Nature-Based Therapy & Therapy for Nature-Based Traumas

Aligning virtual therapy with nature in Colorado, Minnesota, Vermont, & Florida

There are endless ways nature-based therapy can look! Some examples of how nature can be woven into therapy work are:

Building a secure attachment with a place in nature
Utilizing the sounds, tastes, textures, and memories of the outside world for regulation and safety
Nature-based mindfulness techniques
Finding parallel, connective experiences between the client and a plant, animal, or natural event
Learning how to honor our own seasonal shifts as we move through the Wheel of the Year
Connecting with a client’s ancestral land through cultural herbal practices, recipes, and flora/fauna
Learning from Indigenous wisdom in order to navigate climate anxiety

What is nature-based therapy? 🌱

Nature-based therapy, or sometimes called ecotherapy, is, at its simplest, leaning on nature and the world around us as a mentor, ally, teacher, and co-healer.

My approach to nature-based therapy is trauma informed, decolonization centered, and accessible for all, regardless of your previous experience in nature. In other words, I believe nature-based therapy can happen in the therapy office, online, or outdoors. I also believe that anyone can (re)connect with nature, as we are all humans of the earth - our connection to land is already there.

What does nature-based therapy look like in practice? 🌿

What if I don’t have access to the outdoors? 🍂

I am of the belief and practice that if you want to incorporate more nature into your life, then we will find a way! This work can be done in the middle of a concrete jungle all the way to the most remote stretches of our world. If you are a human being on this earth, then nature-based therapy is absolutely for you, regardless of where you call home.

What if I don’t feel safe outdoors? 🪾

First, know that you are not alone. There are many reasons why someone may not feel connected to and/or safe while in nature. There are ancestral and community based traumas that might be at the root of this feeling. Perhaps you experienced an individual harm. This is not discussed enough: that sometimes nature can cause pain, trauma, separation, and death.

If you are wanting to reconnect to nature, we can start wherever you are. If your trauma happened in nature and/or was caused by nature, please keep reading below to learn about therapy for nature based traumas.

The trip that would forever change the way I experience being in nature

When Nature Isn’t Safe: Understanding Nature-Based Trauma

Nature Based Traumas can be: a distressing or disturbing experience that occurs in an outdoor space, due to a naturally occurring event such as a natural disaster or extreme weather, and/or any instance that damages the safety and relationship a person may feel to the environment.

It is widely believed in the world of nature based therapy that nature can become a secure attachment figure, especially for those who have not experienced secure relationships with other people. Therefore, if we all accept that we can have secure attachments with nature, then we must also acknowledge that there can be rupture. Rupture happens in relationships, and with the proper steps, they can not only be overcome but they can help to make the relationship stronger. This is what we call relational repair, or healing in relationship.

Not knowing how to repair a relationship leads to playing it safe and to shallow, unsatisfying experiences with others. This is certainly true with nature based traumas. Not knowing how to repair a relationship with nature could lead to a life of saying “no” when invited on excursions or constantly wondering if you are safe when outside. As a trauma informed nature based therapist, I can act as a guide for a client to find experiences of repair with nature.

Can I love the outdoors and still experience outdoor trauma?

Yes, absolutely. Often when we experience a nature based trauma, our relationship to nature feels extremely complicated. How could something I love hurt me in this way? Will I ever be able to feel the same way in nature again? In the case of an injury, perhaps you cannot access nature in the same way as before. There is grief in experiencing a change in your relationship to nature, your activities and sports, and/or your sense of safety outdoors. These are all topics we can explore, together!