Outdoor Experiential and Expressive Arts
The great outdoors can be a wonderful place for healing.
Sometimes, the seclusion of the 4-walled office is perfect for privacy and having a space to retreat to and process things.
Other times, those very things can begin to feel confining, routine, and stagnant.
Having the opportunity to get outside and moving is a great option that many of my clients find complements the standard talk therapy they are used to. Experiential therapy provides the ability to do and experience things we simply cannot replicate in an office building, such as motion, fresh air, sun, birds and all the vitality nature has to give to us.
A bit about how nature can be healing
Countless research studies show that living near and being in “green spaces” is linked to significantly lower rates of physical and mental debility.
The sun in healthy doses supplies us with Vitamin D, which helps with depression and aids in healthy sleep/wake rhythm. I even learned recently that most trees give off an invisible chemical that reduces stress hormones and improve blood pressure and immune health!
There are of course countless other well-proven ways being in nature aids the healing process. I encourage you to look into these for your own purposes outside of our time together.
But suffice it to say that the few things I’ve already mentioned are some of the most common reasons people come to see me or any therapist for improvement. It makes sense then to use nature as a powerful tool as part of the healing journey!
There are several ways we can get into nature or bring nature inside with us!
A Fresh Perspective
If you are looking for a change of pace in your therapy sessions, we can add something simple like Walk & Talk, where we would perhaps head to the quiet housing plan behind my office or even to a local park or trail.
Or, if we are looking to include some artistic expression, we can add in nature-based mindful meditations or simple and gentle yoga/stretching postures.
We can even just sit near a lake, woods or any piece of nature that offers you rest, reflection, and opportunity to engage your issues from a different perspective.
This is, of course, never required, but it’s all an option if you feel comfortable with it. (There do exist some considerations for adapting the therapy process to being outside, and I would invite you to explore this option with me further to determine if it is a good fit for you.)
Hope to see you out there!