Why is nature so valuable for us therapeutically and what can it teach us?
An Interview with Ian Siddons Heginworth
Ian Siddons Heginworth has a wealth of experience as a Drama and Art Therapist. He is a leading Ecopsychology practitioner and Environmental Arts therapist working in the West country for Devon Health Authority. Ian will be in East Sussex in September this year running the workshop – Exploring the Natural World and The Feeling Self. Please see below for details.
1. Why is nature so valuable for us therapeutically?
Nature is our natural habitat so when we go into nature we immediately encounter our natural selves. Even the idea of going into nature is an illusion because we are nature, so when we walk into the woods we simply become part of the woods. Our natural self is entwined within a complex web of living and sentient connections and is immensely larger than our egoic self. Therapy is about developing a profound and ever deepening relationship with self so to do this in nature is to do it in context, both in time (through reconnection to the turning year) and space (through reconnection to the other-than-human and to natural locations and materials).
2. What can nature teach us about ourselves?
Nature offers us a rich and complex palate of metaphors, sensual forms rich in colour, shape, texture, meaning, life and death, that transcend spoken language and give shape and substance to our feeling reality. Nature also has an agenda of her own, guiding us constantly into synchronistic encounter with otherwise hidden aspects of ourselves, reflected back to us in her mysteries. She is the wisest of teachers and once we have opened our hearts to her and learned her language, she never ceases to guide us.
3. How does your practice as an environmental art therapist support others in their healing process?
Environmental arts therapy works in relationship to nature to help people move closer to feeling. By finding or making aspects of the feeling self in nature we take that which was hidden within and manifest it outwardly so at last we can interact with it, have a a dialogue with it, transform it, fight and destroy it, or honour and cherish it. That which was profaned can be made sacred, that which was neglected can be loved. Shame can be turned into anger, confusion into direction, impotence into power. All that was stuck is shaken free and begins to flow, and everything begins to change.
4. You wrote a wonderful book, linking the trees to our own psychological journey – what underpins the link between the trees and our own psychology?
The trees in the Celtic Ogham tree calendar offer metaphors that describe the turning of the year, both outwardly and inwardly. As we feel into these, recognising the deep and enduring resonance between all that is unfolding in the natural world around us and all that is unfolding at the same time within, we remember who and what we are. Suddenly all that appeared disfunctional and askew in our lives is seen as part of an unfolding natural process that is so much bigger than ourselves, with an agenda that we can only guess at. Our wounding becomes the path to our enrichment and our empowerment.
5. What will we experience on your upcoming workshop in September? Why is the Ivy known as the Suffocating Ivy?
Ivy can choke, suffocate and overwhelm whatever tree it grows upon and in this way mirrors all that blocks our path and seeks to overwhelm us as we return from the Summerlands in September. As we spiral back into ourselves we meet the shadow that awaits us there and this can manifest both inwardly and outwardly as we become stuck and held fast, like flies in a web. In the workshop we will explore these metaphors and seek ways in which to break free from the ivy block and bring the shadow into consciousness.
6. How does nature mirror us emotionally? How does Art and Creativity facilitate this – why does it work so well?
Nature mirrors us emotionally because we are nature. Nature speaks in metaphor, the language of feeling and so whenever we return to our natural place in nature we meet our feeling selves reflected back to us. Our physical separation from nature simply mirrors our apparent separation from self. Art and creativity also speaks in the language of metaphor and so acts as a translator for our intellectual minds until they remember how to do it for themselves, by listening to the feeling heart. As people steep themselves deeper into this process over time they usually find themselves making less and less art and just recognising themselves in whatever they find.
7. How does this work link to improving the wider community's relationship to nature and safeguarding if for the future?
This work builds a deep and enduring relationship between soul and soil. Such an intimacy with the natural world is both reciprocal and inherently protective. We will not harm what we love, especially when we feel how much it loves us. The current paradigm places us outside of nature so we see ourselves as its destroyer, a cancer in its body, a parasite bringing the natural world to its knees. But once we see ourselves as nature herself then we can become the self regulating mechanism that the Earth most needs at his time. Human consciousness can prove itself to be the cutting edge of ecological recovery and healing.
Ian Siddons Heginwoth is widely recognised for the Wild Things programme he created and facilitates with young people who are struggling to cope. His understanding of the power of Mother Nature to heal, calm and inspire was born from his own childhood experience.
Ian will be in East Sussex in September, running the following 2 day workshop:
Exploring the Natural World & The Feeling Self – 21st & 22nd September 2019.
'Suffocating Ivy' – This training will apply the therapeutic use of natural materials, natural locations, natural themes and natural cycles.
As the solar push of summer comes to an end and the season turns, we recoil back into ourselves with the onset of Autumn. As we spiral inwards we meet the shadows that await us there. In Celtic tradition the ivy was the most powerful of trees for it could pull down a castle wall, block a path or choke the mighty oak. When we meet an ancient ivy we do not just meet the plant but something lost and suffocated within. In this workshop we explore our own ivy blocks, to reveal and resurrect the repressed and neglected aspects of the self.
Date: 21st & 22nd September 2019
Lead Facilitator: Ian Siddons Heginworth
Where: Mill Woods, East Sussex
Time: 09.30 – 17.00
Cost: £175.00
Booking: Please CLICK HERE to complete our online booking form where you will also find payment details or visit the website for more details.
Circle of Life Rediscovery provides exciting and highly beneficial nature-centred learning and therapeutic experiences for young people, adults, and families in Sussex woodlands, along with innovative continuing professional development for the health, well being and teaching professionals who are supporting them.
June 26, 2019 Marina Robb	Art therapy, circle of life rediscovery, CPD, Drama Therapy, east sussex, Ecopsychology, ecotherapy, Environmental Art Therapy, healing, Nature Connection, The Tree of Life
Forest School Sessions with Nursery Children
Forest School sessions are an innovative educational approach that focuses on the 'processes of learning' rather than 'content transfer'.
Forest School is play based, with child led learning at its centre, taking place regularly in an outdoor setting.
Forest School sessions provide a place for the child's spark of creativity to be ignited within a rich, ever changing and limitless learning environment, naturally stimulating the development of motor skills, speech and language, utilising the senses of touch, hearing, sight and smell.
There are no buildings, no desks, no bells signalling break time and no prescribed learning outcomes. Instead they move, explore, discover, wonder and use their own imaginations.
It is a place for children to communicate, cooperate, problem solve, takes risks, build and construct; and if educators and supervisors are able to step outside the box of over planning and venture into the exciting territory of the unexpected, unplanned and unlimited, the full potentiality of children will naturally begin to thrive.
Outdoor Learning and Forest School sessions are about connecting with the natural world where children can lead and direct their own learning at their own pace and in their own time.
"The very skilled educator knows when to offer an insight, a question, or materials to support the child's learning, but more importantly knows when to get out of the way." – Jon Cree.
A typical day with Nursery children at Forest School..
Coming together in a circle is the usual starting point for the session. Taking a moment to 'arrive' in the space and breathe. How are we feeling? What is happening in the natural world around us? What have you noticed on the way here?
Perhaps someone saw something on the way into the woods – an animal track, a flower, a feather, a magical stick!
We follow curiosity straight into enquiry, wonder, stories, play and identification.
"What is it? I've never seen that before." "Where did it come from?"
A game begins! Wolf and Deer running through the bracken and hiding behind the trees! Who will be caught and who is the catcher? Who is the Prey and who is the Predator?
Playing cooperatively and collaboratively. Leading us naturally into more learning about the animals within the game and how they interact with one another – such as the nature of animals hunting.
"How did it feel to be the wolf? How does a pack of wolves hunt?"
"It was exciting chasing the deer." "We caught the deer when we worked together".
"Why is my heart beating so fast?"
Unsupervised and non-directed spaces of free play are usually the time when a child's natural curiosities for more opportunities to explore, discover new boundaries and take risks are readily available to those who are seeking them.
So it's off to the river. "Who knows the way? Let's go!"
"I like the noise when I jump into the river." "Look at how dirty my hands are."
A few pieces of equipment available is just enough to inspire a new game, a new skill.
"Let's build a Dam!" "Where the Mallet? I want to build a House!" Two children precariously slipping down the river bank; shall I help them? "I'll help you, take this rope and I'll pull you up."
(No need, they have it covered.)
"1,2,3,4,5…five buckets of leaves in the river..let's keep going..6,7,8.."
Space for food and drinks are an important time for us to come together. Often stories around what has happened that morning already will be filled will differing perspectives and experiences.
"There were slugs underneath that log, why are they living there?" "That was fun."
Playing alone or in natural groupings are observed as indicators to the differing learning styles and preferences within the group.
"I liked making my own house." "We made a camp together, look at what we did!"
Pride and self reflection gaining its own momentum.
Sawing? Who wants to have a go at making a fire?
A more focused activity can happen now as children are 'ready and receptive'.
Learning about safety, control and focus to try a new skill.
Working together to use a Bowsaw or making sparks on cotton wool. "Be careful!"
"Can we toast marshmallows this week?"
Returning to the circle at the end to reflect and share.
Inspirations, discoveries, new skills and stories are all ripe to be picked, eaten and enjoyed by all of us. "We made a mud cake together, we found lots of different types of soil to make the pie with, how come there are so many?"
Natural curiosities are things to celebrate as much as possible, who knows where they will lead?
"I didn't know I was good at sawing; I would like to do more sawing to make a car next time."
What did we see? Who remembers the noise of the Woodpecker?
"Is it finished already?"
"Can we do this again tomorrow?"
Defenders of play, and protector's of fantasy, wonder and awe. Our job is done for today..until next time.
By Charlie Irving, Circle of Life Rediscovery – Woodland Facilitator.
"The nursery children love Forest School. We trialled a 10 week programme with Circle of Life Rediscovery at their beautiful woodland site in the heart of Sussex and the outcome more than exceeded our expectations. Since then we have been going back every year. The children are always so excited to go back to the forest every week, running down the path!" Anita Hotton, Pumpkin Patch Nursery.
Forest School Sessions at your setting.
If you are interested in Forest School Sessions at your nursery or school then please contact us by email or phone 01273 814226. Sessions can take place at your setting or at our woodland site near Laughton, East Sussex.
If you would like to train your staff, we offer unique training at our woodland site and at Parkwood campsite near Brighton. If you have a group we can also offer bespoke training.
2019/20 Course dates:
Part 1: 21 & 22nd November 2019 at Mill Woods and 25th, 26th, 27th November 2019 at Parkwood Campsite.
Part 2: 27th, 28th February 2020 at Parkwood Campsite and 2nd, 3rd March 2020 at Mill Woods.
Approved by the Forest School Association and awarded by the Open College Network West Midlands, this Level 3 Certificate provides the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to prepare learners for employment as a Forest School Leader.
The training will combine key principles of Forest School with best practice from Environment and Nature Education, child development, the world of play (wild, free and therapeutic play) delivered by our professional team who have many years experience.
Circle of Life Training are now providing online learning resources to supplement this in-depth direct training. These documents are laid out in an easy to understand format that link to the Forest School Units. We also supply useful video material, links to best practice, a student upload to share valuable resources and the option to download resources for you to keep.
Please visit our website to find out more or call us on 01273 814226.
The Forest School Activities Online Training Course
Our Director Marina Robb has created a new online training. Marina wanted to offer a quality training resource that is accessible to a wider audience, who can't get to our woods in person!
It includes over 100 training videos and resources with step by step instructions designed to inspire new ideas for both experienced and novice practitioners.
Click on the image below to find out more:
We provide exciting and highly beneficial nature-centred learning and therapeutic experiences for young people, adults, and families in Sussex woodlands, along with innovative continuing professional development for the health, well being and teaching professionals who are supporting them.
June 19, 2019 Marina Robb	children, circle of life rediscovery, early years, east sussex, education, Forest School, forest school training, forest school training course, Learning Outside the Classroom, nature, Nature Connection, young people