Past Events Archives - Ecotherapy East

Moving with Parts in Nature

Saturday 18 October, 2:30-4:30pm

Foxtail Meadow, Bramfield, Suffolk

£25.00

A therapeutic movement workshop combining aspects of Internal Family Systems (IFS), ecotherapy and expressive arts. Led by an experienced IFS therapist, facilitator and founder of Ecotherapy East Sebastiana Black

“I had such an in-depth and enlightening experience, that was also held so tenderly that I had complete autonomy over how far I went in the explorations.” participant Moving with Parts, 2025

Enter a clear stream of awareness and connection and liberate your wholeness with movement, stillness and deep nature connection. There is a wise open space, deep roots, a beautiful meadow and an open heart in you that can meet all of you just as you are with curiosity, and listen to what you need.

Gentle, yet powerful creative explorations will guide you to welcome all your parts and connect your feelings, sensations and thoughts that arise to the compassionate natural energy of Self inside you, your body interwoven with the Earth and all the elements and in deep relationship within more-than-human world. You will be invited to find movement, sound and other expressions for your natural Self and parts of you that will be with you and need attention. You will leave feeling clearer and more connected to you and your unique place in the web of life.

The movement session will include:
- Compassionate movement warm up and introductions
- Short introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS) model
- Short IFS and Earth-based meditation and setting up a courageous and safe space for all parts to feel welcome
- Guided movement improvisations with your parts and Self to uplifting music and in silence with nature outdoors
- Solo inner work – writing, drawing
- Small group work – optional sharing or just listening, finding a sense of common humanity
- Sharing in circle
- Gratitude and appreciations
What to bring:
- All your parts
- Clothing you are comfortable to move in. Layers. Clothing for moving and walking on the meadow.
- Blanket for extra comfort
- Cushion to sit on. Chairs will be available.
- Notebook and pen
- Bottle of water
Paper and pastels will be available for image making.

There will be teas and coffees available before the workshop starts to help you to settle in.

Who’s it for:

Everyone is welcome. No previous experience of IFS or movement is required, just willingness and curiosity about your inner world and desire to express yourself in movement.

It can be especially beneficial for those with interest in IFS and creative movement- practitioners, therapists, teachers and artists.

Spaces are limited to 8 people. We will be in the yurt and outside on the meadow in different locations ; with trees, grasses and the elements.

Arrive no later than 2:15pm to settle into the space.

Bookings
Wild Being : Being Wild

Into the Heart of Nature

Saturday 26th July
10:00am – 4:00pm

Event Overview

Together, we’ll explore our inner world as an essential part of the living world. Through guided practices, conversation, and ritual, you’ll be invited to:
- Deepen your connection to the web of life
  Experience a sense of belonging with the land, the elements, and each other.
- Explore meditation and ritual as creative tools
  Discover how simple, nature-based meditations and rituals can inspire personal and collective growth.
- Listen to your inner and outer landscape
  Tune in to your own rhythms and the subtle voices of the wild around you, with meditations and nature-based practices
- Converse with trees & connect with nature beings
  Open to the wisdom that the living world offers.
- Rest, play, and celebrate together
  For a day, remember how to live simply—resting, playing, dancing, and offering gratitude to the land.
Step Out of the Noise, and Step Into the heart of nature

Do you long to escape the busyness of daily life? To throw away your phone, lie in the grass, and breathe with the trees?
Join us for Wild Being : Being Wild—a unique outdoor workshop where we’ll rediscover what it means to be alive, connected, and truly present.

A Collaborative Retreat with Directionless Path & Ecotherapy East

What to Expect

An intimate group experience (maximum 12 participants)

Simple rituals of appreciation and gratitude

Listening practices and mindful connection with nature

Creative expression, and group sharing

Tea and coffee provided—please bring your own lunch, snacks, and water bottle

A relaxed, supportive atmosphere—no previous experience needed
Your Facilitators

Rijusiddha

Rijusiddha – Spiritual Guide & Meditation Mentor

With over 20 years of meditation experience and a rich background spanning Buddhist, Pagan, and Druidic traditions, Rijusiddha offers a unique, integrative approach to spiritual guidance. As the founder of Directionless Path, specialising in helping others deepen their connection with themselves and the natural world through mindfulness, meditation, and nature-based practices. Rijusiddha is dedicated to creating welcoming spaces for personal transformation, weaving together wisdom from diverse spiritual paths to support each individual’s journey.

Robert Black

Robert Black – Ecotherapist & Integrative Counsellor

Rob is an integrative counsellor, supervisor, and expressive arts therapist with a passion for connecting people to nature and themselves. As co-founder of Ecotherapy East, he brings years of experience in private practice and community mental health, including a decade training for Norfolk Mind in Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Active Hope. Rob’s approach is influenced by transpersonal and Jungian therapy, and he has shared his expertise with NHS psychiatry staff. When he’s not facilitating, you’ll find him vision questing, exploring shamanism, or birdwatching in Suffolk.

Practical Details
- Date: 26th July
- Location: Covehithe, near Southwold, Suffolk
- Time: 10am – 4pm
- Group size: Limited to 12 for a personal, connected experience
- What to bring:
  
  Weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear
  
  Something to sit on (Something natural on or close to the ground, like sheepskin or rug, recommended if possible)
- Your own lunch, snacks, and water bottle
Ready to Experience Wild Being: Being Wild?

Leave behind the noise. Reconnect with your authentic self and the living world. Listen to the hum of the soil, the whispers of the woods, and the wisdom of the sky.

Your place in the circle is waiting.

Please note that a £25 deposit is required to secure your booking. This is non-refundable unless the event is cancelled by the organisers
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A deposit of £25 is required to secure your booking. This deposit is non-refundable unless the event is cancelled by the organsisers
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Low Waged – £85.00
Unwaged – £75.00
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Touching Wholeness

Saturday 4 October 2025

10am-5:00pm
Foxtail Meadow
Bramfield, Suffolk

This experiential workshop draws on Internal Family Systems (IFS), ecotherapy, mindfulness and deep ecology and is led by an experienced IFS therapist and facilitator Sebastiana Black.

“Thank you for a gentle yet powerful experience led with such integrity and professionalism.” Participant 2024

“I felt heard and respected and had moments of deep connection with parts of myself I hadn’t met before and also time to laugh and experience joy” Participant, 2025

Meet your inner world differently – with the sensitive help of your compassionate Self, the support and wisdom of the group and in a deep relationship with the natural world on the wild meadow.

You will be guided to befriend your inner ecosystem of Parts (ways you function, think and feel) that show up in different areas of your lives and uncover your True Natural Self within you and in nature around you. What is hindering and enabling your wellbeing, true relating, abundance, purpose and belonging? Where are you out of balance, stuck and try too hard? What aspects of you are neglected, hurt? What does Self-energy feel like, what aspects of you are freer, regenerative, soulful? What are your sources of joy?

You will discover more about your Parts’ intentions, origins and what they need from you to heal and change and experience more clarity, courage and self-compassion.
These habits and beliefs that protect you and the vulnerable parts that need to be heard will become a doorway to deepening your connections to all of you, others and the more-than-human world.

You will be guided to enter into a reciprocal, deeper relationship with the natural world, honouring it as well as drawing inspiration and resources from its beautiful presence and intelligence, finding allies and guides. From this place of deeper participation with the ecosystems, you will tap into your innate sense of belonging and begin to uncover a greater sense of balance, perspective and wholeness.

Experience a transformative and effective way of self-discovery that is kind to your nervous system and includes cultural change. We are moving from feeling like we have to do this alone to a more collective, interconnected with all of life healing approach. In this re-imagined systemic context we are aware and mindful of our precious place in the web of life and our responsibility or calling to be in an enchanted and respectful kinship with the more than human world.

“I felt able to be in contact with a very young, tender Exile being attended to by my adult Self in a new way. Instead of the exile being a recurring, shameful legacy, my Self was able to show great love, understanding and reassurance. I also felt that both of us were being nurtured by a nature ally that you had encouraged us to trust would be present.”
Participant, 2025

The day will include:
- Setting up a courageous and safe space for all parts to feel welcome
- Exploring your inner ecosystem using IFS map of parts
- IFS and nature-based meditations
- Exploration of parts via writing, image making, movement, nature connection and sharing
- Embodying and inviting qualities of True Nature through nature connection, movement, song and poetry
- Time outdoors finding symbols and expression for your experiences
- Inviting a sense of interconnectedness with the natural world via senses and imagination
- Individual, group and pair work
- Gratitude and appreciations
What to bring:
- Clothing you are comfortable to be in, including a bit of movement
- Layers if cooler day, waterproofs for rain, sun hat, sun screen
- Blanket for extra comfort
- Cushion to sit on. Chairs will be available too.
- Notebook and pen
- Bottle of water
Paper and pastels will be available for image making.
There will be teas and coffees available before the workshop starts to help you to settle in and throughout the day.

Who is it for:
Everyone is welcome. No previous experience of IFS or Ecotherapy is required.
Come if you are curious about deepening your relationship with your inner and outer nature and want to heal and grow.
Workshop is suitable both for people who are new and experienced in IFS and Ecotherapy.

“IFS groups offer an opportunity for participants to see their Parts as universally natural and part of being human. They foster insight and offer the feeling of community and the collective, felt experience of Self-energy.” Chris Burris.
Facilities: there are simple facilities on the meadow, including a cosy yurt and a compost loo. We will be spending time indoors and outdoors. Directions and what to bring will be provided after booking.

Spaces are limited. The group will be capped at 6 participants to create a safe, connected group.

Early bird before 12 September 2025: £75
Thereafter £85 or pay it forward – choose this amount to support our work on the meadow and those on lower income.
£65 – 1 spot in exchange for helping with refreshments.

Payment in instalments is possible.

Bookings
Meadow Immersion

Saturday 24 May
2:30-4:00pm
Eaton Common, Norwich

Join us for a guided sensory experience on Eaton Common, off Church Lane, on one of Norwich’s beautiful nature reserves.

Contact Nick on nickajack@gmail.com to reserve your place!
Foxtail Meadow Wildlife Walk and Celebration

Sunday 15 June
2:00-4:30pm
Bramfield, Suffolk

Join us to celebrate our 5-year anniversary of regenerating the land as a community.

We hope you will join us!! Send us an email by clicking the RSVP button below.

RSVP
Finding Belonging

Saturday 10 May 2025, 10am-4:30pm
Foxtail Meadow
Bramfield, Suffolk

This experiential workshop draws on Internal Family Systems (IFS), ecotherapy, expressive arts and mindfulness and is led by an experienced IFS therapist Sebastiana Black.

“Thank you for a gentle yet powerful experience led with such integrity and professionalism.” participant

Through creative explorations and with the help of your compassionate Self and the wisdom and guidance of the natural world on the meadow you will meet your inner world differently. You will be able to befriend your family of Parts (ways you function, think and feel) that show up in different areas of your lives, overshadowing your sense of belonging. These habits and beliefs that protect you and the vulnerable parts that need to be heard will become a doorway to deepening your connection to your inner ecosystem, your body, your compassionate Self/your True Nature, others and the more-than-human world.

As you enter into a reciprocal relationship with the natural world, honouring it as well as drawing inspiration and resources from its unfolding beauty in May , you will tap into your innate sense of belonging. You will discover more about your Parts’ intentions, origins and what they need to heal and change and experience more clarity. Supported by the ecosystems around you, your presence, wisdom and sensitivity of the body and the group, you will uncover a greater sense of balance, wholeness and confidence.

The day will include:
- Setting up a courageous and safe space for all parts to feel welcome
- Exploring your inner ecosystem using IFS map of parts
- IFS and nature-based meditations
- Exploration of parts via writing, image making, movement, nature connection and sharing
- Embodying and inviting qualities of True Nature through nature connection, movement, song and poetry
- Time outdoors finding symbols and expression for your experiences
- Inviting a sense of interconnectedness with the natural world via senses and imagination
- Individual, group and pair work
- Gratitude and appreciations
What to bring:
- Clothing you are comfortable to be in, including a bit of movement
- Layers if cooler day, waterproofs for rain, sun hat, sun screen
- Blanket for extra comfort
- Cushion to sit on. Chairs will be available too.
- Notebook and pen
- Bottle of water
Paper and pastels will be available for image making.
There will be teas and coffees available before the workshop starts to help you to settle in and throughout the day.

Who is it for:
Everyone is welcome. No previous experience of IFS or Ecotherapy is required.
Come if you are curious about deepening your relationship with your inner and outer nature and want to heal and grow.
Workshop is suitable both for people who are new and experienced in IFS and Ecotherapy.

“IFS groups offer an opportunity for participants to see their Parts as universally natural and part of being human. They foster insight and offer the feeling of community and the collective, felt experience of Self-energy.” Chris Burris.
Facilities: there are simple facilities on the meadow, including a cosy yurt and a compost loo. We will be spending time indoors and outdoors. Directions and what to bring will be provided after booking.

Spaces are limited. The group will be capped at 6 participants to create a safe, connected group.

Early bird before 20 April 2025: £65
Thereafter £75 or pay it forward- choose this amount to support our work on the meadow and those on lower income.
£55 – 1 spot in exchange for helping with refreshments. THIS SPOT IS NOW GONE.

Bookings
Wild Mindfulness: Delight in the beauty of nature

Saturday 21 September 2024
10am – 12 noon
Foxburrow Nature Reserve
Saddlemakers Lane
Melton, Woodbridge
Suffolk IP12 1NA

Foxburrow Nature Reserve
Meeting point: Main education centre entrance

In September the natural world is fully retreating into Autumn. In this session we will explore how calming our minds and opening ourselves to the beauty and wisdom of the natural world gives rise to our own renewal. As we settle, we begin to drop deeper and our senses sharpen, allowing us to slow down enough to take in the radiance. All this will happen in a safe, supportive environment where we build a warm sense of connection, and shared intention and practice.

Our time together will include:
- Mindfulness practices – slowing down, welcoming ourselves, and appreciating the wonderful Foxburrow wood.
- Deep nature connection practices – awakening our senses and imagination, practising reciprocity and reverence
- Enhancing our experiences with creativity – optional image making
No previous experience necessary, simply willingness to sit quietly in nature.

Find out more and book

Know before you go:
- No dogs permitted: Assistance dogs only
- Wheelchair access: Please contact us if you would like to know more.
- What to bring: Please wear suitable clothing and footwear for the day. We will be outdoors for the duration of the event. Do bring water if it is hot.
- Parking information: Free parking availble on site.
- Facilities: Toilets, Picnic area, Accessible toilet, Baby changing facilities, Accessible trails
Finding Belonging: Embracing Our Whole Life
Internal Family Systems (IFS*) Therapy in Nature

With Sebastiana Black

Saturday 5 October 2024,

10:30am-5pm
Foxtail Meadow Private Nature Reserve
Bramfield, Suffolk

“A gentle yet powerful experience led with such integrity and professionalism.”

In this experiential workshop we will meet our inner world, resourced by our true nature, the wisdom of the group and the natural world. We will befriend the parts of ourselves involved in our sense of belonging and those that block it. The habits and beliefs that protect us and the vulnerable parts that feel unworthy and alone can get in the way of deepening our connections to our body, ourselves, others and the more-than-human world. As we enter into a reciprocal relationship with the natural world, we will increase access to our innate sense of belonging and invite in more clarity and confidence.

The day will include:
- IFS and Earth-based meditations
- Embodiment and sensory practices
- Walking and being on the land
- Creativity – mapping and sculpting parts
- Group, pair and solo work
- Poetry and song
£65, £55, £40 (£40- 1 spot in exchange for helping with refreshments)

TO BOOK and for more information: ecotherapyeast@gmail.com

This workshop is for anyone who wishes to begin to heal, grow, be more compassionate and feel a sense of interconnectedness.

Spaces are limited.

Previous experience of IFS is helpful but not necessary, just willingness to sit quietly and be curious about what is within and around you.

Facilities: there are simple facilities on the meadow, including a cosy yurt and a compost loo. We will be spending time indoors and outdoors. Directions and what to bring will be provided after booking.

*IFS therapy is a transformative approach to understanding our minds and healing different aspects of our personality and guides us to be with our experiences in a compassionate way.More information about IFS: www.sebastianablack.co.uk/internal-family-systems

Facilitator: Sebastiana is an IFS level 3 therapist, ecotherapist, mindful self-compassion teacher and experienced group facilitator. She is the co-founder and director of Ecotherapy East social enterprise in Suffolk, tending the land and tending our inner world in community. More about Sebastiana: www.sebastianablack.co.uk/about-sebastiana

Future offerings: There will be another two 1-day workshops (on the meadow and in Trowse in Norwich) in spring 2025 before a closed group will be offered in Suffolk.
Ceilidh

Celebrate Nature with Music and Dance

Saturday 15 November 2025,

7:30pm-10:00pm
Bramfield Village Hall, nr. Halesworth Suffolk

Fundraiser for Ecotherapy East, regenerating Nature on Foxtail Meadow reserve

Ecotherapy East community enterprise based in Bramfield warmly invites you to an evening of ceilidh dance and music. Polkas, hornpipes, reels and jigs… The band Far ‘n’ Away (fiddles, melodeon, double bass, recorder) and their experienced dance-caller will steer you to safety through a heady mix of boisterous folk! Come and enjoy the evening with us, celebrating what we have achieved so far, and help us raise money for our project on the Foxtail Meadow we steward in the heart of Bramfield.

Bring your own alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. Tea, coffee and snacks will be available.

There is limited parking- please share cars, walk or bike.

Find out more about Ecotherapy East: www.ecotherapyeast.co.uk

And more about the band: https://farnaway.org/

Doors open at 7pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

£13 early bird until 8th November. Thereafter or on the door £15.

TO BOOK and for more information:

Book
Coming Home

Knowing our Belonging to the Earth

Saturday 11 May 2024
11am-4:30pm
Church Farm Meadow
Private Nature Reserve
Bramfield, Suffolk

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.” – Mary Oliver

You are invited to pause and gather in creative community, to take your place as part of the meadow and sink into its ecosystems. We can soften, let go, and delight in the wonders of the season. We will meet nature within and without, in the hope of knowing ourselves and the natural world more deeply.

On this day of outdoor mindfulness and ecotherapy practice we will explore and embody our strand in the web, invoking receptivity, reciprocity, and reverence. The practices encourage us to allow all of our senses to ease into the natural world, filling us up with the aliveness and beauty of spring. Our intimate connection with nature changes us and opens our curiosity to what needs attention within us.

The day will include:

Meditation and reflection

Embodiment and Mindful walking

Sensory and imaginal practices

Creativity to digest our experiences

Sharing in a supportive community

No previous experience necessary, just a willingness to sit quietly.

All are welcome.

Facilities: We will be on the nature reserve therefore facilities are very simple to minimise impact on the wildlife. We have a large yurt in case of showers but we will spend most of the time outdoors. There is a compost loo and water.

Contribution to Ecotherapy East: £60, £50, £40- choose what you can afford. If this is too high for you and you would like to join us, please get in touch.

Spaces limited to allow for a small, connected group.

Tea and coffee and biscuits provided.

To book, click here to email: ecotherapyeast@gmail.com

Travel: We encourage car sharing, use of public transport or bicycles.

Parking: Parking is available at Bramfield Village Hall for a small charge of £3 per vehicle.

We have 4 spaces by the meadow for people with limited mobility.

Buses: The workshop is timed to work around when buses arrive and leave Halesworth. The Charcoal Line 40, 41, X41 runs from Norwich to Halesworth once an hour, and Bus 521 goes from Halesworth to Bramfield. All Suffolk buses timetables can be found here: https://www.suffolkonboard.com/ways-to-travel/bus/bus-timetables/

Address and directions will be provided after booking.

Facilitators:

Robert Black is an integrative counsellor, supervisor, ecotherapist and expressive arts therapist, working in private practice. He worked at Norfolk Mind as a trainer of Mental Health First Aid, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Active Hope courses for over a decade and has been running workshops in the natural world since 2016.

Sebastiana Black is an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, ecotherapist and Mindful Self-Compassion teacher. She practises Buddhism, which helps her work with climate distress. She is a co-founder and director of Ecotherapy East, which actively contributes towards ecosystem regeneration and building a community around the meadow that they steward. She is passionate about deepening our sensitivity to our inner world, Earth wisdom and the larger ecosystems in which we belong. She enjoys writing songs and poetry inspired by the more-than-human world.

tending the Earth, tending ourselves

Moving with Parts in Nature

Wild Being : Being Wild

Event Overview

Step Out of the Noise, and Step Into the heart of nature

What to Expect

Your Facilitators

Practical Details

Ready to Experience Wild Being: Being Wild?

Touching Wholeness

Meadow Immersion

Foxtail Meadow Wildlife Walk and Celebration

Finding Belonging

Wild Mindfulness: Delight in the beauty of nature

Finding Belonging: Embracing Our Whole LifeInternal Family Systems (IFS*) Therapy in Nature

With Sebastiana Black

Saturday 5 October 2024,

10:30am-5pmFoxtail Meadow Private Nature ReserveBramfield, Suffolk

Ceilidh

Celebrate Nature with Music and Dance

Saturday 15 November 2025,

7:30pm-10:00pmBramfield Village Hall, nr. Halesworth Suffolk

Coming Home

Knowing our Belonging to the Earth

Finding Belonging: Embracing Our Whole Life
Internal Family Systems (IFS*) Therapy in Nature

10:30am-5pm
Foxtail Meadow Private Nature Reserve
Bramfield, Suffolk

7:30pm-10:00pm
Bramfield Village Hall, nr. Halesworth Suffolk