Nature Awareness has many facets. It is a form of camp based Wilderness Therapy. There are games that can be played simply for fun, or they can be used as a tool for raising our level of awareness by drawing our attention to our relationship with ourselves and others while in nature. The benefit of using nature awareness as a possible intervention for addicts has been recognised; and now its effectiveness for treating other behaviours, like ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome, is appreciated.

Nature has been used as a healer around the world, from the spiritual journey taken by Shamans to the physical treatments of Western medicine. More recently our young people are being asked to look at their behaviours through programmes like Brat Camp, where they are exposed to the wilderness and wilderness therapy.

The objective of Nature Awareness is to get participants to connect with their heart and to transfer the lessons learnt from nature (be it connecting with a tree, an animal, plant or another human being) into an opportunity to change established behaviour. This creates the potential for a new, healthy approach to be adopted by becoming more self-aware

Nature Awareness is ‘Learning with the Heart’. It is known that Native Americans, and other 1st Nation cultures use an awareness based on a belief that there is a power greater than ourselves and that we are not separate from, but rather an integral part of nature. The American 1st Nation calls this ‘The spirit that moves through all things’.
In essence, it’s about our relationship with self, our fellow wo/man and ultimately with the Creator (or a Higher-Power) in nature. It provides us an opportunity to look at the bigger picture both externally/internally by connecting with our heart, allowing us perhaps for the first time to explore our feelings, behaviours and relationships by using our five senses and connecting with our so-called sixth sense or our spiritual awareness.

(The above Natural Awareness description borrowed with permission from Pathfinder UK. )

Ecotherapy Practitioner Training

If you are looking for nature-based therapy practitioner training then I can wholeheartedly recommend Geoffrey McMullan's excellent Natural Awareness Practitioner training. I suggest you contact Geoffrey McMullan at Pathfinder UK and please mention I sent you.

Click here for further information on the Natural Awareness Practitioner training.

Tracking and Wilderness Survival Courses

If you are looking for excellent tracking and wilderness survival courses then contact Geoffrey McMullan at Pathfinder UK. Please mention you heard about his courses here.

Click here for further information on the Pathfinder Wilderness Survival and Tracking Courses.

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Credits

Photographs by Rachael Magowan Professional photographer.
Specialist fields: live music, events, landscape, portfolio shots, fine art prints.

Natural Development Weekend Workshop: Using the natural environment for personal growth and healing 24-26 September 2010 (Ecotherapy / Wilderness Therapy / Natural Awareness Therapy)

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