Earth-Centred Therapy

Earth-centred therapy is about healing and deepening the relationship between humans and the rest of Earth’s life. At this time most of us humans are living like renegade cells within the body of our mother Earth – consuming her voraciously while failing to support, or be truly supported by, the living system of which we are part.

Instead of offering a one-sided experience where humans merely take further benefit from Earth, this work facilitates a truly reciprocal relationship which includes honouring and giving to Earth and all her creatures as equal partners on our journey.

Everything in this world is alive and constantly interactive. We are all events in a field zinging with unstoppable creativity, and we participate in this creation at every moment. If you take this path our focus will be on working with the powerful energies of animals, plants, trees, the elements and all Earth – as well as Sun, Moon and stars – to restore the primal experience of belonging and sharing in the magnificent co-creation of our planet.

Everything we do in this work takes place on a bedrock of learning to be grounded and securely ‘in’ your body – something most people today find very difficult. Being centred in your body and your sensory experience of the world is essential in order to be fully in contact with your power, your feelings, your soul and your imagination.

The spiritual dimension will infuse this work, as you come increasingly into contact with the spirit world underlying the phenomena of ‘ordinary reality’. You will also learn to sense and draw nourishment from the positive energies that flow into your system, and to protect yourself from potentially harmful energies.

Sometimes Earth-centred therapy can bring up painful feelings such as loss, grief, guilt and anger, as we contemplate the damage done to our world and the loss of so many beings who once shared it with us. Many people feel terror concerning the future on Earth, fearing escalating disasters due to climate change, war, economic and social collapse etc. In this work I will support you in feeling and expressing whatever comes up for you, so that difficult feelings can be explored and allowed to pass through you. We will not necessarily come to a comfortable resolution of these issues, but this process will help to align you with your true self and with the vitality of Earth. Then your energy can become free for the work of loving this world, and sharing in shaping it, in a very different way.

Much of our work will take place outdoors, and may include ideas for you to carry out between sessions. We can, of course, also bring in more conventional psychotherapy, healing and/or astrological work, where drawing on these will be helpful.

Earth-centred therapy can be undertaken either one-to-one or by joining a group. To find out about upcoming group events, please click on Groups and Workshops, or contact me. I can also offer workshops within training institutions and other organisations.

Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy
The field of ecopsychology developed in the early 1990s among psychotherapists and psychologists who began to look beyond the conventions of their profession, and to think about the client’s experience as a being inhabiting physical place, and in relationship with a complex web of non-human living beings. This development was largely in response to the grief and anxiety many of us felt at the destruction of the natural environment and the rapid loss of so many species.

I belonged for several years to a group of therapists who formed the first ecopsychology group in the UK, and around this time I also trained with Joanna Macy in the ‘Work that Reconnects’. Some ecopsychologists have since developed the field beyond its original rather theoretical orientation, and my own work in Earth-centred therapy is an example which has evolved far beyond its beginnings. For more information on ecopsychology, visit the website www.ecopsychology.org.

Ecotherapy is often referred to as ‘applied ecopsychology’. Usually its emphasis is on bringing about therapeutic benefits for human participants, via contact with the natural world through a variety of outdoor experiences. There are obvious overlaps between ecotherapy and Earth-centred therapy. However, as my work emphasises the depth and reciprocity of the Earth-human relationship – and the fact that we seek to heal that relationship not merely for the good of humans, but for all life – I prefer to use the term Earth-centred therapy.

Fees
A session of Earth-centred therapy usually lasts either one hour or one-and-a-half hours. My fee is £50 per hour, or £70 for one-and-a-half hours. Longer sessions can be arranged.

In case of genuine difficulty this fee is negotiable to some extent, down to a minimum of £40 per hour or £60 for one-and-a-half hours.

Location
My practice is based on the beautiful Dartington Estate, Totnes, where there are many opportunities to work outdoors, by the river, in the woods or in the gardens.

Dartington is easily accessible from the South Hams, Torbay, Dartmoor, Plymouth and Exeter.

Training and experience
For information about my training and experience, please click on about Moira.

If you have questions, please try clicking on FAQ as you may find the answers there.