Hannah Grajko
Forum Replies Created
-
The threshold – so much comes up in my mind and emotional state when I reflect on my experiences there. A word that comes up when I conjure the memories is “mystery”; I may have had an idea of what might happen or be manifested during the thresholds experiences, but it always surprised me as to what I find and discover. I found that the accompaniment of my practice guides (when they were present) was not distracting in the way that I may have anticipated; rather, the force of the threshold was too strong for me to become distracted, and if anything, the support in that vulnerable space felt welcomed. The threshold seems to have its own direction and heartbeat, and the more I surrendered to its course, the more I realized that I was being swept up by a wave that I held no control over. Threshold resonates with an excitement and energy that is akin to a first date or the start of a new, potentially life-changing adventure in young adulthood. Something startling that always seemed to happen was that I left the experiences with an overwhelming feeling that I learned just what I needed to; it’s rather difficult to put that feeling of divine providence into words.
This informed my coaching in a few significant ways. For starters, it dramatically showed me that the powers of the threshold are real if the entrance into it is solid and intentional. This is true for my experiences, and it will be so for the threshold experiences of my clients. Along those lines, it gave me an indication that as a guide, I need to put emphasis on my clients’ experiences in building clear and urgent need so that the threshold can show what is best for them at that moment. Knowing that the threshold is a place of vulnerability and wonder, I want to be the kind of guide who can hold space for whatever comes up, and has the intuition to interject or support when needed. If this can be the case, I’m reminded that I need to practice relying on that intuition, and trusting the process of the forces of the threshold that I’m witnessing. As someone who feels passionate about what the threshold can show my clients, I also need to relinquish control over where it goes. This feeling informs my coaching by allowing myself to surrender so that my clients can fully surrender to the magic of the experience.
Nature informed my experiences of threshold by appealing to my visual sense of learning. When I think about nature “having a mind of its own” in directing my experience, I regarding it as a playful and almost humorously obvious trickster that showed me images that made me say, “oh, of course!”, often while laughing at the blatancy of it all. Nature played into my previous experiences and symbols that hold great importance for me to remind me of lessons I already know and needed to recollect. In these experiences, nature felt like the writer of a play who was showing me characters who were going to teach me something. In an experience where what I needed was a commitment to spiritual nourishment, I found clumps of vividly green moss (which has come to represent seeking the “nutrients” you need) presented to me. When I was grappling with giving one of two parts of my personality more agency than the other in my life, I was met with numerous physical symbols of the essential value in blending seemingly diametrically opposed ideas and directions (in the form of wishbone-shaped elements). Nature was a direct collaborator in my threshold experiences, and I know with certainty that the same can and will be true for my clients. I think as a coach, I want to be aware of all the symbols that arise from nature in the threshold, and emphasize that when my clients come upon them. I imagine that they may benefit from, like I needed in my process, being reminded that these symbols are real, and meaning-making isn’t a negative thing in this space; on the contrary, making meaning in the threshold is most of what it’s all about. I know that for some folks, orienting oneself in this way can feel foreign and strange, but encouragement to enter into that space can feel like permission in a sense.
In terms of the core competencies, one that jumps out for me with the work of guiding a threshold is “Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client”. This feels absolutely crucial to be present alongside a client in this place of tenderness and learning, because they need to feel confident that they can go forward and let go to the lessons, while feeling held and supported by someone who will look out for them no matter what. I know that this is what I’ve needed in those experiences, and it has always made a huge difference to be confident in that knowing. I want to be able to foster this trust, and am striving to work on being a trustworthy guide; this, I believe means standing by what I say, being genuine in my expressions, and being clear and communicative in what my role will be in the relationship. Another one that comes to mind is the tenant of “Creating Awareness”. This is huge in the threshold because, often, the client is coming to us as coaches for the keys or nudges to open a part of themselves that they know is there, but they perhaps haven’t been able to access yet. They want newness, and as a coach, I want to help them unlock their own insights to the wisdom that is already present. I think that in order to achieve this, I, again, need to foster my own trust in my intuition. As we discussed many times at the intensive, if we are able to open our own awareness, we will be able to do that for the client. That is what I’m working on and intend to nurture and grow!
-
Summary post:
This was a surprisingly enlightening module for me! Not in the sense that the material seemed boring and that I actually came away with something; quite the contrary. I guess what I mean is that I was presented with learning experiences both from the fundamental material as well as some big emotions that came up when reading everyone else’s posts, and the latter was unexpected.
Here goes some vulnerability: It was pretty triggering for me to read that pretty much everyone seemed to find a significant, and possibly problematic tension between our felt nature connected experiences and the more heady, rational analysis of those moments in psychological terms. I think it allowed such a reaction in me because I tend to be a very rational, left-brained intellectual; right-brained ways of being feel great for me to engage in (or I probably wouldn’t be in this program!), but they are not usually the default mode of operating. I can so clearly see the value of both ways of being, and I’m really trying to strike the balance between the two. In the past when I’ve been involved in various spiritual or creative communities, I find that I can sometimes become defensive when there is little engagement in or appreciation of the analytical observation of the topics we’re discussing. I think it’s also a self-conscious reaction for me because in a small sense, I feel like I perhaps don’t operate the same way as others in groups, and it feels a bit isolating. I grappled with a lot of doubts when this came up. I thought, “am I actually going to feel met in this program, and am I going to be able to meet other people?”, “Will I still be able to be an effective coach knowing what I know about myself in this regard?”, “Will I be able to get in touch with the feeling part of my being enough to make this work?”.
It was really ultimately very helpful to see this tension within myself and with those of you who seemed to be grappling with the other end of the same spectrum. I found a lot of empathy, understanding, and appreciation in that place (both for myself and for all of you). I can now see by observing my reaction and seeing how you all dealt with the same issue that a tendency to intellect doesn’t have to mean a lack of feeling nature connection. Alternately, I can see that a desire to stay in one’s body and experience doesn’t need to mean a rejection or villainizing of our thinking. I still don’t have it fully felt out, but just naming my experience with everything that came up is very powerful and grounding. Sorry none of this post was about ecopsychology, but this is what felt alive for me! I’m so thankful for all your posts and insights.
-
Oops, I made a typo (and I’m unsure how to edit; anyone know if that’s possible on this forum?): “It might also be worth noting that it is nearly impossible for even the most *intellectual* individual to not be ruled in some way by their emotional subjectivity, and for the deepest embodied experiencer to not use concepts to orient themselves to the rest of humanity and planet”.
-
I’ve read through all your heartfelt posts a few times now, and something that keeps coming up for me is this piece of the over-intellectualization. I’ve now had the chance to consider it from various perspectives, and the following is what I’ve come up with.
We all so clearly have this deep, felt connection with nature that it has (literally and figuratively) pulled us on to this life path of connecting others to their inner and outer nature. We feel this transformative love so richly, that we have decided that one of our driving purposes in our time on Earth is to help allow others to access that same love. It seems to me to be the subjective experiences of feeling and emotion, which we all know too well, appears to be lacking in this time and place of human existence. Within this subjectivity, I’m seeing in myself and possibly within many of you that going “up in the head” too much with these concepts feels disjointed, and possibly even dangerously counterintuitive to this important work.
On the other hand, I feel called to speak to how all aspects of human experience have a purpose and a value, whether felt in the body or experienced in the head. Without intellectual concepts, it would seem that we just have the expressions of our own experiences and the experiences of others. In a lot of ways, these concepts can have a grounding quality that may allow us to use our varied experiences to get on the same page with one another. There is an evolutionary developmental purpose to the formation of concepts that reside in our intellects, and they serve this purpose in innumerable areas of study and interest. It might also be worth noting that it is nearly impossible for even the most intelligent individual to not be ruled in some way by their emotional subjectivity, and for the deepest embodied experiencer to not use concepts to orient themselves to the rest of humanity and planet. It seems to me that we rarely ever have entirely felt experiences or isolated intellectual experiences.
I feel that, personally, I want to use all the tools available to me in terms of how I can experience life, connection, and work with my clients. I know that I want to feel into why there may be resistance to merging intellectual concepts and emotional sensory experiences. I hope that we may all be able to effortlessly flow between the two (as well as all other ways we can use our tools of humanness), and utilize them purposefully when appropriate to creating real and lasting change in the world. I’m so thankful that many of you spoke to this in your posts, because it allowed me to see this perceived dichotomy a bit clearer in my own processes! I hope we can continue the conversation; it seems pretty important for this work. Love.
-
Even though I had a general working knowledge of ecopsychology, I found these articles to be very enlightening and helpful for my analytical brain to make sense of what we are doing in our work versus what is happening in other realms of therapy and healing modalities. I had originally entered into this program via a dabbling background in nature education and an interest in ecopsychology. Having come from that slightly different approach originally, and observing the focus of this work with EBI, I think I am getting a clear interpretation of the similarities and differences both coaching and ecopsychology may have with one another.
Something that kept coming up for me while reading these articles was how the orientation of where these deeply-rooted emotional issues are coming from is so vastly different from how much of modern society view their origins. In both the fields of coaching and ecopsychology, I have an overwhelming perception that problems that arise in those seeking healing are not isolated events occurring simply in the interpersonal realms of their lives, but a much larger, and almost generationally-based trauma around their whole connection to all life on the planet. On the one hand, this disconnect feels almost too grand to grapple with – and Roszak speaks to this a few times when discussing the overwhelming and dissociative reaction people have to environmental issues. He says in “A Psyche as Big as the Earth”: “This is not the behavior of monsters, but of troubled human beings trying to cope with jobs and families while the world around them seems to be turning to dust and ashes” (Roszak 32). This type of angle adds such an empathetic element to the conversation of where problems form, while completely destigmatizing it. Additionally, it causes me to extrapolate that while the issues happening for clients are directly linked to the trauma of the natural world degrading before one’s eyes (in many cases, at the hands of humanity), there is a much richer opportunity for healing because one has all of nature to choose to reconnect with, and the power of that connection seems stronger than anything that could come out of traditional psychology as we know it. This appears to be something that nature-connected coaching and ecopsychology share.
Another area where NBC and ecopsychology come together is in their practices for solutions, of which there are numerous. Both practices merge, as Buzzell and Chalquist put it, “the latest scientific understandings and the deepest indigenous wisdom” (Buzzell & Chalquist 18). When we have both areas of resource in our corner for the healing of clients, we are truly putting our best, most informed foot forward. An excerpt from “Psyche and Nature in a Circle of Healing” communicates just how wide and thorough these resources are in the goal of reconnecting human with the planet:
“Ecopsychologists and ecotherapists recommend many new and ancient methods of addressing such common difficulties as depression, anxiety, and stress, including reconnection with nature and one’s own body; working with our plant and animal friends; voluntary simplicity; detaching from rigidly artificial time schedules; changing home or work environments; dream therapy focusing on individual or collective dreams about nature; wilderness retreats, environmental activism; healing spiritual practices; and recovery from compulsive consumerism” (Buzzell & Chalquist 20).
Seeing these different aims gives me more inspiration to branch out with clients into these realms to play with the best practices for becoming reconnected with nature and themselves.When I thought about how the approach of ecopsychology as outlined in the articles might fall short for the work that I want to do as a Nature-connected coach, the first thing that came to mind was the strong focus on environmental goals. This could simply be projection, but It seems to me, and Rosnak appeared to speak to this foundation in “A Psyche as Big as the Earth”, that perhaps the goal initially was a sort of ulterior motive to “hack” people’s psychologies to allow them to be more environmentally conscious in a desperate effort to save the planet. While I don’t believe that this is the main goal of ecopsychologists – it seems to have a dual focus that feels almost distracting or confusing for me. Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than for my clients to have or develop a strong commitment to environmentalism deeply ingrained in their lifestyle as a result of a relationship with nature! I just tend to think that that already organically arises when one cultivates a deep love for the Earth through the awareness practices we are learning to uncover with our clients.
As for the question of needed skills, I suppose I don’t entirely know what that is asking. Skills to incorporate aspects of ecopsychology into our coaching? Skills to be an ecopsychologist? I’ll wait for others’ responses and perhaps come back to this one 😉
Lastly, an excerpt that really stood out to me, and I found really beautiful, was the following from Roszak’s “Ecopsychology – The Principles”: “Ecopsychology holds that there is a synergistic interplay between planetary and personal well-being. The term “synergy” is chosen deliberately for its traditional theological connotation, which once taught that the human and the divine are cooperatively linked in the quest for salvation. The contemporary ecological translation of the term might be: The needs of the planet are the needs of the person, the rights of the person are the rights of the planet” (Roszak 321). “Synergy” and “quest for salvation” really stood out to me; anyone have any thoughts on or interpretations of what he’s saying here?
-
In my estimation and experience, to be connected to nature can mean a lot of different things at different times. For most of my life, nature connection wasn’t something I consciously thought about, as it was one of those effortless relationships which are so ingrained and consistent that I didn’t really consider life without it. For much of my childhood, being connected to the outdoors felt like entering a realm where true life began; it was a place of full authenticity and wildness. Anything could be created and all aspects of my being would be accepted. During adolescence, I felt the pull (as many of you have articulated) to attempt full nature immersion and shun civilized culture as we know it; I made plans to hike and adventure all over the country after high school as a way of distancing myself from the societal pressures that were seemingly intensifying at that point in my life. It often felt like I had to choose one or the other: A connection to civilization or a deep connection to nature. Honestly, I still struggle with this from time to time as I consider such things as figuring out if I want to someday buy a home in a city or out in the middle of nowhere. However, recently this orientation to nature has morphed into a more holistic perspective.
In the last three years or so, I’ve come to recognize that a connection to nature is one that is all-encompassing and ever-occurring. This seems to come down to awareness and allowance in my interpretation. My connection to nature looks like cultivating a practice of seeing the nature in everything, and letting it be as it is without judgment. Whether I’m in the forest, observing the patterns of lichen and the effect of wind through the trees, or on a city bus observing the energetic reactions of people to an act of kindness or an act of distress, nature is always unfolding, and the shift of one being affects the state of all beings. I think that is how I’ve come to recognize that nature connection isn’t a state part of separate and compartmentalized states of being; it is more integral to the flow of energy and oneness between all things (as we are all nature!). I also recognize that being in this state of awareness is easier said than done, but getting glimpses of this understanding is what true nature connection has come to mean for me. Considering it in this way allows me to practice being connected (hopefully) at any time, and not just when I’ve taken the time out of my day to go be with nature. The possibilities really open up when I look at it from this perspective!
There is also a characteristic of control that plays a huge role in how I stay connected to nature or fail to do so. When I am conscious of surrendering to the forces around (i.e. cold wind, a feeling of listlessness on a trail, the pull toward an area or beings), opportunities seem to unfurl in a way seemingly aligned with divine providence, and my movements and actions hail from a deeper soul realm than from a headspace of perceived domination. John Miles discusses this action/reaction perfectly in the following excerpt:
“Although often not a conscious priority, the need for control nonetheless can be an important factor in the way an individual attempts to relate to an environment. Yet the assertion of individual control is incompatible with much of what the wilderness offers and demands; rather than struggling to dominate a hostile environment, the participants come to perceive their surroundings as quite safe as long as one responds appropriately to environmental demands. Thus there is a tendency to abandon the implicit purpose of control because it is both unnecessary and impossible” (Miles 45).
Having control and surrender be a major theme in my life, it makes sense that the dichotomy is also my cross to bear, as it were, in my relationship to nature. In seeing this dynamic
I am able to have a deeper connection to my inner nature and the outer nature that surrounds me by relinquishing control over what experiences are presented.This realization and intentional way of being can support the way I coach in a myriad of ways. First off, if I am able to maintain a close connection to this process of giving up control over (while maintaining my responsibility to) my environment – both internally and externally – I am able to quietly observe the changes that occur and not become attached to a particular idea or state. This is of the utmost importance to the client because they are able to arrive and stay just as they are, and can be witnessed and express without judgment. As we are all aware, it makes a world of difference to becoming vulnerable when that which one is opening up to does not have a hidden agenda or preference about how one behaves or communicates. As coaches, if we can tap into this mindful place of listening intently without the goal of changing or fixing our clients, they will have the space and support they need to address the issues that are surfacing to create the change for themselves. By giving up control over the outcome of our clients’ work, we are both modeling presence and connection to self and the greater forces at play, while allowing the nature of their process to move as it needs to. The following quote really epitomizes the point I’m attempting to make: “By relinquishing the illusion of control over the environment, people paradoxically acquire more internal control and can relax and pay more attention to their surroundings and to their inner selves” (Miles 45).
Listening to the landscape of our internal nature, and seeing how that interacts with the nature outside of us is the best way I could ever think of to learn and practice deep listening. We have all the emotional and sensory tools required to thrive in a world that is wrought with challenges and hardships; being a keen observer to the signs and symbols that surround us in nature allow for a healthy observation of where we need to rest our focus for survival, healing, and wellness. If, as coaches, we are able to develop this curious, thorough, and nonjudgmental view of the nature in and around us, we will be successful in guiding clients toward that healthy state as well. How exciting it is that we get to improve both our states of being, and positively influence the states of those around us through this deep, meaningful connection!
-
Brian, beautiful post! So eloquently put. It sounds like you were completely immersed in nature for so long, but the deeper, meaningful soul connection had not been made yet; what an amazing thing to realize. Isn’t it incredible that we can have a force like that literally in front of our faces, inviting us to engage in a more profound way, but still have difficulty to do so for some reason? This has definitely been true for me! It’s really inspiring to read that that connection was made, and nature became reoriented for you as something really nourishing, and not just something to conquer. Your future clients are really lucky to have a coach that is willing to face his own junk that’s brought up through awareness in nature so that he can fully make space for what comes up for them, without judgment. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Kent, so awesome to read your post and see your vulnerability! Thank you for being transparent. I’m sensing a lot of similarities between yours and Brian’s post in terms of the feelings of control or conquering that came up in working out your connections to nature; it sounds like it was a really difficult dissonance that came up when you considered how to be fully united with nature while also living in “civilized” society. I too have found a lot of resistance in that realm of having a foot in both worlds. Reading how you have overcome (or perhaps are still overcoming, as these things can ebb and flow in our experience), is really beautiful and brings a smile to my face. I so appreciate how you’ve brought this aspect of play into the foreground of your ability to straddle the boundary. It sounds like that is a huge key for you in bringing a lightness to how you dance between these areas of existence that can be sometimes diametrically opposed! And I LOVED our snowball fight!!! I will never not laugh when I think of that.
I’m really excited to read everyone else’s posts about this, and I’m excited to finish up mine! Sincerest apologies for being late to the game; I’m traveling for work and am doing my best to get this done, but it’s not going to be as punctual as I would normally want. Thanks for understanding, y’all.
Love. -
Thank you all for the sweet parting words! I feel so much gratitude for the experiences and support we all shared with each other. Looking back, Michaels sentiment about how this experience will start to feel dream-like rings very true; I find myself grasping onto little memory snip-its to have again the complete picture, but alas, memory becomes an incomplete structure. All I know is that our 9 days together felt like the perfect blend of personal discovery, the building of a family, and the formation of an inspiring new task before us. I fully trust that each of you will take this experience into your orbits and spread change and the infectious connection to soul that we were all able to touch while at the Star House. THANK YOU for showing up, being authentic, and putting your heart into this work. Y’all drive me to be the best version of myself <3
I would LOVE to send you all some words of encouragement over the next few months via snailmail; please leave your addresses!
Email: hgrajko@gmail.com
Phone: (315) 243-9962
Address: 2507 9th St. Apt. B
Boulder, CO 80304xo
-
Hey y’all! I tried to find you all on facebook to message everybody and only found Ryan; this is an elusive bunch lol. That being said, I hope some peeps see this and can give some insight! Fresh Thymes is booked with a party tomorrow at 6, and they have live music from then on (loud). Any other ideas about where to go to dine?? 🙂
-
When thinking about this possible map, I realized that I would go by the timeline that I might want to follow if I were a client. Since this is hypothetical and I don’t actually know how this might work in terms of timing and whatnot, we’ll go with that framework!
I imagine weekly meetings for the first 6-8 weeks, then go to bi-weekly or monthly, depending on the success/needs of the client after the first initial weekly period. I would plan to meet in person, especially during the first 6-8-week period, then possibly move to meetings via phone or Zoom. Meetings during the 6-8-week period would be an hour or an hour and a half, depending on the desires of the client.
For the first meeting, we would discuss what specifically they are working on to change in their lives. Is it needing to make a decision about a career move? Dealing with the loss of a loved one? Trying to work within a tendency of anxiety or depression? Multiple things? We would list these changes or goals out, and then discuss what is at the heart of why the things haven’t been changed in the past. We would then prepare for the first wander. This would be a time of intention-setting and quiet contemplation. We would go through some ceremonial traditions (of which I would already know how to lead in this hypothetical reality!), and then set out. After the wander, we would have some time for asking questions, processing, and making connections. For homework, the client would journal about the experience, find a sit spot, and engage in various activities there, such as meditations and awareness exercises (with a journaling piece after). This would be done at least 3 times before our next weekly meeting. The subsequent meetings during this 6-week period would look much the same as the first, but with more time for processing after. The exercises might change, and the ceremonies for severance might differ.
Meetings after this 6-8-week period would become more self-directed by the client. The wanders would still be observed (ideally), and would go further into nature as their edges allow, but they would become more and more able to handle the assimilation piece. Meetings would entail accountability check in’s and exploring how the client can create their own accountability and gauge their own progress. By the end, they have achieved their goals and are on their way to using nature for all future life questions and processes!
-
Thank you, everyone, for sharing your experiences. It was so nice to read the similarities and differences y’all experienced/are experiencing around taking practice clients out! Melody, I think I understand how you’re feeling with the pros and cons of working with friends as clients; I feel like it can be easy to reach a level of openness and intimacy, but there might be preprogrammed roles that could hinder change and growth in the relationship in a professional sense. I’m curious what drawbacks and benefits you see in this type of coaching relationship! Kent, I SO feel you on wanting immediate change for both you and potential clients; I too can slip into this tendency, and it seems to have some positive attributes in some areas of life, but can be challenging in the field of coaching and the deep listening associated with it. What a good opportunity we have to work with these tendencies 🙂 Karina, what a great (and varied) experiences you’ve had with practice clients! I especially enjoyed reading about the second client you had. It sounds like you were able to step back and really let him experience and tune into the frequency of nature. It’s really interesting to see the changes in the approach you’ve had from working in traditional psychology to this type of work.
In my own process of finding and working with a practice client, a lot has come up for me. I feel really resistant to asking a friend if they would be willing to practice with me, and I have a few ideas as to why. First, I think that I feel some insecurities coming up around moving into a more professional and focused territory with people that I have intimate relationships with. It’s almost like I don’t feel comfortable taking on this leadership role with a friend because my dynamics with them are often a more balanced give-and-take type of structure (not that that is not the case with clients, but in the former structure, they are coming to you for guidance as a leader). Another feeling I’ve had around it was that I don’t currently feel like I have enough guidance ability to prepare a practice client with the severance piece of the ceremony. I know I’m probably just psyching myself up too much, and it would be beneficial to just let it flow and have nature take more of a lead, but these forces feel pretty palpable. I also know that I can look to the Coyote’s Guide to find some ice-breaking ideas, so it’s reassuring to have that resource.
All that being said. I have a snowshoeing date with a good friend on Saturday and I believe he is open to letting me practice with him. I’m curious, though, if anyone has some advice about how to approach the severance part of the ceremony? I’m thinking that I would just explain to my friend with as much detail as possible how I personally would begin a wander, and ask them to get really clear on their intention (or, if they don’t have a specific intention at the moment, how they could create a need in their lives for a more intentional interaction with nature for guidance). Are there any specific practices that any of you used to get the process going? I want to set my practice client up as best as possible!
-
David, you post brought me so much joy to read! Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate when you discussed how the lack of nature connection in our society is essentially the clinical definition of dissociation. The following piece really stuck with me: “The Earth is our home, just as our body is our home – we are sustained by it and would not exist without it. Yet we disconnect from our primitive feelings of connectedness to the Earth, from our destructive behavior towards it, and to the sense of self and embodiment as Earth creatures bound to and dependent on the Earth”. This created a real “aha!” moment for me in considering how we are not only disconnected from Earth itself, but also from our destruction of it; what an immense coping strategy we’ve been using as a species.
Reading about your coyote moment was magical! I’m so happy you had that experience. Totally resonate with the process of feeling the self-doubt, surrendering, and being whisked away by the forces that are trying to get a message across. Also, I’m picturing your laugh-cry in response and am feeling so very heartwarmed 🙂
-
Brian, it’s funny, the same quotes you used in your post were the same ones I underlined while reading, and then thought, “I can’t use this cause Brian got to them first!” ;). Thank you for your sincere and honest reaction to how the articles landed for you! It’s so clear to me from your post that the simplicity of bringing people into a connection with nature is at the heart of your work here, and that you are committed to helping them get there by any way that works for them on an individual level. Within your discomfort with the technical analyzation of nature connection, I feel, lies a really distinct power of ernest trust in the process that nature holds for each one of us.
-
Zac, your poem was so beautiful and vivid; thank you so much for sharing with us! I had a real felt sense of being there with you and seeing visions of rich history and wisdom that is deeply integral to the land. It really made me want to learn more about those peoples!
The following paragraph really touched me: “Traditional Navajo believe in living by a concept called Hózhó (ho-zio) or the “beauty way”. Hózhó is the philosophy that guide one’s thoughts, actions, behaviors, and speech. To live in balance and harmony with all life is one’s ultimate goal, “developing pride of one’s body, mind, soul, spirit and honoring all life”. There are no “troubled” or lost people, no addicts or the insane, there are only people who have lost their way, lost their connection to themselves, their community and the Earth, they have lost harmony and balance”. I LOVE the perspective of looking at the world and humanity in this way; so incredibly empathetic and complete. This connects in my mind how psychologists were once called “Alientists” because they believed that patients dealing with mental illness were simply alienated from their true nature (this knowledge comes from a current T.V show called “The Alienist”, which I don’t recommend for those with deep sensitivities, but it serves as a source of education and enlightenment about how we’ve oriented ourselves to the concept of “true nature” and what disconnection from that might look like). This point you’ve made really speaks to the value and importance of keeping our connection alive through the ways we’ll be working with.
-
Kaity, I love how you expressed your personal connection with nature and how you’re seeing that develop through this work! I received from your writing such a strong, authentic, and earnest image of how you are fed and fulfilled through this powerful connection.
The following piece also grabbed my attention: “Simply stepping out into the natural world begins creating new neural pathways of awareness and aliveness, and this is absolutely my experience. I feel as if my nervous system relaxes, opens up, and reaches out to my surroundings rather than contracting inwards to save me from sensory overload. Adding a purposeful connection to nature through Nature-Based Connection can amplify these effects tenfold for myself, and from what I’ve seen, others as well”. This is such a beautifully articulated description of how the science of our neural networks intersects with the felt experience of connecting with nature on a deep, meaningful level. I really appreciate (and resonate with) how you describe a shift from being almost on the defensive with how you relate to sensory input to feeling safe and secure enough to open yourself up to the input of nature!