your thoughts on leaving "nature art" in wilder places?

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Jan Edl

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Oct 9, 2018, 11:39:48 PM10/9/18
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Hello dear group of ecotherapy minded folks,

I am struggling with my own recent reactions and would appreciate your feedback and a discussion about this.

This weekend I lead a workshop on Ecotherapy: Taking the Clinical Container Outdoors, which always includes being sensitive to the landscapes we inhabit for these practices and cultivating a reciprocity of care.  The central gathering spot for this workshop was in a relatively wild and pristine parkland in west marin county, CA.  I am aware that other groups also utilize this incredibly gorgeous and welcoming place in nature.
Wandering on a group break I came upon the remains of a possible mandala/altar/nature art piece from someone who was probably there a week or so before me.

It consisted of 2 kinds of beans - a black-eyed pea and large white bean.  At the time it was mostly scattered but still held a semblance of an artistic/mandala shape.
Recent rains had sprouted the black-eyed peas.

As I stared at these remains of a human ceremony, process, etc… I wondered… These are non-native beans.  These sprouts could be invasive, poisonous/confusing to local wildlife… and they simply don’t belong there.  But then I thought of whomever left these there who probably thought it was fine to leave a so called “organic” item behind from a ritual.

Personally I felt saddened and frustrated at the hubris of whomever left this behind.  But am I being over-reactive?

Personally I feel very strongly that any “natural art” piece left behind should be 100% :
1) quickly biodegradable and perishable
2) introduces nothing non-native
3) composed only of native items gathered locally

I wish that I had taken a photo of this!  The image has been resting so uneasy in my mind.

What are your thoughts?

Many thanks,
Jan

Jan Edl Stein, MFT 25863
Director, Holos Institute


 






Mary-Jayne Rust

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Oct 10, 2018, 3:57:26 AM10/10/18
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Dear Jan,

You raise in important issue.

I don’t think you were being over-reactive - I’d have felt the same.

I think that we should leave any place as we find it; no trace; and if we find things left behind by other humans preferably we take that stuff home with us.

There is a growing movement of making art out of materials we find in nature. I’d rather that was put back where it was found.

The only place I don’t mind seeing art left is on the beach where the tide will wipe it out within hours.

Best wishes

Mary-Jayne

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Lorraine Fish

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Oct 10, 2018, 4:10:43 AM10/10/18
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I also agree with Mary-Jayne.  And I certainly don't think you were over reacting.  

There's a trend here in the UK to put large art pieces in natural settings and I am horrified that anyone would think this adds to the beauty of nature.  Unfortunately they are too big to remove. 

I like the leave no trace approach.  I don't even leave my dog's poo in the woods!  

Lorraine 

Susan Loonsk

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Oct 10, 2018, 5:47:44 AM10/10/18
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"Leave No Trace", as backpackers/hikers say, is a good practice.
Whoever left the seeds, as you say, may have thought it was okay. Unfortunately a little knowledge is not always enough. I sometimes feel stymied when trying to be more sustainable or greener . On the surface something may be environmentally sound but how it was grown, produced or harvested may not be, and finding all that information is not always easy. Knowledge, education, and transparancy can help a lot.

Patricia Hasbach

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Oct 10, 2018, 4:54:45 PM10/10/18
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Jan and All,

This is an important topic to raise with our students who will be future ecotherapists, and taking clients out into nature or "prescribing" nature-based experiences.  It is one that I address very directly with them in my graduate courses and workshops.  "Leave No Trace" is the right way to go, and as therapists we have an ethical obligation to "do no harm" - that includes the natural spaces we move into.   Not only does it protect the natural environment, it leaves a place free of human intervention for the next person who might enter that space.  

Thanks for raising the topic,Jan.  I don't think its an overreaction at all. 

All the best,
Patricia


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Molly Brown

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Oct 10, 2018, 5:45:22 PM10/10/18
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Yes to all the comments above.  Thanks so much for raising our awareness about this issue, Jan!!

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Amy Sugeno

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Oct 15, 2018, 2:50:23 PM10/15/18
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Dear Jan and all,

I think you raise a really important topic that, like Patricia mentioned, I believe needs more attention in our growing field. It touches on the idea of doing ecotherapy work ethically. I believe Patricia has written about it, as well as a few others. As more and more therapists, counselors, and other healers begin to want to study and offer ecotherapy, it would be wonderful to have an in-depth resource (like a book) that discusses this.

To me, ethics also could include considerations around how to offer reciprocity in a meaningful way; how to think about client safety, how (or whether) to collect nature items; how (or whether) to include indigenous practices (if not a member of an indigenous community); being aware of relevant local, state, and national regulations and laws (like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act); and even something like obtaining permissions or permits to conduct ecotherapy work on land where this is required.

These types of discussions come up regularly for many of us ecotherapists in my area (Texas), and it can feel overwhelming quickly. All of us want to be ethical and respectful, but sometimes there are things we don't know or think about. 

I think it's a wonderful issue that you raise that is worthy of continued discussions!

Warmly,
Amy Sugeno, LCSW
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Linda Buzzell

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Oct 15, 2018, 5:15:51 PM10/15/18
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Thanks for this important topic, Jan! And I love Amy's idea of a book on the many ethical issues we need to address in ecotherapy practice.

warmly,
Linda

On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 11:50 AM Amy Sugeno <amys...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Jan and all,

I think you raise a really important topic that, like Patricia mentioned, I believe needs more attention in our growing field. It touches on the idea of doing ecotherapy work ethically. I believe Patricia has written about it, as well as a few others. As more and more therapists, counselors, and other healers begin to want to study and offer ecotherapy, it would be wonderful to have an in-depth resource (like a book) that discusses this.

To me, ethics also could include considerations around how to offer reciprocity in a meaningful way; how to think about client safety, how (or whether) to collect nature items; how (or whether) to include indigenous practices (if not a member of an indigenous community); being aware of relevant local, state, and national regulations and laws (like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act); and even something like obtaining permissions or permits to conduct ecotherapy work on land where this is required.

These types of discussions come up regularly for many of us ecotherapists in my area (Texas), and it can feel overwhelming quickly. All of us want to be ethical and respectful, but sometimes there are things we don't know or think about. 

I think it's a wonderful issue that you raise that is worthy of continued discussions!

Warmly,
Amy Sugeno, LCSW

On Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 4:45:22 PM UTC-5, Molly wrote:
Yes to all the comments above.  Thanks so much for raising our awareness about this issue, Jan!!

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 1:54 PM Patricia Hasbach <phas...@northwestecotherapy.com> wrote:
Jan and All,

This is an important topic to raise with our students who will be future ecotherapists, and taking clients out into nature or "prescribing" nature-based experiences.  It is one that I address very directly with them in my graduate courses and workshops.  "Leave No Trace" is the right way to go, and as therapists we have an ethical obligation to "do no harm" - that includes the natural spaces we move into.   Not only does it protect the natural environment, it leaves a place free of human intervention for the next person who might enter that space.  

Thanks for raising the topic,Jan  I don't think its an overreaction at all. 

All the best,
Patricia
On Tue, Oct 9, 2018 at 8:39 PM, Jan Edl <jan.ed...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello dear group of ecotherapy minded folks,

I am struggling with my own recent reactions and would appreciate your feedback and a discussion about this.

This weekend I lead a workshop on Ecotherapy: Taking the Clinical Container Outdoors, which always includes being sensitive to the landscapes we inhabit for these practices and cultivating a reciprocity of care.  The central gathering spot for this workshop was in a relatively wild and pristine parkland in west marin county, CA.  I am aware that other groups also utilize this incredibly gorgeous and welcoming place in nature.
Wandering on a group break I came upon the remains of a possible mandala/altar/nature art piece from someone who was probably there a week or so before me.

It consisted of 2 kinds of beans - a black-eyed pea and large white bean.  At the time it was mostly scattered but still held a semblance of an artistic/mandala shape
Recent rains had sprouted the black-eyed peas.

As I stared at these remains of a human ceremony, process, etc… I wondered… These are non-native beans.  These sprouts could be invasive, poisonous/confusing to local wildlife… and they simply don’t belong there.  But then I thought of whomever left these there who probably thought it was fine to leave a so called “organic” item behind from a ritual.

Personally I felt saddened and frustrated at the hubris of whomever left this behind.  But am I being over-reactive?

Personally I feel very strongly that any “natural art” piece left behind should be 100% :
1) quickly biodegradable and perishable
2) introduces nothing non-native
3) composed only of native items gathered locally

I wish that I had taken a photo of this!  The image has been resting so uneasy in my mind.

What are your thoughts?

Many thanks,
Jan

Jan Edl Stein, MFT 25863
Director, Holos Institute


 






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Molly Brown

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Oct 15, 2018, 10:51:51 PM10/15/18
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Could this be a collective project for this group?

Caroline Brazier

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Oct 16, 2018, 5:44:23 AM10/16/18
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Good idea! I’ve been following this discussion with interest, and I’m sorry not to have contributed – I’ve had heavy teaching week. I think it is vitally important that the eco-therapy community is a force for positive environmental impact, in whatever form that takes. It is all too easy for unwitting therapists to use the environment as s resource and we need to explore the issue of reciprocality both at the immediate level of careful relationship and in terms of contributing to global attitudes. 

Caroline 

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Amy Sugeno

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Oct 16, 2018, 8:56:07 AM10/16/18
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Molly, I like the idea of a collective project! I wonder if this would be good as an edited book, like Linda's and Craig's Ecotherapy book? What I'm thinking about is that, while many ethical considerations will be consistent for everyone (like LNT), working in the desert southwest might have some different considerations than parts of Canada. Or the Pacific NW might have different considerations than the Rocky Mountain states. Or perhaps urban areas will have different considerations than rural areas. These considerations could be ecological as well as cultural; perhaps there could even be practical considerations, too.

Caroline, I think you're right about it being easy for unwitting therapists to use the environment in unethical ways, thereby potentially influencing their clients. I think our society's disconnection has become so pervasive that we just don't realize what we're doing, until we learn better ways.

Warmly,
Amy Sugeno
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Linda Buzzell

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Oct 16, 2018, 2:06:45 PM10/16/18
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Yes, good idea! I agree with Caroline that we ecotherapists need to be advocates for reciprocality (what I call Level 2 ecotherapy vs. just "using" nature "resources" for human healing purposes). Psychologist Sarah Conn brought up this important issue back in 1995 in her writing and teaching at Harvard and it's more important than ever now that so many new therapists/counselors/coaches are adding ecotherapy to their toolkit without perhaps understanding the deeper implications of this work.

Linda

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Molly Brown

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Oct 16, 2018, 2:44:12 PM10/16/18
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Linda, want to head up this book project?  I would be willing to contribute, but can't take it on myself.  

Hope! Hope! Hope!

Linda Buzzell

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Oct 16, 2018, 3:02:37 PM10/16/18
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Hi Molly and everyone,

I think the tricky part of an anthology on this topic would be the issue of how many books a publisher could expect to sell. An academic publisher might be interested, but would probably charge a lot of money for each book, which kind of destroys its usefulness to new ecotherapists. Self publication is another option, of course. Do any of you have experience with that?  I'd love to hear more ideas from all of you...

warmly,
Linda

Linda Buzzell

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Oct 16, 2018, 3:11:34 PM10/16/18
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Another option: doing a Special Issue of Ecopsychology journal on this topic. But of course that's behind a paywall.

L

Mary-Jayne Rust

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Oct 16, 2018, 3:52:47 PM10/16/18
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Was it Amy Sugeno who suggested a book? Maybe she might have some ideas about leading on it?

 

However, like Linda, I wonder about a book on the subject.

I think a special journal issue would be a great idea, but not behind a paywall, and not using more trees. European Ecopsychology Journal? Looks like they have a new editorial team coming. http://eje.wyrdwise.com/

Or simply an article or paper on the ethics of ecotherapy if someone has the energy and enthusiasm to write it. Would it be possible to write it as a kind of research paper, including ideas from all of us, and then collated into themes?

 

I think the issue of using indigenous practices is a really tricky one. It’s so easy to cross the line into misappropriation. These days I tend to offer great gratitude to the inspirations I’ve received from indigenous teachings, but never take their practices, as I haven’t been authorised to teach them. There are so many practices we can invent and borrow from each other to help us reconnect with land and more than human, as well as to our own animal selves.

 

Mary-Jayne

www.mjrust.net

Amy Sugeno

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Oct 16, 2018, 4:23:50 PM10/16/18
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Hi all,

Yes, it was me who suggested something like a book. I wouldn't be able to take the lead, but I'd really love to contribute in some way, and am happy to support in other ways, whatever those might be. I enjoy writing, and would enjoy sharing my ideas from my ecotherapy work with clients and groups over the years.

I like the idea of a journal article or special issue. I don't know much about self-publishing, but from the little I have researched in the past, it's quite a lot of work. 

Count me in - I'm looking forward to seeing what might evolve from this conversation!

Warmly,
Amy

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Linda Buzzell

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Oct 16, 2018, 4:26:03 PM10/16/18
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Hi Mary-Jayne and everyone,

The person who most inspired and educated me on the delicate indigenous issues relating to ecotherapy and New Age cultural appropriation is Canadian writer Pegi Eyers, author of Ancient Spirit Rising. She might describe herself as a Settler of Euro-Celtic descent, living on Anishnaabe land, and she has done some deep listening to what Native people think about the issues around cultural appropriation, plus come up with earth-reconnection ideas for those of us who aren't indigenous to the places where we live. I like her suggestions on white people reclaiming Euro-indigineity (without going to racist Nazi extremes, of course) and rediscovering early European earth-connection practices. Pegi is active on the Canadian Ecopsychology Network Facebook page and also has her own FB page as well. 

While this is of course a huge and contentious issue for non-indigenous people on Turtle Island, perhaps it can also relate to those living on the land of their ancestors as well? Back to pre-Roman times? I've begun to feel that genealogy, ancestor work and having one's DNA done could be considered forms of ecotherapy!!

warmly,
Linda


Patricia H. Hasbach,PhD.

Northwest Ecotherapy

Deborah Punton

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Oct 24, 2018, 7:03:39 AM10/24/18
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I’m all for collaboration and reciprocal relationships. 
With appreciation for you all, Deb 

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Jan Edl

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Oct 28, 2018, 12:51:23 PM10/28/18
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I so appreciate all of the responses and support!
My plate is a bit stacked too high to take on a book project in this moment but I might have the bandwidth in the new year.
I can envision a collection of angles and approaches to the ethics of ecotherapy. I don’t feel that this should be the work of just one person.  We should model a healthy ecosystem that has diverse voices and viewpoints.
While the idea of a dedicated issue of the Ecopsych Journal is a good one, I am dismayed at the high cost of subscription which I know isolates many practitioners from access.

If you have an idea for a chapter that you would like to develop, please do send it to me.  I will start to collect these ideas and in the new year I will being to assemble them into a cohesive collection.  

I am also in the middle of organizing the 2019 Holos Ecopsychology Conference (to be held April 6 & 7 in Petaluma, CA) and if anyone of you might be interested in offering a presentation on this I think it would be invaluable and most welcomed.

With warm regards,
Jan
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