Beneficial
Effects
Our disconnections from the natural world and our sentient inner nature make it difficult for us to fully experience and express natural feelings. Disconnected and unfulfilled, our inner nature feels stress and lackluster causing us to excessively crave natural sensations or depend upon artificial, excessive and irresponsible substitutes for them. Sensory nature-connecting activities have shown to help reverse this phenomenon by offering safe, responsible, natural fulfillments. When used in conjunction with counseling and education, the activities connect participants to nature's vitality and wisdom The following events have resulted from participants in our applied ecopsychology courses and workshops doing the activities:
A participant who preached that people should express their natural feelings discovered that his preaching was philosophically replacing his personal expression and integration of feeling. Local natural areas became a springboard for him to be himself, to be more feeling and self-expressive. This led to him establishing the stronger, more supportive relationships that he desired.
Participants with migraine headaches learned to discover, fulfill and validate their natural attractions in natural areas and people. Their headaches disappeared when they did.
Participants learned to identify which of their natural senses had been injured. By following their attractions in natural areas, they learned to support and in time soothe their sensory injuries.
Participants found that after learning to validate their sensory contacts in a natural area, they could ask personal and philosophical questions of the area, and receive responsible answers as well as guidance that they trusted.
Participants found that through the sensory fulfillment and support they received from natural areas, they could choose not to participate in those parts of society whose long-term effects were destructive.
Participants suffering from anxiety, panic disorder, diabetes, cholesterol and prostate conditions documented that their symptoms waned as a direct effect of doing the activities.
Participants discovered that they could use sensory connections to natural areas as common ground in discussions, thereby avoiding the polarization and aggravation of paradigm gaps.
Participants learned to enjoyably relate to nature in people with the same beauty, ease and trust as they had to attractive plants, animals and minerals in natural areas.
Suicidal participants found the strength and purpose to remain alive by establishing sensory connections with nature in local parks, pets and house plants.
Counselors found that couples using nature-connecting activities were able to find common ground that bridged gaps and problems that ordinarily disrupted their relationships.
Counselors found that clients became more trustful and respectful of their feelings, and thereby made greater headway in therapy.
Participants refused to let their occupations continue to aggravate their inner nature. They actively improved their work situation or found a more harmonious occupaion.
Recovery programs used the nature-connecting activities to have their participants make tangible contact with "Higher Power". This resulted in new freedoms and powers of thought and social independence. Some called the process a "thirteenth step".
Participants found a wise, sane and peaceful part of themselves that they always knew was there but that they never learned to reach or validate.
Each of the above participants became more enamored with the natural world. They also became painfully aware of how we learn to abuse it and ourselves to the cost of our mental and environmental health. Energized by their new multi-sensory connections to nature in people and places, they acted to reverse that trend.
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APPLIED ECOPSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director send email nature@interisland.net
PLEASE NOTE:
A GIFT FOR YOU
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