Our LIVE Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Facilitator Training for 2020 has been scheduled! Keep reading for details!
Click here to purchase tickets for this course
What is Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy?
Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) is a blending of Mindfulness and Ecotherapy. MBE uses nature to facilitate mindful awareness. MBE is used as a framework for helping individuals and families to find deeper connections in their own lives, and to give more meaning and enjoyment to the activities of daily living.
The Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Program consists of 12 skill sets facilitated by the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook. Price of retreat includes a copy of this workbook in pdf format. Paperback copies of the workbook will be available for purchase at the event.
The Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy program is a 12-week program, with one session per week. At each session, one of the 12 skills of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy is discussed and practiced.
This course, consisting of 35 hours of online education and 25 hours of live, face-to-face education in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, certifies you to be a facilitator of the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Program.
When is this live training?
May 4-8, 2020 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the offices of the Mindful Ecotherapy Center at:
Offices on Eleven
3598 Highway 11
Suite 226
Travelers Rest SC 29690
We will meet at the picnic area to the right side of the building. If you are facing the building (pictured below), the picnic area is on the right end of the building. Park and take the sidewalk.
In case of inclement weather, we will be meeting inside at the office of the Mindful Ecotherapy Center. To get to this office, drive to the back side of the building and park. Facing the back side of the building, go into the door on the right. The Mindful Ecotherapy Center is the first office on the right when you enter the building, suite 226.
Who should attend?
This training is for mental health professionals who want to expand their skill sets in mindfulness and ecotherapy. This course contains 35 hours of online education and 25 hours of live, face-to-face education for a total of 60 continuing education hours.
Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy consists of 12 skill sets. The Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy program is a 12-week program, with one session per week. At each session, one of the 12 skills of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy is discussed and practiced. At this live training, we will be covering all 12 sessions of the program in a week-long intensive (see schedule below). In addition to this 25-hour live training, there are three online components to be completed prior to the retreat. These online components consist of an additional 35 hours of online training required to become a Certified Facilitator of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy.
These online components are:
- Mindfulness: An Introduction – 15 online and experiential hours
- Ecotherapy: An Introduction – 10 online and experiential hours
- Running a Successful Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Group – 10 online hours
If you plan to attend this live training in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, you will be sent links and instructions on how to complete the online components prior to attending the live, face-to-face retreat. The online components are self-paced, but must be completed prior to attending the retreat.
Accommodations
Price of this retreat does not include accommodations. There are several hotels and campgrounds in the area. Links to a few are provided below (list below does not imply endorsement of any particular business).
- Best Western Travelers Rest SC
- Hampton Inn Travelers Rest
- Swamp Rabbit Inn
- Table Rock State Park
- Travelers Rest/North Greenville KOA Campground
Schedule for the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) Training:
May 4, 2020 Morning Session
Session 1: Mindful Awareness
Mindful Awareness is a way of tuning in to what is happening right now, at this moment. It is a shift from doing mode into being mode. Mindful Awareness involves the skills of Observing, Describing, Fully Participating, Being Non-Judgmental, Focusing on One Thing at a Time, and the Power of Intention. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches you these skills.
Session 2: Radical Acceptance
Mindful Awareness teaches us the art of acceptance. Emotional reactions to our circumstances are natural, but that doesn’t mean that we have to respond to these emotions. The mindfulness skill of acceptance teaches us that we can experience these emotions without engaging in cycles of behavior that lead us to negative consequences. Acceptance teaches us that we are not our thoughts, and that we are not our emotions. At any time we can choose which thoughts and emotions we wish to respond to. If, at any time, we should engage in thoughts and behaviors that lead to negative consequences, this does not mean that we have become bad persons. This simply means that we are human beings, and as humans we are entitled to make mistakes. Each mistake is an opportunity for growth and learning. Forgiveness is a skill and an art. The place to start with learning the art of forgiveness is in learning first to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches you the art of Radical Acceptance.
May 4, 2020 Afternoon Session
Session 3: Wise Mind and Wise Body
When you are being logical, rational, and devoid of emotion, you are said to be in Rational Mind. When you are allowing your thoughts to be driven by your emotions, you are said to be in Emotional Mind. The idea of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy is to achieve Wise Mind. The Mindfulness concept of Wise Mind is the joining of Rational Mind and Emotional Mind in perfect balance and harmony. It is a moving beyond opposites to a mindful state of acceptance. Likewise, when we come to realize that there is no line between mind and body, and that they are one and the same, we are able to move beyond the duality that implies that mind and body are separate entities. From there we see that the body can change the mind, and the mind can change the body. Wise Mind is the first step to living in True Self. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) gives you some of the tools you will need to help you develop your own Wise Mind and your own Wise Body.
Session 4: Letting Go
The art of Mindful Acceptance can best be described as the Art of Letting Go. Once you have done everything in your power to solve a problem, you have done all you can, so at that point worry and stress is counterproductive. Note that letting go of the stress and anxiety doesn’t necessarily mean letting go of the problem itself. For example, suppose you have a car payment coming up, and you don’t have the money to pay it. This would naturally cause you anxiety. If, after brainstorming for solutions, you find that you still don’t have the money to pay the car payment, then at that point you’ve done all you can do. So at that point, you let go of the anxiety associated with the problem. That doesn’t mean that you let go of car payments altogether. You’ll make the payment when you can. In this instance, “letting go” just means that you won’t worry about not being able to make the payment. The energy you might have used worrying about the situation could be put to better use in trying to come up with solutions. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches us how to let go through the power of radical acceptance.
May 5, 2020 Morning Session
Session 5: Living in the Now
Living in the Now means leaving Doing Mode and entering Being Mode. In Being Mode we learn that there is no past, there is no future. There is only this present moment. Living in the Now means allowing yourself to be in this moment…here and now. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches you the skills of Living in the Now.
Session 6: Centering
Centering yourself is allowing yourself to get in touch with and being open to your True Self. It is allowing yourself to realize that you are perfect just as you are, even with your imperfections, because those feelings and desires are also a part of who you really are. If you accept your imperfections and integrate them into your way of thinking and feeling about yourself, you will obtain peace of mind, and you will be centered. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches you how to Center.
May 5, 2020 Afternoon Session
Session 7: Connecting
Suppose you could take all the spiritual paths practiced worldwide, put them into a cauldron, and boil them down to their essence. What would remain? I believe that the common thread to all spiritual practices is a feeling of connection. In this sense, spirituality means connection to others, or connection to the divine, or simply connection to nature and to ourselves. In short: spirituality is connectedness. If you think back on the spiritual experiences you’ve had in your lifetime, do recall feeling connected on some level? Many describe spiritual experiences as a sense of oneness. Oneness implies connection to something outside ourselves. In this sense, even an agnostic or an atheist could achieve spirituality through connection. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) can be one of the paths you use to re-connect to spirit.
Session 8: Nature as Metaphor
Each of us lives in our own personal fairy tale called “my life.” We all have good things that happen to us, and we all have bad things that happen to us. We create our own personal myths by choosing which things to focus on in our own lives. The good news about the myth of our lives is that we are the authors. So if we don’t like the way the story is going, we have the power to do a rewrite at any time. We can’t always choose the circumstances of our lives, but we can always choose the story we create about those circumstances. If you go out into the woods and start observing things, you will notice something begin to happen. You will begin to create stories about the events you observe there in the forest. These stories that spring to mind in the woods can tell you a great deal about what is going on in your own unconscious mind, if you know how to pay attention to them. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches you how to pay attention to those stories.
May 6, 2020 Morning Session
Session 9: Nature as Teacher
Our ancestors knew hundreds of medicinal uses of local plants and herbs. They knew the seasons, when to plant, when to harvest, how to forecast the weather by the behavior of plants and animals, and a host of other things based on their observations of nature. The lessons our ancestors learned haven’t gone away. They’re still there, waiting in the forest like an open book. All we have to do is to learn how to read it. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) teaches us the language of nature so that we may read its “book.”
Session 10: Nature as Nurture
A large and growing body of research has demonstrated that nature has incredible healing and nurturing powers. People who go into the woods become calmer, more relaxed, less stressful, and healthier. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) can be used to tap into the nurturing power of nature.
May 6, 2020 Afternoon Session
Session 11: Nature as Healer
Research continues to demonstrate the healing power of nature. People in hospital rooms that have windows overlooking a garden recover faster than those who do not. People who swim with dolphins recover from depression more quickly than people who take antidepressants. Children with ADHD who play outdoors regularly display fewer symptoms than those who do not. These are just a few examples of the many beneficial effects of the healing power of nature. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) helps you to connect to this healing power
Session 12: Living in True Self
Do you remember a time when you knew exactly who you were, what you wanted to be, and where your life was going? When you do something that isn’t healthy for you, or make a mistake, which part of you is it that recognizes the mistake? What part of you is it that holds the highest dreams and aspirations for your life? Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) recognizes that part of you as your True Self. The ultimate goal of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) is to realize your True Self, and to live in it. Doing so allows you the opportunity to re-connect in positive ways with nature, with others, and with yourself.
May 7, 2020 Morning Session
Reflections on the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Program
At this morning session we will process any questions students may have about the program overall.
Break
Marketing the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Program
At this morning session we will discuss some special considerations about marketing a Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy program.
May 7, 2020 Afternoon Session
Running a Successful Group Part I
At this afternoon session we will cover questions and answers about Part A of the online course: Running a Successful Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Group
Break
Running a Successful Group Part II
At this afternoon session we will cover questions and answers about Part B of the online course: Running a Successful Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Group
May 8, 2020 Morning Session
Intro to Mindfulness Part I
At this morning session we will cover questions and answers about Part I of the online course: Mindfulness: An Introduction
Break
Intro to Mindfulness Part II
At this morning session we will cover questions and answers about Part II of the online course: Mindfulness: An Introduction
May 8, 2020 Afternoon Session
Intro to Ecotherapy
At this afternoon session we will cover questions and answers about the online course: Ecotherapy: An Introduction
Break
Final thoughts, Q & A
At this final afternoon session we will answer any questions about the entire program. Certificates of Completion will be distributed at the end of this session.
There are three fellowships available for this retreat. Fellowships include full tuition for the retreat and the online components in exchange for assisting with the retreat. Assisting duties include set-up and tear-down for sessions, distributing materials, and help with cleaning or other light duties as assigned. Fellowships DO NOT include hotel accommodations, meals, or any other amenities.
NOTE: Prior to receiving your Certificate of Completion, you must have completed the online portions of the training. Completion of the online portions is subject to verification. If you have not completed the online portions, a Certificate of Completion cannot be issued until the online portion is completed.
Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) is a 12-week nature-based program. Each session meets outdoors for about 90 minutes and is guided by a trained MBE facilitator. The Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook was designed to accompany the 12-week program. A facilitator manual is also available for mental health professionals interested in training in the program.
For most of its existence homo sapiens has lived in harmony with nature as hunter/gatherers. Such a lifestyle requires a vast knowledge of the seasons, and of the patterns and habits of wildlife, and of plants and herbs and their healing powers. Industrialization and urbanization are fairly recent phenomena on an evolutionary scale. We still carry the genetic memory of our ancestors who lived in untamed nature. Our brains are wired for the outdoors and nature. A growing body of research demonstrates that not only do we feel better when we make time for nature, it is actually a requirement for good physical and mental health!
At its core, ecopsychology suggests that there is a synergistic relation between planetary and personal well-being; that the needs of the one are relevant to the needs of the other. In short, what we do to the environment, we do to ourselves. Ecotherapy is the practical application of this knowledge. In ecotherapy nature is the “therapist.” In practicing the techniques of ecotherapy, we allow the healing power of nature to work its magic on us. Hölzel et al (2011) demonstrated that meditative states of mindfulness stimulate neural growth in the cerebral cortex in the areas of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, good judgment, insight, and impulse control. Nature experiences have been demonstrated in several studies to produce meditative states (fascination, relaxation, and mindfulness).
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, “Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like drinking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings myself many times.” He continued, “It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But the other wolf is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.”