Our everyday lives are filled with distractions, worries, and ‘shoulds’. We get buried under so many layers of personal and cultural expectations it can feel like we’re suffocating. And that’s just the every day hard. Then there’s how it feels when the other life stuff happens–illness, relationship conflicts, death, life transitions.  And we haven’t even talked about the whole global pandemic situation.  And social injustice running rampant.  And climate change.  How in this context can we possibly feel connected and well enough to live the life we want to be living?  What would it even look like to have a life we want to be living???  Too often, it feels like life is living us–tumbling us down a rushing river in a boat without a paddle. Sometimes even without a boat.

What if instead of life living us, we lived our lives? What if, no matter what winds and waters swirled and churned around us, we felt rooted and connected, like a tree on the bank of that rushing river? Imagine having roots pushing far and wide into the earth, steadying you from deep within within and connecting you to an entire community. Imagine a solid trunk, that takes in the elements and moves gently with them, but doesn’t break. Imagine buds and leaves that know when to reach towards light and growth, and when to fall and make space for something else.

Would we still feel the stormy world we all live in and the particular storms that blow into our own lives?  Of course! Being human is hard; I can’t take that away and I wouldn’t want to.  But we can learn to weather the storms without feeling adrift or suffocated or alone. No matter what happens around and within us, we can feel rooted in our sense of self, our community, and our purpose.

Probably none of us are aspiring to live life as a tree. But to live a life as grounded, connected, and growthful as a tree is something to strive for.  Counseling can help you get there.  If it is a good fit for you, we can work through a lens of ecotherapy.

I know, this nature-based stuff is a little outside the box. Call me–we’ll start with a free 20-minute consultation to answer all your questions, especially how I can help.

If it seems like we’re a good fit, we’ll meet in person in my indoor office. As I understand more about your struggles, we’ll decide together if it makes sense to continue our work inside, move outside and/or if one of the groups I offer may be helpful for you.

We’ll start individual or group support in relationship with nature to help you feel more grounded, clear, and connected.

“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees.”

-Ranier Maria Rilke