"The wound is the place where the light enters you." -Rumi

Throughout our lives we learn things about ourselves that we struggle with, and instead of integrating those things we disown them. How do the different parts of ourselves that we don't like serve us, or stifle us? When we can better understand all of our parts, it is easier for us to accept ourselves as a whole. 

How can we fully understand ourselves, others, and the world if we do not know where we came from? Familiarizing ourselves with our ancestral history can provide rich knowledge and often answer some of our deepest questions. When we honor our history and learn from our past, we can live more fully in the present moment. 

By exploring one's relationship to the natural world, we learn how to be more attuned to nature and therefore ourselves and others. It is not that nature heals, but it is the detachment from nature that harms us. 

This includes learning about the local and native flora and fauna, place-based history, and geological history. 

Integrating mindfulness and ritual (routine) into our day is so important for our well-being.  Whether it it is taking few deep breaths, sitting in meditation, or utilizing the senses to take in everything around us, it allows us to pause and slow our down our heartrate and thoughts, reduces stress, and ultimately helps us make healthier choices. 

Ritual & ceremony allow us to have consistency and empowerment in our lives. 

Music is a universal language. No matter your background, it is proven to access parts of our brain that help reduce stress, pain, depression and anxiety, as well as stimulate neurogenesis, learning, cognition, and motor-skills. There will be times that I will incorporate music if your healing process calls for it. You can also request me to play music during our session if you think it would benefit you. 

 Similar to music, Art has profound impacts on our brains. It takes us out of our head and lands us into our senses and we become more attuned to our bodies. Nature provides abundant opportunities for creating beautiful pieces of ephemeral art.  

Meet Ziggy. 

He may join us from time to time on our adventures. For many of us, being around animals has a way of calming our anxiety and landing us in the present moment. Animals pick up on how we are feeling, and they meet us where we are at. Ziggy also has an amazing ability to encourage us to get in touch with our inner-child and just play! 

Everyone's body is different when it comes to nutrition and wellness, however there are fundamental things that we all need. Together we will create a wellness plan that fits your needs. Nutrition is a fundamental part of emotional wellness and mental health. 

Different kinds of movement are so important for our well-being. Depending on your ability, we may be moving for the majority of our session, or we may stay in one place. 

For young children and adolescence who have experienced trauma, play is a way to step out of survival mode and just be a kid without worrying about their safety. For adults, it allows us to get in touch with our inner child and tap into our bodies in a magical way full of wonder and surprise. 

The more aware we are of our surroundings, the more we can stay safe and having fun. We will learn basic  age-appropriate wilderness skills like tracking, how to build a fire, primitive shelters/camping, foraging, map orientation, food management, and how to interact with nature in a low impact way. 

Horticulture is a great way to tap into our senses without having to go far. The sensory awareness that we cultivate through horticulture can be integrated into our every day lives and relationships. 

We are all born, and we all return to the earth. We all experience the cycle of life and death, and grief and praise. Nature can teach us about life and death, and remind us that grief is a part of both, and without grief we cannot appreciate the joy of life and living.