What on Earth is Nature-Based Therapy?
It probably comes as no surprise to you that we at The Woods love the natural world. While we have each followed quite different paths to get to this place, we share an understanding of the sacredness of the planet, that we are intimately woven into the web of the natural world, and that we strive to live in ways that honour, heal, and protect all plants, animals, and landscapes.
While these values underpin our personal lives, they also are an essential part of the work we do as professional healers, and we are committed to our ongoing development as Nature-Based Therapists through our connection to the Human-Nature Counselling Society in Victoria.
Even though Nature-Based Therapy is a relatively new practice in the field of Western mental health care, it has already been well researched around the globe, drawing on Indigenous, cultural and ancestral wisdom and practices, including the practice of Forest Bathing (shinrin-yoku) in Japan.
As creative therapists, we might also include artmaking, sound, movement, storytelling, poetry or sensory work as part of the process. This could include ethically harvesting found and foraged natural items to make an installation in the woods or by the creek or bringing items back to the studio to make something. Or it might be noticing how each of your senses responds to being outdoors and how that impacts your sense of wellbeing. Storytelling, creative writing, and sharing nature-based memories can also be part of the experience. On a recent nature-based expressive arts therapy training course I made pigments from blueberries, cranberries, and mustard powder and used feathers, sticks, and pinecones to paint, which I found incredibly freeing and playful. It also brought in my curiosity as I had no idea how these colours and tools would function together and so had no preconceived ideas about the process or expectations of myself as an artist.
If you are curious and would like to know more about Nature-Based Therapy at The Woods, please contact us to book a complimentary 20-minute video consultation.
If you would like to know more about the science of Nature-Based Therapy, I can highly recommend: