Healing with Nature

 

 

The name ALMAGAIA - Alma (soul) and Gaia (earth) - symbolises the correlation between our psychological health and the current ecological challenges we are facing.

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Looking at the present state of the world, it is obvious that we have become increasingly alienated from nature. The onset of the cyber age and increasing urbanisation have added to this feeling, and increasingly, human action is contributing to our planet’s ecological deterioration.

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Eco-therapy, also known as nature therapy, can be viewed as a union between ecology and psychotherapy. This approach can help us to cope with the stresses and strains of daily life. Eco-therapy is interested in the way of life and vision provided by a wide variety of ancient and contemporary indigenous cultures. Thus we can look at eco-therapy as a way of returning to our roots – the way our ancestors have connected with nature for thousands of years.

 

Eco-therapy and Nature to cope with stresses of life

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Being in nature has a strong primordial influence on our psychological and physical well-being. Immersed in nature, we become more conscious of our “self” in relation to our environment. It helps us return to a state of interconnectivity with the world around us. This (re)connection is powerful as it regenerates our spirits, improves our mood states, eases our levels of anxiety, lessens our stress levels, and enables us to fight depression.

Regular and simple contact with the natural world – whether it is through gardening, contact with animals, nature walks, or nature brought indoors – thus contributes to our sense of self-esteem, social connections, health, and general feelings of happiness.

 

Furthermore (and whenever possible), being in immense landscapes (mountains, seas, plains, forests, etc.) reminds us of our “smallness” and returns to us a sense of awe and wonder for the world we live in. Such a heightening of senses and greater connectedness can lead to intense experiences of spiritual awakening.

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Let’s invite more connection with nature in our life for a renewed sense of well-being, and in turn, let’s take action to preserve Mother Earth.