A free gift, distance learning, online,
Learning With Nature
course uncovers important mental health surprises for
people in psychology, art, health and education.
To: Mardi Jones, Ph.D.
Skagit Valley Counseling Center
Mt. Vernon, Washington
Dear Dr. Jones,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the
secret behind the mental health success of my free learning with
nature, psychology, health, art and personal education classes
that help people enjoy responsible relationships. Please permit
me to respond to you with the following example:
I often ask my classes to go outside and
find the most attractive, nearby natural area or thing where
they can be relatively alone. The group of 35 people I describe
on this page did just that. They spent seven thoughtful minutes
enjoying a free, attractive natural place they found, and the
additional free samples of attractions they discovered while
they visited this personal natural area next to their school.
When the class returned I asked them to
share their personal experiences with a few people and then find
single words or phrases that conveyed what things of value they
had discovered. Here is a sample of what they reported:
beauty
light
strength community
joy
trust
safe
learning
freedom |
belonging friendship
peace
wisdom equilibrium,
spirit,
mental health
pleasure
quietude |
exhilaration
participation
God
challenge
love
play
thankfulness
fairness
art |
sense of place
sharing
humility appreciation difference in time
relaxation aliveness
curiosity
intelligence |
In our discussion people strongly agreed
that these free mental health qualities were very important to
know or learn. For the betterment of our health, education and
self, they felt these attributes should be an integral part of
each citizen's education and personal psychology.
I then asked these questions of the class;
you might try to answer them for yourself:
If you were to teach these free values
and topics in a classroom how long would it take to accomplish
this goal?
What would the curriculum be, do and look
like?
What arts, methods and materials would
you use teach this in a classroom?
If these free mental health values can
be found this easily in a natural area, why do you think in the
name of "excellence in education" we support laws that
insist we spend 24,000 hours of our developmental years in K-16,
classroom-confined, indoor learning to be eligible for a college
diploma? Why do we ignore that we obviously can discover and
learn about these qualities in nature?
Why do you think the art of this type of
educating with nature is often demeaned as "recreation"
rather that applauded as re-creation?
Do you think there is a pesonal relationship
between our excessive indoor education and the exploitive stress,
abuse and violence we suffer in our society on personal, social
and environmental levels?
After some discussion, the class concluded
that it would be very difficult or impossible to design or establish
an indoor health, psychology, art or education class that could
give a free sample or teach what they had just discovered outside.
So we made going outside part of our learning process.
For People and Earth in a Balance,
Michael J. Cohen
Director,
Institute of Global Education
Applied Ecopsychology/Integtated Ecology
Two secret surprises for you:
1. There
is a free sample, accredited, Learning With Nature, online course
on the internet that enables you to master how to successfully
take, complete, and teach the class described above using your
local natural areas. No matter your personal background, you
can make the course part of your learning, transcript, resume
or career.
2. The health, art and psychology education
class where Dr. Cohen presented the lesson, above, in 1961 did
the nature attraction activity on cold, wet, windy day in Central
Park, Borough of Manhattan, New York City. Since then, Cohen
has repeated that lesson hundreds of times with similar results.
Important questions:
What does our educational system actually
teach us about the value of conscious contact with natural systems
within and around us? (Hint: recently, to improve 'excellence
in education,' we have been building schools without windows).
Do you, I and society unnecessarily suffer
and cause many problems because we are not personally learning
from nature important things that we know we deserve to know?
If so, who is responsible and liable for this destructive omission?
A free sample Learning With Nature
course
enables you as
part of nature, to connect with attractions in natural systems
and expand your thinking and intelligence. The ecopsychology
course empowers you to improve your personal and professional
relationships and teach others to do the same.
FREE COURSE DESCRIPTION:
We suffer our greatest troubles because the contamination of
our thinking prevents us from finding personal solutions
for our problems even when they sit right before our eyes. Learn
about an enabling, nature connecting process that transforms
our contaminated thinking and its destructive effects into constructive
relationships. Discover your 53 inborn intelligences and how
you can restore them. Advance your reasoning, health and spirit.
Increase your contribution to the wellness of yourself, society
and the environment.