About Eco & Art Therapy
“Art is a constant agent of transformation and is indeed the soul’s drive to health.”
There are never any expectations within Eco/Art Therapy sessions. No need for artistic experience, simply being present with a sense of curiosity, the wonderment is in the journey, not in the finished product.
Art Therapy
· Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Using art, media, and the creative process within drawing, writing, painting, sculpting, clay, sand, and movement offers opportunities for exploration and expression of feelings, increased self-awareness, and a reduction in anxiety. Creative processes are often non-verbal so invite exploration and communication of feelings which may otherwise be hard to put into words.
· Trauma impacts the whole human body. Creative processes can address negative life experiences and physical symptoms such as anxiety by engaging in the positive experiences of growth after trauma. Through building awareness about the body, and the expression of feelings symbolically, creative arts therapies may promote new perspectives and ways of experiencing life and being in relationship with others and the environment.
· Within the relationship of the therapeutic environment, creative processes refer to the whole Self, attending to emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual wellbeing in a culturally safe manner that aligns with Indigenous and non-indigenous models of health and wellbeing. Art Therapy works towards growth and healing through new ways of experiencing oneself and one's view of the world.
“Take a quiet walk with mother nature. It will nurture your mind, body, and soul.”
Eco Therapy
In general, ecotherapy and its theoretical framework ecopsychology draw upon three main areas of inspiration:
· They integrate mindfulness practices, asking not only that we ‘breathe in’ the natural world and its healing benefits, but that we practice awareness of how we feel before and after such exercises.
· They take seriously what can be learnt from Indigenous epistemologies, in particular the sense of kinship and belonging that dissolve the existential dilemma of separation from nature and each other that is such a common aspect of modern life.
· They reference the depth psychologies of myth, symbol and the stories we identify with, which often distance us from a true sense of communing with nature and its healing powers. (Geoff Berry)
Ecotherapy practices enhance one’s connectedness to the environment and in turn, creates space to view life through a different lens; to gain new perspective, and the improve mental health.
Eco-Art Therapy
Creating art in nature can transpire in a number of ways. Using natural/found materials, ephemeral art may evolve as an extension of the present moment lived-experience, infused with emotion, reflections, or attuned awareness; an offering to the environment which will eventually be absorbed by the natural cycles, or perhaps be visible for another to stumble across in their travels.
We may also take our art materials with us to create if & when the time feels right. When exploring our inner worlds whilst in nature, often through metaphor and synchronicity of the natural world, new perspectives or states of awareness arise in profound ways - making art during these moments can offer an avenue of further exploring, or integrating the information.
“Arts Therapy or Arts for Wellbeing?”
Glenda Needs explains the continuum of art inclusion in therapy through the video below.