Eco-Therapy: Debunking Common Misconceptions
When I tell people about Eco-Therapy, there are a myriad of responses.
“Wow, you get to hike for a living? That’s awesome"!”
“I don’t really like being outside so I don’t think that’s the right fit for me.”
“I don’t feel up for intense activity and/or wilderness survival when I’m at therapy.”
The list goes on.
What is challenging about these responses is they could be true for certain kinds of therapy that happens outdoors but Eco-Therapy is so much more than that! 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. Some forms of Eco-Therapy may involve sports, adventures, wilderness treks, interactions with animals, gardening, hiking, biking, the list goes on. But none of these experiences or activities fully capture what Eco-Therapy is. Below, a few misconceptions about Eco-Therapy will be addressed in the hopes that you could realize how Eco-Therapy could be for you, too!
Misconception Number 1: Eco-Therapy is therapy where you are physically active
While certain forms of eco-therapy, such as adventure therapy, wilderness therapy, or “walk and talks”, may have components of physical activity, that is not the whole picture! Underneath the activity you are involved in is an exploration of connection. Maybe adventure therapy helps you to connect with your body and realize new capabilities and excitements! Maybe wilderness therapy gives you time to think, move, and process through challenges in your life and realize your capacity for resilience or learning new things. Maybe “walk and talks” allow you to move your body during a session which helps you to feel more able to process challenges. In all of this, these types of eco-therapy could also give you access to be outdoors and foster a deeper connection with other natural beings even if you aren’t fully noticing.
These also are not the only forms of outdoor Eco-Therapy! If Eco-Therapy is happening outdoors, it can also look like sitting, lying down, looking at or tending to a garden, interacting with an animal, finding a place you enjoy and connecting with it. Physical activity can be a component of Eco-Therapy if it is helpful for you as an individual but the goal of Eco-Therapy is not just to be physically active.
Misconception Number 2: Eco-Therapy can only happen outdoors
While it can be great to have therapy sessions outdoors, that is not always possible nor is it always the best fit for someone. Eco-Therapy can happen indoors, virtually, in any setting that therapy is held. Indoors, it could be possible to have natural components in an office, like plants, images, minerals, rocks, or animals, that allow for tactile connection with other natural beings while indoors.
It could also be possible for there to be visualizations, art creation, storytelling, that can happen virtually or indoors that foster a connection with yourself and the rest of the natural world even when you are not outside.
Eco-Therapy could also mean finding a deeper sense of contact and relationship with your own nature, your own physiology, your connection to the seasons or the time of year, your connection to a deeper relationship with your own innate knowing and being. There are so many ways that Eco-Therapy happens when sessions are not outside.
Misconception Number 3: Eco-Therapy programs/spaces are places where I will have to struggle
Many people equate Eco-Therapy with stories that they have heard/experienced from wilderness therapy programs throughout the last couple of decades. I will definitely honor that many people have had difficult experiences in wilderness therapy settings and it makes sense if that is something that is keeping you from pursuing future Eco-Therapy. It is also important to re-name that Eco-therapy is focused on fostering relationship that enhances the holistic well-being all of the natural world, including humans. This could include some difficult experiences and/or reckonings on some occasions in order to face what may be hindering relationship and Eco-Therapy is not focused on intentionally creating increased discomfort, fear, or disconnection from yourself or the world around you. Sometimes, pushing yourself or being in a different experience in the outdoors can be very healing, therapeutic, and affirming but this is not the sole goal of Eco-Therapy.
If this inspired any changes in your perception of eco-therapy, you want to learn more about eco-therapy offerings through my practice, or you have questions, observations, or experiences that you want to share or explore further, please reach out to me! I would love to hear from you!