5 Ways that Eco-Therapy & Somatic Therapy Connect
Somatic Therapy is a broad term that has continued to grow in popularity. This term includes many different therapy modalities some of which include Somatic Experiencing (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Gestalt Therapy. While each modality has a different approach and focus area, each has the similarity that embodied awareness is prioritized in the healing process. Embodied awareness means awareness that includes the whole body (sensation, emotion, thought, behaviors, gestures, etc.).
Eco-therapy is a modality that views the holistic well-being of humans as intricately linked to the holistic well-being of all other parts of nature. It honors that humans are not separate from nature, even though many aspects of our modern world may allow us to believe that we are. It emphasizes that failing to nurture and attend to relationship, those with ourselves, other beings, and the planet, can have negative impacts on our holistic well-beings and the well-being of all other natural beings.
So, you may be wondering, how do Somatic Therapy & Eco-Therapy connect? Below are just a few examples:
Both invite a lens of holistic connection: Eco-therapy and Somatic Therapy invite us to notice the interconnectedness of our minds, bodies, experiences, others, and our environments. This may not be a specific action or intervention but rather a viewpoint that an Eco-Therapy and Somatic Therapy practitioner may constantly be looking through when working with people.
Both encourage reconnection to self & others: Eco-therapy invites us to consider the rhythms of our bodies, the rhythms of the natural world, the rhythms of other beings. It invites us to reflect on what may shift as seasons change, throughout each day, when we move, when we connect with sunshine or other natural beings, when we observe the surrounding world. In these invitations, Eco-Therapy & Somatic Therapy are working together to invite us back into a relationship with our body while also inviting us into relationship with other natural beings and the rhythms of the Earth.
Both center on relationships: Somatic Therapy and Eco-Therapy also center on relationships. They invite us to notice our connection to our sense of self, our beliefs, our behaviors, and our emotions. They invite us to recognize how our previous and current relationships may impact the connection we feel to our full selves and to others. Eco-Therapy also invites us to view relationship as not only with ourselves and other humans but also with the rest of the natural world. In combining Eco-Therapy and Somatic Therapy, we can recognize what we notice as we seek to make contact with our own bodies and with other beings.
Both recognize the natural presence of discomfort in life: Eco-therapy and Somatic Therapy do not exist to bring us into a place that feels completely calm and void of challenges. Rather, they seek to help us find a way to regulate and come back to ourselves through challenges without getting stuck. Eco-Therapy may do this in an explicit way, i.e. through a difficult hike, adventure course, or being outside in harsh weather conditions. It could also be in recognizing the whole picture of the natural world, the difficulties that exist within the plant and animal kingdom, the difficulties that may exist in humans relationship to the rest of the natural world, in acknowledging environmental crises, in honoring traumatic experiences that someone may have had while outdoors. Somatic Therapy also does not seek to prioritize calm or pleasant sensations over all else. Instead, the goal is for there to be access to flexibility in response based on the need of the current environment and to not become stuck in any one response. For example, this could look like someone feeling a wave of sadness as they see litter on the trail and allowing themself to sit with and/or respond to this sadness (maybe it’s picking up the trash, maybe it’s noticing the love they have for the trail they are on and really noticing that feeling, maybe it’s feeling into the connection they have in their body to the land they are on and what that inspires them towards).
Both recognize the importance of being in joy/resourcing: When many people think of therapy, they can bring to mind a place that is centered on experiencing hard emotions and working with painful experiences. While this can be true, Somatic Therapy and Eco-Therapy also emphasize the equal importance of resourced and positive experiences for healing. During a session, there could be an invitation to connect with a place or a being that feels safe, comforting, soothing. Time is taken to really notice sensation, emotion, and experiences that may arise when connecting with a safe or resourced being or place.
These are just a few ways that Somatic Therapy & Eco-Therapy work together to support with healing. If you are curious to learn more or if you have any questions, please reach out to me at amber@inthealpenglowtherapy.com!