Openness to Nature

’The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside’ Anne Frank, 23rd February 1944.

 

I found sanctuary in Nature as a child.  Memories of complete congruence are rooted in timeless periods on my haunches pouring over the woodlice or ants navigating our patio slabs.  Standing barefoot on the wiry, perfumed turf of a sandy, coastal path, instantly reignites my eight- year- old free spirit.  Even the momentary sighting of a ‘Bird’s Foot Trefoil’, can turn that inner switch.  These memories feel all mine and wrap me in a warm security that resourced me then and still.

 

Might our species, ‘Homo Sapiens’, be growing distant from the natural world to which we belong?  Screen time has replaced the tree or mud time of previous childhoods; our fingers busily unearth the WWW where once they probed soil and hedgerow.  Might increasing individual despondency and drift be linked to a growing separation?  Our all too busy, and preoccupied selves may be excited still by the drama of an eclipse or impending storm but it is as though nature has to offer a show stopper event to gain our attention; we seem reluctant to turn up for the hidden gems it proffers day to day. 

 

I am a Counsellor. People bring a vast array of feelings such as anxiety, confusion, stress, grief, emptiness, loneliness and/or disconnection, etc., to counselling.  In this work I find that people do thirst for connection with personal, often historic and intuitive experiences of natural landscapes, cycles and rhythms.  Accessing the natural world plays an important role in nurturing peace, fulfilment, confidence and connectedness.  Such explorations can soothe, restore and even transform a person’s sense of self.

 

Inspired by these considerations and with the support of the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT), a series of five experiential group sessions, OPEN TO NATURE will be run at the Volunteer Centre on Rutland Water on a seasonal basis.  In these participants (Adults aged 18+) can:

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• identify, explore and understand their unique personal emotional connections with nature

• practice approaches to accessing and harvesting these personal resources in ways that can become as integral to daily health and well-being as brushing ones teeth!

• create their own ways to access the proven benefits of the natural environment.

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Group numbers in each series will be limited so early booking is advised.  All sessions will be held at the LWRT Training Site on Hambleton Peninsula. 

 

For initial enquiries and details on forthcoming series, please contact Catherine:  cda.drury@btinternet.com or 07917897200.  I look forward to seeing you!

 

Catherine Drury

March 2019

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