Nature as a Model and a Mirror

A Calming Place To Be 

For many people, the natural world is a calming and relaxing place to be, where they can soak up their surroundings through their senses – a beautiful sunset, the twittering of birds, the taste of a blackberry in the Autumn. Being in this way, in the ‘here and now’ gets us out of our heads and away from the stresses and preoccupations of our daily lives: the upcoming business or family meeting that we’re not looking forward to, what needs to be added to the shopping list, the difficult phase our child is going through, the worry of an ill parent or partner, etc. Research tells us that simply being in a green environment calms our nervous systems. It’s like pressing the pause button on our stress and anxiety; it can have a soothing effect on us for a little while at least.

Connecting With Nature For Well-Being and Healing

However, it is our interplay with nature – when we allow ourselves to interact with the natural environment that we are a part of – that really offers us health and well-being benefits, and opportunities for personal growth and healing. In all areas of my work, I invite those I am working with to deepen their relationship with the natural world by connecting with the thoughts, feelings and body responses that nature elicits in them as a starting point for exploration. Nature is invited into the work as a model and a mirror for our experiences. For example, by observing the area of a wood that a therapy client is drawn to because it feels safe and comfortable, they can be encouraged to reflect on what does or doesn’t feel safe and comfortable in their everyday life. By inviting a supervisee to find a natural object that holds similar energies and qualities to a client they are working with, they are invited to explore a broader understanding of their client and their relationship with them.

Connecting to the natural world that we are a part of – and not apart from – in this way provides us with a doorway to what is happening in our unconscious mind and body. This is often where our authentic, connected and responsive self resides, free of the anxieties, fears and projections that are generally part of how we meet the world. Clients, supervisees and workshop/group participants often find this way of working to be powerful, moving and healing.

I can be contacted on mob: 07729 773469 or email: lucinda@lucindaweis.com