What is Ecotherapy?
We move through life being impacted by what happens around us. The people we come into contact with, objects we hold closely, or the environment we find ourselves in. Ecological TA takes into account the more than human that can impact us and how we can work with that. This can be as large as the landscapes we move through or the small tufts of grass we might notice growing in breaks of tarmac.
As children we may have found interest in something we find outside and relate to it in some way. Called it special, held it close, or gifted it. The meaning we make behind those connections travels with us. We still have those moments and we can use them to explore what might be going on for us at a deeper level.
Ecological TA isn't just working outdoors. It is working with the outdoors or the more than human. We feel, dream, fantasise, play and more with what's around us. Using metaphors is a big part of ecological work to help make sense of something that is more than us but also connected to us.
This concept isn't just sacred to working outside but can be taken with us anywhere. The more than human can be our potted plants in our house, the breeze through an open door, or the sound of rain on a window. This awareness is taken into our work and we can discover where it will go.