Click on the black player above to hear episode 4 of Nature Therapy Online.

In episode 4 of Nature Therapy Online, I am delighted to present my first ever interview!

Caroline Brazier is Course Leader at the Tariki Trust, a Buddhist organisation based in England who train people to become ecotherapists. I did my ecotherapy training with them and it was a powerful and immersive experience. My training there has enriched me as a human being, as well as giving me the skills needed to start supporting people confidently as an ecotherapist.

The Ten Directions ecotherapy course asks students to undertake over 100 solo nature activities, alongside five working weekend retreats at the gorgeous Buddhist House in Narborough. I have many happy memories of staying in the garden cabin, sleeping under what I swear is the warmest duvet on the planet (even in winter)! I would stay up late reading fairy tales until midnight, pee in a bucket, meditate with small handsome Buddha statues in the cabin and wake up early to the sound of bouncy squirrels on the roof.

The course also involves the trainees attending an intensive week-long retreat which includes spending 24 hours alone in nature with not much else besides a hammock. It’s incredible how safe you can feel sleeping in nature alone.

Many of the course units can be taken as short online units alone, and I would encourage anyone interested to check out the website, whether you want to be an ecotherapist or are simply looking for new ways to bond with nature!

In the interview, Caroline discusses how environmental issues intersect with nature therapy. She shares her wealth of experience as both an eco-therapist and psychotherapist with me. She also shares some wonderful, simple ecotherapy exercises with the listeners, including a great task for city-dwellers using photography to find signs of nature appearing through the cracks!

I’d really recommend putting aside 30 minutes to listen to this inspiring human being. I wouldn’t be here doing this if it wasn’t for her.

If you enjoyed the episode, please do comment below or let me know however you like! Please subscribe on Itunes, or wherever you listen to your podcasts if you listen elsewhere. You can also subscribe via the RSS link below. Have a lovely week folks! Stephen x