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Therapy in Nature

Billede af Vero Manrique

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy can be used in nature as part of the therapy process. Combining ACT with nature can have several benefits and contribute to a deeper connection to yourself and the environment. Here is a description of how ACT can be used in nature as natural therapy:

1. Awareness of your 5 senses: When you are in nature, you can use ACT to be aware of your senses and be fully present in the moment. You can focus on listening to birdsong, feeling the wind against your skin, looking at the colors around you and feeling the ground beneath your feet. This helps create awareness and increased presence.

2. Acceptance of thoughts and feelings: Nature can be a calming place to practice acceptance of your thoughts and feelings. You can allow yourself to experience and accept the different emotions that arise in you while in nature, without trying to change or fight them. You can notice if you feel calm, happy, anxious, or something else entirely, and let those feelings be there without judging them.

 

3. Connection to values: Nature can also help you discover and connect with your personal values. You can think about what really matters to you while surrounded by the natural beauty. These can be values such as care for the environment, respect for animals, or being in harmony with nature. By recognizing your values, you can make decisions and act in accordance with them.

 

4. Metaphors and symbols: Nature can be used as metaphors and symbols in ACT. You can observe the cycles of nature, such as the changing of the seasons or the course of the sun, and reflect on how they may relate to your own life and your own changes. You can look at trees that lose their leaves in the fall and bloom again in the spring and think about the changes you experience yourself.

 

5. Exercises in being present: You can do mindfulness exercises in nature as part of ACT. It can be breathing exercises, where you focus on your breathing, or body awareness exercises, where you are aware of the sensations in your body. These exercises help strengthen your ability to be present and accept the moment.

Overall, therapy based on ACT done in nature can provide an enriching and healing experience. By using ACT principles in connection with nature, you can immerse yourself in your therapy process and gain a greater connection to yourself and the world around you.

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