Ecotherapy Scotland
Techniques for using time outdoors to heal anxiety, depression, buried trauma and PTSD
Covid 19 Update, Spring 2021
Until lockdown in Scotland is eased we regret we are unable to run courses and day workshops in our local woodlands. We are not taking bookings for summer 2021 but will review the situation at regular intervals.
We're aware however that many people are finding the pandemic situation a great deal more stressful than normal and we also recognise that our many NHS staff clients will be in urgent need of ways to cope mentally with what they are experiencing just now. Therefore it is proposed to publish free online self-healing resources here, that can be used independently to help cope with today's challenges until such time as we can meet up again.
Until lockdown in Scotland is eased we regret we are unable to run courses and day workshops in our local woodlands. We are not taking bookings for summer 2021 but will review the situation at regular intervals.
We're aware however that many people are finding the pandemic situation a great deal more stressful than normal and we also recognise that our many NHS staff clients will be in urgent need of ways to cope mentally with what they are experiencing just now. Therefore it is proposed to publish free online self-healing resources here, that can be used independently to help cope with today's challenges until such time as we can meet up again.
De-stressing in Nature
Engaging with wild creatures causes an instant reduction of stress hormones!
The 21st century is a tough place to be. The pace of life, the stresses and pressures - and the sheer amount of 'stuff' that comes at us daily - is wearing a great many of us down. It is known that 2020 was the year that depression became the second most common cause of disability in the world, just behind heart disease. And of course the global pandemic has greatly compounded mental health problems and eroded our sense of security and wel-being to an unprecedented degree.
Even without a pandemic, depression, anxiety, illness and overload are all around us The very technologies that are supposed to make life easier can actually have the reverse effect, making our blood pressure soar and creating feelings of frustration, guilt or emptiness if we're not constantly 'busy'. Few of our children can cope with more than an hour away from their mobile phone. Social media and television bombard us with commercially-driven images of the 'ideal' body or lifestyle, creating unrealistic expectations and, when they're not met, dissatisfaction and insecurity. And our fears about the future of our planet and other species fuel these conditions. Graphic reporting of floods, bush fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and drought brings the traumas suffered worldwide right into our homes on a daily basis. But we're not condemned to keep coming under more and more pressure until we break, either physically or mentally. There is an alternative way to live, there are strategies get your life back and opportunities to take responsibility for your own wellbeing back into your own hands. Ecotherapy-Scotland has run woodland-based courses and workshops in southern Scotland for many years but now we feel that our world situation is critical. We have concluded that we need to get our life-changing methods and philosophy out there to everyone, now that participants are no longer able to travel to be with us here. And we want much of what we share to be freely available to all. So here goes! 
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What is Ecotherapy?
Deep in the make-up of every one of us is the potential for a powerful connection with the natural world. But in the buzz and clamour of modern life we often lose that connection...and with it, our ability to keep our health and happiness in balance.
Much of the time we don't realise what we've lost, but the signs are there: tiredness, feeling overwhelmed, bouts of feeling low, anxiety attacks, niggling ailments, backache, headaches, gastritis...and, finally, illness and depression. Yet spend a few hours out in the wild and our senses begin to adjust, to attune to the sounds, sights and smells around us. Learning to walk quietly, getting close to wild creatures and coming to know the many useful plants that abound everywhere, even in towns...unless you've tried it, you probably don't realise just how relaxing and satisfying it can be. Ecotherapy, sometimes called Nature Therapy, is now used by many health professionals. It's powerful, effective and profoundly enjoyable and is now becoming well established and respected in the UK. The video below gives an insight into how it can be incredibly beneficial for those suffering from depression or other mental health problems. 
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Using Nature for Inspiration, Creativity and Inner Contentment
Ecotherapy can be simply making time to engage with nature, by gardening, doing arts and crafts outdoors or learning to relax and de-stress properly, or it can be a well-researched and skilfully delivered learning and personal development experience, long or short.
For many years we have worked with people of all ages in the outdoors, using carefully orchestrated interactions with the natural world to help people contact their inner natural being and learn for themselves how to de-stress whenever they need it. Ecotherapy is especially effective for working with young people, especially those on the spectrum or who have experienced difficulties learning, socialising or finding what inspires them in life. If you're working with a young person, you need to build up their trust step by step and use incremental experiences that will engage them, rather like balancing stone on stone. 
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You Don't Need a Wilderness for Wellbeing
You might think that because you live in a city or town that there is nowhere you can get valid nature experiences. In fact, many individuals, plus health professionals, carers, teachers and managers are learning how to use any available local space, be it park, waste ground, canal side or footpath, even a balcony or window box, to bring short but very powerful positive and calming experiences to boost wellbeing. We can show you how.
Take a journey...A tumbling river crashes over the rapids and then becomes a series of pools and rills, where fish can be seen darting under the tree-lined banks. Dippers, kingfishers and herons fly by and even otters appear from time to time.
Not many of us have places like this that we can easily access. But through meditation you can learn to drift away to a secret oasis of calm and pleasure in your mind, and to switch this ability on at will. (Though it's not recommended whilst driving!) |
A place to rest the spirit
