Building Relationship with the Natural World
What if the natural world wasn’t just a place? What if the trees and grass and sticks and rocks were actually beings to be in relationship with? The separation from nature may be a large source of our dysregulation and dis – ease in our minds and bodies. When we get past the notion that we are separate from the natural world and realize that we actually are a part of, there is great freedom and peace. Engaging or re-engaging with the outdoors can feel daunting, so we start slowly, leaning into the places that feel comfortable. Wilderness therapy is a way to process trauma and connect us more deeply to ourselves while developing an unshakeable resource that will be wherever we go: nature.
Recognizing Your Existing Relationship with the Outdoors
When I practice wilderness therapy, not everyone automatically has a flowing and easy relationship with nature. Sometimes we’ve experienced trauma in nature, or maybe we didn’t grow up with it at all. Sometimes the sounds of the city’s rushing trucks and horns, background music, and human voices feel much safer than the unknown silence of the wilderness. It’s important to contemplate our personal feelings and experiences that influence our relationship with the natural world. Here are a handful of questions to start to discover what might be standing in the way of feeling freedom outside:
What is the first memory you have in nature?
What natural space do you most resonate with? (ocean, forest, mountain, desert) Why?
Have you ever felt scared in the natural world?
What did your family teach you about being outside?
These questions can spark the discovery of internal barriers that block us from being outside. Thinking in this way can also reveal the openings within us and the already existing relationship we have with nature.
Activities to Engage with the Natural World
*Many of these have been taught to me by Katie Asmus, nature-based somatic therapist
Just as we build relationships with our dear humans, we need to spend time with the natural world to feel the heart-centered relationship strengthen. Here are some ideas on how to spend time outdoors:
Wander: walk on land and notice where you are drawn. Allow your curiosity and your senses (sight, sound, touch, smell) to take the lead and determine where you go
Find a sit spot: Simply find a place to sit in nature and sit, taking in your surroundings with no phone, no book, no distractions
Create a sculpture in nature: build a stack of rocks, a circle of sticks, a fairy house. Human creativity and nature beings unite!
Gratitude and Reciprocity
After spending time outside, I like to say thank you. The natural world bestows gifts of air, water, sun, food, but also peace. The natural world reflects the stirrings of our souls in a way that nothing else can. An offering of gratitude can be a pour of water from your water bottle onto the land. You can leave some strands of your hair for the birds to use to make nests. Another caring task is to pick up trash around you, clearing away the poison that litters the earth. Remember, we are the natural world. There is no separation. By finding peace and appreciation for the woods next to our house or the tree in our backyard, or the potted plant on our apartment porch, we are actually finding peace and appreciation for our internal world. Connecting people to the natural world is a part of my soul purpose in this world, and I explain more of the ins and outs of this process on my wilderness therapy page. It is impossible to do this wrong! So go outside, touch the earth, and notice what happens.