INTO THE WILDS WITHIN
Inner work meets the great outdoors in nature-connected coaching.
By Celeste Huttes
F
rom the health-boosting chemicals produced by trees to the sense of peace we find in the great outdoors, nature's power to heal us - body, mind, and spirit - has been proven in the lab and in our lives. Thoreau knew the feeling well. As he once said: "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." A unique helping profession known as nature- connected coaching taps into the transformative power of the natural world. A pioneer in the field, Michael Josp, founder and lead instructor at the Earth-Based Institute in Colorado, explains: "Nature-connected coaching is a combination of professional life coaching and transformational guide work that is done in collaboration with the environment. Nature is more than that which is found outside of us. You are nature. Your natural processes of change and growth are part of nature. When you collaborate with the environment, it becomes a part of that process and allows you to gain insight into your life."
More Than a Pretty Place
Far more than a beautiful backdrop, nature plays an active role in nature- connected coaching, serving as nonjudgmental presence and mirror of the client's inner landscape. Nature-connected coaching can help individuals navigate an array of life issues and grow into the person they want to be. It also provides a unique way for groups to build teamwork. A spectrum of experience is available through nature- connected coaching, ranging from walking and talking in the woods to an intensive wilderness "quest" that paves the way for deep transformation. Dr. Lisa Dahlgren, an outdoor enthusiast and licensed psychologist in St. Louis, is so committed to helping others find wisdom in the wilderness that she is transitioning her traditional talk therapy practice to a nature-based approach. "I partner with nature to help people overcome limiting emotional symptoms, heal from past wounds, and open to a whole-hearted way of living," said Dahlgren, who is certified by the Earth- Based Institute as a Nature- Connected Transformational Life Coach. "Challenges are put on our path for growth, but sometimes they feel too big to tackle on our own. That's one of the reasons we partner with nature." Several factors make that partnership a powerful one. First and foremost is the undeniable healing power of nature. "Chemicals released by the trees and the Earth impact us biologically. Research shows that if people spend just 20 minutes in a forested area,
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terrain March/April 2021
mind + body
ABOVE
: Michael Josp of the Earth-Based Institute.
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