while we talk. If you’d like to go deeper, we could explore cultivating relationships with specific plants, animals, or streams, or consider how the changing seasons may reflect internal changes within you.

I have been practicing ecopsychology for over 10 years. This may include using plants and pictures of plants or a nature scene, or it may include meeting in person (when possible) on the beach or in the woods. The use of nature provides for a deeper level of healing that may increase empathy for oneself, others and the planet.

Let's go for a stroll in nature! Being outside in nature & having a therapy session is the best of both worlds. This can coincide with somatic and bi-lateral movement to help release what no longer serves you while receiving the calming effects from walking around a lake, taking your shoes off and walking in the grass to help ground yourself, standing in front of a waterfall and feeling the energy rejuvenate you, walking near and under trees (maybe even hug one!) to feel connected with Earth.

Ecotherapy recognizes that our dis-ease as humans stems from living a life that is disconnected and out of harmony with the natural rhythms of the earth. To place mental illness solely in personal reality is a delusional repression of actual experience. Our lived experiences - on freeways, in food deserts, and concrete jungles - has separated us from our own rhythms. Our goal then, is simply to welcome you back to the rhythms of your body and the earth.

Ecotherapy is based on the idea that people are connected to and impacted by the natural environment. A growing body of research highlights the positive benefits of connecting with nature. I began doing this kind of therapy when the pandemic began in March 2020. I decided to take my in-person work outdoors and quickly noticed how the process of walking and talking in a nature trail helped not only loosen are thinking but enhanced a sense of peace during the therapy hour.

Ecotherapy combines the healing power of nature with traditional therapeutic techniques. Exposure to nature can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and increase concentration. We can help you develop a plan to increase your contact with nature – including increasing outdoor activities, engaging in nature-based grounding exercises, or adding natural elements to your home and work environments.

We’ve long understood the benefits of “talk therapy” for the treatment of emotional distress. Science also proves that nature is a powerful medicine. Getting outside the traditional setting of an office may help you feel more comfortable while discussing painful issues. Ecotherapy has been linked to lower levels of stress hormones, increased attentiveness, decreased rumination, and improvements in mood. ​

Moving the therapy session outdoors allows for a more integrated and holistic experience. When we are in green spaces, our bodies naturally return to a state of calm. From this place can we begin to unpack trauma stored in the body and come to a clear sense of what we need to begin to heal.

During sessions, we will explore through a variety of techniques to develop an understanding of what influences you in different environments or spaces you have experienced that have shaped your identity. We will also look at ways to develop adaptive behaviors that foster a deeper connection to yourself and an understanding of your lived experiences.

Ecotherapy aims to connect individuals therapeutically with nature. Walk + Talk sessions are available in order to bring about the mind/body connection in your therapy process, as well as, getting you grounded back with nature.

I hold ecotherapy sessions in the redwoods of Oakland, CA. I love ecotherapy because it is an opportunity for us to find our way back to our own nature. In therapy you are being held by not just by me, but by all of creation. Ecotherapy sessions with me can involve connecting back to your body as well as reconnecting to the land.

I'm experienced in working with climate anxiety and climate grief, as well as with ecological anxiety and grief in general. I also help people reduce stress through increasing their connection with nature. In person, I offer nature-based therapy and hiking therapy for established clients.

Ecotherapy is based on the idea that people are connected to and impacted by the natural environment. A growing body of research highlights the positive benefits of connecting with nature. I began doing this kind of therapy when the pandemic began in March 2020. I decided to take my in-person work outdoors and quickly noticed how the process of walking and talking in a nature trail helped not only loosen are thinking but enhanced a sense of peace during the therapy hour.

Up until very recently in human history, healing took place in sacred spaces outdoors. Many cultures believe that one of the root causes of “dis-ease,” in fact, is the inherent disconnect between our selves and the natural world. It’s my experience that integrating nature-based interventions (even if that’s simply sitting outside for a session!) can be both incredibly grounding - literally and figuratively - and supportive of healing.

Ecotherapy is based on the idea that people are connected to and impacted by the natural environment, and a growing body of research highlights the positive benefits of connecting with nature. I began doing this kind of therapy when the pandemic began in March 2020. I decided to take my in-person work outdoors and quickly noticed how the process of walking and talking in a nature trail helped not only to loosen our thinking but also to create an enhanced sense of peace during the therapy hour.

Ecotherapy centers in the inborn wisdom that humans are a part of nature and that our relationship with nature predicates our mental health. When we are more connected with wider nature around us, we feel more joy, calm, awe, grounding, or a childlike curiosity. This can feed a natural inclination to care for the Earth, and recognize the preciousness of our ecosystem. Ecotherapy then seeks to source us in nature and help us to uncover our place in the interconnected web of life.

Ecotherapy is more than just taking a walk in the woods. It holds the belief and perspective that humans are innately connected and intertwined with nature. What happens in nature and the world inevitably affects us. And so ecotherapy can help reconnect our mind and body to nature while using nature as a means of healing. A lot of people find that they feel better when they remove themselves from the hustle and noise of every day life. For many, nature is where that solace can be found. I can help you harness that feeling of rejuvenation and calm that you may find after a hike on the beach or a walk through the Redwoods and use it as a means of support and healing in our work together. I incorporate mindfulness and somatic, or body-based therapy, into this work as well while conducting sessions either indoors or outdoors. If you think this type of work might be a good fit for you, I encourage you to reach out to learn more!