Therapy In Nature
Outdoor therapy is an opportunity to take the session into nature where we can relinquish our reliance on technology and escape the four walls of the counselling room.
In her book ‘Wintering’ Katherine May relates the changes of the seasons, especially winter and the design of nature to the progress of our lives and our emotional experiences.
“Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”
Getting out into the freedom provided by the outdoors whilst maintaining the crucial aspects of confidentiality and safety can offer clients a chance for greater connection with themselves and with nature.
I encourage clients to consider the benefits of allowing inclement weather to be part of the therapeutic experience, which may at first appear a little alien but can offer a freedom of expression and liberation not always afforded by indoor therapy.
The rawness or beauty of the elements can weave through the session at times with nature resonating with whatever comes up - emotions, discomfort, wildness, release etc.
At other times, sessions outside are just that, sessions outside!
We may take note of the weather to plan suitable clothing or decide if the session can go ahead (there are a few weather conditions where sessions will be postponed due to the weather) but the focus of the session is on what the client brings and nature may be a bystander to that process, though never truly a passive one!
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“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy’”
