I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” John Muir
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A warm welcome to you!
On this website you will find ways that we at Ecotherapy East celebrate our human relationship with nature, and can support you to deepen your relationship with the natural world. We do this through:
- Nature-connection and therapeutic workshops, retreats and individual sessions in the natural world on our private nature reserve Foxtail Meadow in East Suffolk, and at other locations in East Anglia.
- Land-tending opportunities, learning about ecosystem regeneration and biodiversity, as well as seasonal rituals on the meadow we steward.
- Creative performances relating to the natural world and “climate conversation” hosted in our yurt.
- A supportive environment where we build a warm sense of community and shared intention and practice.
What is Ecotherapy?
The word Ecotherapy comes from the Greek words ‘eco‘- meaning ‘home’ and ‘therapeía‘ meaning ‘care’. Ecotherapy is about caring for our various homes – our bodies, our psychological selves, our relationships, our communities, both human and more-than-human; the planet Earth.
In our modern culture we have become disconnected from the natural world, as well our own inner nature; their mysteries, cycles and rhythms. Ecotherapy invites us to reconnect to the aliveness, diversity and regenerative potential of the more-than-human world, as well as our inner experience, and cultivate caring attention to heal these disconnections.
Calming our minds and opening our hearts and imagination to the beauty and wisdom of the natural world allows us to have better access to our wholeness, our Self, and give attention to the parts of ourselves that need healing.
From this connected place of deeper belonging and understanding of our place in the web of life, we can learn to give back to the Earth and protect it and her inhabitants from further degradation and exploitation.
How can you start to hear the deep call of nature, and the deep call that lies within your heart?
Do you remember what the animals did during lockdown when people stayed at home? The animals and birds came out to play in the empty streets. This is what happens to our minds and hearts when we slow down and let go of our usual ways of being.
Mindfulness starts to slow down our habits of mind and body. Being away from our daily routine helps the process, and our best teachers are the birds, the animals, the grasses and the sky.
Something wilder starts to emerge, our ears start to hear a deeper song. Our work is to develop the ears to hear this song.
Events
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Wild Mindfulness: Delight in the beauty of nature
Saturday 21 Sept 2024 – Wild Mindfulness: Delight in the beauty of nature
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Finding Belonging: Embracing Our Whole Life
Saturday 5 October 2024 – Internal Family Systems (IFS*) Therapy in Nature
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Ceilidh – Celebrate nature with live music and dance
Saturday 23 November 2024, 7:30pm – at Bramfield Village Hall
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Community Days on Foxtail Meadow
Join our upcoming Community Days: Sunday 22 September – Autumn Equinox; Saturday 2 November- Samhain
"Such a deep and enriching experience. I feel energized. Lovely open group. Rob and Sebastiana work well together- attuned and contained." "I experienced a huge and powerful shift during this retreat. There are many unhelpful parts of ourselves that we are so familiar with but can’t seem to change, no matter how hard we try. Getting to know them using guided techniques in nature, allowed me to move through grief and sorrow into absolute joy and to lovingly accept them, as the first step towards positive change."