What happened when I took therapy outside
For a long time I wasn’t convinced that therapy had anything to gain from leaving the therapy room. Then I experienced eco therapy for myself. This article is a reflection on what changed, and why I now believe reconnecting with the natural world can also help us reconnect with ourselves.
Have a go yourself: what do you notice first when looking at this image? And now…?
Do we even know where we are?
Most of us spend much of our lives moving from one place to another: home to work; school run to supermarket; train to office; meeting to meeting.
Even when we’re outside, we’re often trying to get somewhere. Our attention is on what’s next rather than where we are. We walk through parks while answering emails, drive past trees without really seeing them, and hurry through changing seasons almost without noticing.
I sometimes wonder how often we really meet the places we spend our lives in.
When people hear the phrase eco therapy, they often imagine little more than a counselling session that happens to take place outdoors. A chat while walking instead of sitting in a chair.
Sometimes it can look like that – but for me, it became something much deeper.
More than a change of scenery
During my psychotherapy training, I was fortunate to spend time learning about eco therapy. If I’m honest, I was very sceptical at first – even dismissive. I had my own assumptions about what it might involve. Part of me imagined it might feel a tad contrived – as if simply being outdoors was somehow supposed to make us feel better. I’m someone who likes things to make sense – and quickly! – and I wasn’t immediately convinced that taking therapy outside would add anything that couldn’t happen in a therapy room.
But as the training unfolded, something shifted. I realised this wasn’t about replacing therapy with nature, nor was it about romanticising the outdoors. It was about discovering that the world around us can draw us into contact with parts of ourselves that are easily overlooked indoors.
I found myself noticing things I hadn’t expected. A deep sadness as I became more aware of the damage we’re doing to the natural world. A sense of awe watching a bee move slowly from flower to flower. A feeling of connection as I rested my hand against the rough bark of an ancient tree or reached out to touch a swaying grass. These weren’t thoughts I was having about nature; they were experiences unfolding as I entered into a relationship with it. And through those experiences, I wasn’t just noticing nature more; I was also beginning to notice parts of myself in ways I hadn’t before.
For me, being in nature made the therapeutic work come alive in another way. A sudden gust of wind or a robin landing nearby might draw my attention away from thinking and back into noticing. The crunch of leaves underfoot or touching an ancient oak tree might evoke something that I had previously found difficult to put into words. The landscape wasn’t telling me what anything meant – much as part of me would love it to! Instead, it invited a different kind of encounter with my own experience.
And consider this: the natural world doesn’t ask us to perform. Trees aren’t interested in whether we’re coping well enough. Birds don’t require us to have the right words. Streams don’t ask us to explain ourselves. In my experience, being in a place that isn’t asking anything of us can be incredibly powerful – and soothing.
Learning to notice again
One of the ideas that runs through much of my work as a therapist is awareness. It can sound like one of those vague, airy-fairy words therapists like to use, but for me awareness simply means noticing what is actually happening, rather than what we think ought to be happening – or what we’ve stopped noticing altogether. It’s about paying attention to our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies, our surroundings and our relationships. Because before we can respond differently and with more choice (in other words change), we need to notice – and accept – what’s already there.
Being outdoors often supports that process in ways that can be surprisingly gentle and beautiful.
Instead of asking, “How are you feeling?”, we might pause and notice the sensation of a cool breeze on our face.
Instead of feeling we have to make sense of everything straight away, we might find ourselves watching clouds move across the sky.
Instead of rushing to solve a problem, we may spend a few moments standing quietly beneath a tree that’s been there for generations.
None of these experiences are magic bullets for growth, change or fulfilment. But they can soften the constant pressure to think, solve and perform. And when that happens, something new sometimes becomes possible.
We aren’t separate from nature
Modern life often encourages us to think of nature as somewhere we visit. Somewhere to walk at the weekend. Somewhere to escape to when life becomes stressful.
Eco therapy offers a different perspective. Rather than seeing ourselves as separate from the natural world, it invites us to remember that we are part of it.
Like every other living thing, we respond to light, weather, seasons, movement and place. Our bodies are constantly in relationship with the environments we inhabit, even if we’ve stopped noticing.
Perhaps reconnecting with nature isn’t really about discovering something new. Perhaps it’s about remembering something we’ve, over time, lost touch with.
What does eco therapy actually involve?
Every therapist works differently, but for me eco therapy isn’t simply talking while walking.
Sometimes we walk. Sometimes we stop. Sometimes we sit. Sometimes the conversation flows easily. Sometimes it doesn’t need to. There may be moments of silence. Moments of curiosity. Moments when something in the landscape seems to resonate with something happening inside.
The aim isn’t to interpret nature or search for hidden meanings. It’s simply to become more available to experience – to ourselves and to one another, and to the more-than-human world we’re already part of.
Why I’m drawn to offering it
Over the coming year, I’m hoping to begin offering a small number of low-cost eco therapy sessions in and around Sevenoaks. It’s partly because I believe therapy should be as accessible as possible. Partly because I know not everyone feels at ease within the four walls of a therapy room. But also because I believe many of us are longing for opportunities to slow down, to notice, to reconnect – not only with ourselves, but with the places we live and the wider world that sustains us.
And if eco therapy can also encourage greater care for the natural spaces we share and are often negatively impacting, then that feels incredibly important too.
An invitation
I understand eco therapy isn’t for everyone – and you may even share some of the assumptions I had when I first encountered it.
I also understand that some people prefer the privacy, predictability and containment of a therapy room. Don’t get me wrong, I also believe passionately that there’s something deeply valuable about that space. I simply want to offer something different to those people who are curious about what working outdoors might make possible. It’s not that eco therapy is better; it’s simply different.
If you’re curious, perhaps that’s enough for now: we don’t need to know exactly what will happen; we don’t need to be “good at nature”; and we don’t need any special knowledge. All we need is a willingness to slow down for a while, be curious, and notice what unfolds.
If this has resonated with you…
Whether indoors or outdoors, therapy offers a space to become more aware of your experience, your relationships, and the patterns that shape your life. If you’re interested in exploring eco therapy – or simply curious about whether working together might feel like a good fit – I’d be very happy to hear from you. Please get in touch to arrange a free 20-minute introductory call.