What is Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is an evidence based approach to treating mental health conditions with the incorporation of natural elements. At R&R Collective, we operate from a Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy framework, acting as its name suggests and incorporating mindfulness into the approach. Ecotherapy utilizes nature as a teacher, provider, healer, and metaphor as we grow through what we go through.
Like the mighty dandelion and all other plants that grow through sidewalk cracks, we too shall resist and rebuild.
Ecotherapy In Practice
Okay but what does ecotherapy LOOK like? Well it looks like lots of things. If you’ve ever interacted with a therapy dog or enjoyed the soothing drip of a small fountain in the doctor’s office then you’ve experienced some level of ecotherapy. Here’s a few interventions that we love and hope to be able to provide once our land search is completed:
Therapeutic Gardens
We have plans for several gardens once we finish our quest for land. We’re particularly focused on providing a sensory garden that caters to each sense (did you know you have 8 of them?) and provides green spaces for services to be rendered.
Horticulture Therapies
Horticulture therapies involve planting, tending, harvesting, and processing gardens to help facilitate mindfulness, reduce mental health symptoms, and serve as a metaphor for personal growth. Byproducts of these services also help support our initiative to provide food back to the community.
Care-Farming
Much like horticulture therapy, care-farming allows participants to interact and care for animals as a means of therapeutic facilitation. Care-farming teaches mindfulness, responsibility, coping with challenges, and facilitates a greater sense of interconnectedness.
Animal Assistance
We also love the idea of incorporating furry friends in our session for self-soothing/emotional support. We hope to be able to cater a variety of support animals and support fosters. We also heavily believe in the assistance of emotional support animals.
Green Exercise
Green exercise can look a number of ways as well. We’re interested in providing yoga/exercise workshops, mindful walking and movemen, etc.
Mindfulness (Ecological Awareness) Activities
Forest bathing, journaling, eco-meditation, nature gazing, and many more activities fall under our mindfulness-based ecotherapy model. Many of these we will be offering individually and in group settings.
Eco-Art Therapy
Eco-art therapy is separate enough that we’ll explain that here. Eco-art therapy combines creative expression with natural elements. By personalizing nature, we are able to foster a greater connection with nature and ourselves. Expression is at max volume when we’re thinking creatively, bringing us closer to our True Self. Interventions may look like the following:
- Creating works inspired by natural settings
- Creating mediums with natural elements
- Leaf Rubbing/Print-Making
- Photography
- Land Art/Earth Works
- Nature Journaling
- Drum Circles
- Sand Tray
Who Benefits from Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy caters to all ages and has proven to be an effective treatment for several mental health conditions including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- Substance Abuse
- ADHD
- Stress/Burnout
- BPD*
- Schizophrenia*
- Bipolar*
Ecotherapy Benefits
Ecotherapy not only has incredibly impacts on mental health, but it also improves physical health as well. Below are just some of the benefits of ecotherapy:
- Improves emotional regulation
- Lowers cortisol levels (stress hormone)
- Increases happiness hormones
- Improves cognition (focus, memory)
- Improves cardiovascular health
- Boosts immune system
- Enhances recovery/healing
- Improved QOL
- Social connection