NATURE CONNECTION AS THERAPY - FINDING A NEW SENSE OF BELONGING
Whether it’s anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, panic attacks, grief, trauma, or stresses related to living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, we are here to help.
Talking therapies and medication can help with symptoms but sometimes provide only temporary relief. Clients often come to us after years of medication and talking therapies that failed to help them move forward.
Clients have often felt uncomfortable sitting indoors in clinical, closed environments. Being in nature or with animals means using all of your senses, in real-time, and takes away the stress of trying to find words to explain how you feel.
Connecting with animals and nature uplifts people’s sense of wellbeing. Engaging with animals and the natural world feels instinctively a healthy way to find a new sense of belonging.
OUR GUIDED PROCESS TO RE-CONNECT PEOPLE WITH ANIMALS & NATURE HAS BROUGHT LONG TERM BENEFITS TO MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH
If you would like therapy for yourself or someone you care about, get in touch using our Contact page, and we will arrange a phone call with you to see how we can help.
“Before I met Karen and the birds I was unable to leave my house. I was lost in myself. Life is completely different now ”
“The bird that really touched me was Rosie. Everything you’re carrying in your head and heart just drops away and you’re in the moment. She put her wing around me and it brought me to tears. I’ll never forget it. It was really really powerful.”
HOW OUR THERAPY WORKS
Changing perception at the deepest level.
Imagine this…. If a person perceives ‘danger’, they react to it. If they constantly perceive danger, they live in a state of constant anxiety. When a person feels safe, they do not react in a ‘fight or flight’ mode.
It is perception that makes the difference.
Grief, stress, trauma can create a heightened sense of vigilance and fear, or numbness. This can come from a series of events or one event, and every client responds in their own way.
How people perceive what is happening to them changes how they react.
After suffering grief, stress or trauma, everyday occurrences, even those that seem minor, can feel threatening or overwhelming, and trigger a series of intense physical, mental and emotional reactions. These ‘triggers’ are signals at a neurobiological level. The reactions are real, not attention seeking.
Changing the trigger response needs a change in perception at a neurobiological level. The client needs to be ready for change, but it is not an intellectual yes/no decision. It comes from the deep reconnection that can happen in animal and nature assisted therapy.
The change is profound and lasting.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A THERAPY SESSION
A session with one of our therapists involves being gently guided to tune in and trust your senses as you relate to the nature and animals around you. At its most basic level this is known to be uplifting and create a sense of wellbeing.
On another level, finding that deep connection allows us to reach the root of our issues and ‘reset’ our response.
It sounds simple, but a sensory experience – like walking barefoot on sand and stepping into the sea – can bring out feelings in a way that a conversation can’t. In fact you don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to.
Therapy is tailored to you – the client. You may be taken out into nature, or introduced to animals that are cared for by your practitioner, or both. By taking you out of your normal environment, you have the opportunity to see things from a different perspective, understand your responses and connect with the nature around you in a way that would not be possible just by going for a walk. Each session and outcome is personal and unique.
Sessions can be from 1-4hours, and they are charged at an hourly rate. Duration and locations are agreed with each client according to their needs, the animal’s needs and the season and weather.