Sometimes when I'm describing ecotherapy to people they often ask if what I'm talking about isn't "just a walk outdoors or in the woods"? In essence that is the basis of ecotherapy but like other healing work it is the support of another that helps the healing to occur and to sustain itself. My role as a trained, educated, and active ecotherapist is to support others by listening to that person's story, listening for the world view being expressed, and the metaphors or examples of how the person relates to the rest of the world. I can then reflect back what I've heard so that through the undersanding of shared meaning and the creation of common language we both can more deeply understand what is being said. We can also identify incongruent beliefs or behaviors that don't align with our values and thoughts and create imbalances in our world.
When using nature as a place for healing to occur it is critical for the person to be able to "hear voices that use no words" (Rumi). One of the ways of doing that is to create or use ritual and ceremony as a means of communicating with the more-than or other-than-humans ~ plants, animal, rocks, clouds ~ that occupy the natural surroundings. These ceremonies can be elaborate or simple. I tend to favor the simple as they are usually self-created and can be easily duplicated. For some people it seems awkward in the beginning as they have lost their ability to speak to trees, rocks, and birds. But with a little practice it becomes more comfortable and soon there is something missing if the ceremony isn't used as part of the practice. Smudging with aromatic plants and herbs is an excellent ceremony to help bring the person into the moment, slowing down from whatever place they arrived from (often times the person has driven a car at 50-70 mph to get to the meeting) and help clear their mind of the ordinary issues that surround us. I recall one situation when I couldn't get the smudge to light because of high winds and we instead smudged with the wind, cleansing ourselves with the air that we thougth would prevent us from engaging in the ceremony. Other ceremonies such as pipe circles, sweat lodges, or medicine walks are more complex and require more time to set up and use and are vital in certain situations.
As younger children we had those abilities naturally to hear what other-than-humans had to say to us. We sometimes described those voices as our imaginary friends but we also heard those voices when we were outdoors and listened to what the rocks and trees had to tell us. Unfortunately as we got older and shared our experiences we were often "hushed up" or told they were imaginary and not pay attention to them. We learned how to quiet the voices so much that now as older teens or adults we have to relearn how to hear them again. This process is not so different from what the priests or ministers in churches do for their congregations. They start the ceremony with chants and songs, using incense to create a sacred space, and using prayer to communicate with the others. Ecotherapy uses similar techniques but doesn't require a special building or cathedral, only needing a natural environment to be in.
