nature therapy

Nature therapy, also called eco-therapy, provides therapeutic benefits that exceed the scope of forest bathing alone. It is not limited to those who love nature. Nature therapy is a scientifically-proven practice to support health and wellbeing through simply sitting or walking in a natural environment and consciously becoming aware of your surroundings through your senses. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the flowers, the wind playing through the leaves, the feel of water in a stream – these experiences act as a balm for our busy lives. The key is not to hike a long distance or climb a mountain, but to leave behind the stress of our daily lives as we help to inspire your curiosity, awareness, and re-sensitize your senses to the natural world around you, all the while receiving nature’s many health benefits.

When we rewild our senses and step back into experiencing life with new knowledge, we awaken to the fullness of human experience and we shift toward embracing all life and the whole of nature in its beauty. It marks the distinction between just living, versus a ‘love’ of life. We re-engage, we stimulate our minds away from the rigidity of the familiar. We awaken to understanding things happening in the world around us in a new way, with the ability to perceive the poetic, the subtle, and the complex aspects of our inner and outer natures, including our natural world.

Scientific research has shown exposure to nature has a number of health benefits, including:

• Reducing stress, depression, and anxiety; improving moods; and increasing happiness.

• Lowering blood pressure and improving heart health.

• Boosting the immune system by increasing the number of natural killer cells in the body, which can help fight off infection and disease.

• Improving attention and cognitive function, making it easier to focus and be more creative.

• Improving self-esteem and providing a sense of meaning and purpose in life.

• Improving the attention span of children with ADHD.

• Providing sensory motor skills and emotional, calming, and social benefits to autistic children.

Our therapeutic approach is deeply rooted in scientific evidence and is tailored to meet the individual needs of the person. We value and draw on the core principles of depth psychology, eco-psychology, and creativity, all of which are joined together to create unique, interactive sessions to expand participants’ relationship to, and awareness, experiences, and understanding of, Nature. This approach to knowing ourselves and our natural world is transformational. It reaches beyond the reasoning mind and goes straight to the heart and soul, invigorating our human experience.

Nature therapy facilitators:

Ida Covi, M.A. is based in Ocala, FL. She is an eco-psychologist with a profound love for our natural world. As CEO of iRewild Institute, she heads an international think tank, endeavoring to help people and organizations discover a deeper, more conscious relationship with nature, as part of a collective mission to creating a world in which we all belong.

Ida is passionate about creating immersive settings for people that serve as sanctuaries for self-expression and inner exploration, infusing each moment with joy, sincerity, awe, and a profound reverence for the intricate tapestry of nature. Engaging in sessions amidst the beauty of nature allows individuals to connect with the natural world, promoting a sense of centeredness, serenity, and connectedness. Nature's therapeutic qualities often serve as a catalyst for self-reflection, insight, and personal growth, fostering a deeper understanding of one's inner self and the world that surrounds them.

Sylwia Kiezkowska, Ph.D. is based in Barcelona, Spain. As a psychotherapist and Jungian analyst, she emphasizes the significance of outdoors experiences in her practice. By venturing outdoors with her clients, she strives to facilitate a client's growth and development and, at the same time, strive towards the reciprocal healing of both humans and their larger ecological environment. Sylwia works in Spanish, English, and Polish.