ECOTHERAPY IN PRACTICE A Buddhist Model Caroline Brazier

ECOTHERAPY IN PRACTICE: A Buddhist Model Caroline Brazier Tariki Trust

Abstract Buddhist psychology suggests that, in response to our existential fears and anxieties, humans withdraw into constructed worlds of sense attachments and perceptual distortions which we come to identify with. The sense of self and habits of perception are mutually reinforcing and tend to lead us to seek out familiar and controllable environments. In the case of mental distress, these can become extremely limited. At the same time, exposing ourselves to positive experiences, as we see in mindfulness practices, provides methods which Buddhism has used to develop more positive mind-states. Buddhist psychology thus provides a valuable model for environmentally-based therapies and practices which can be used in a variety of therapeutic and community contexts. The Ten Directions programme developed at Tariki Trust is a broad-based ecotherapy training grounded in Buddhist psychology. This programme, which attracts practitioners from both therapy professions and other fields where there is inter-personal working outdoors, explores ways people can be helped to engage with the outdoors and explore the different lenses of personal, cultural and global conditioning which affect their relationship with the world. Through encountering nature in a variety of ways within a frame of mindful attention new experience and insight emerge. Being in a natural environment does people good. This approach offers a way of understanding why, and enhancing positive aspects of the experience. This presentation will offer a brief overview of Buddhist psychology as it informs outdoor working, demonstrating how the Ten Directions model provides a framework for different therapeutic activity within an outdoor environment.

Buddhist Psychology According to Buddhist psychology, we are all in flight from reality. We live in a state of not-seeing (avidya) Life is dukkha: Impermanence Loss, disappointment Death THE SELF BUBBLE We create the semblance of permanence by living in a personal world of delusion through distorted perception and attachment to objects to which we give attention

The self world - a box of reflections We appropriate the world to construct a sense of permanence and selfhood. The world around us is perceived in terms of the self story The mind is conditioned by the objects of attention We surround ourselves with familiar things and look for the familiar in new places Our experience of the world reflects the self

Mental states relate to perception We connect to the world through our senses. Our senses are conditioned

Mindfulness, as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is often defined as paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. When we go into nature, we are naturally invited to be mindful of our surroundings. We can use mindfulness exercises to increase our awareness. It provides an antidote to avidya.

Ten Directions The Ten Directions programme offers a model of ecotherapy based on Buddhist psychology

The Ten Directions Model therapeutic container embodied presence & sacred space theoretical base therapeutic triangle & object related identity personal process conditioned view & encounter collective and cultural frames myth and ritual & creativity global context and wider horizons vibrancy & embedded living

Level One The therapeutic container The foundation of this work is the creation of therapeutic container. The embodied presence of therapist in therapeutic space offer a triangular relationship to participants.

Three levels of conditioned view In our work we can address conditioned view on three levels: • The personal level • The cultural level • The global level These inter-link and influence one another. Because these conditions operate at group as well as individual levels, we tend to support each other’s world views.

Exploring Personal Process An exploration of the conditioned mind-frame and work that takes us beyond this into a fresh experiencing of the world around us. Personal Frame: The influence of history and personal story on the way we view the world Encounter: a direct personal encounter with the world

Working with personal process • Exploring associations and memories of childhood experiences outdoors in groups • Experimenting with play • Walk and talk, looking at particular childhood events • Investigative exercises eg meet a tree, the dinner plate exercise • Talking about family attitudes to outdoors

Collective worlds Myth and Ritual: Exploring themes from myth and literature which influence our view of nature and the outdoors. Drawing on these in shared activity. Creativity: Myth and culture colour view but they also enrich our experiencing. We can use shared cultural images as a foundation for art work.

Working with myth and creativity • Telling a story • Enacting elements from the myth • Soundscapes and spontaneous poetry based on the myth • Creating small landscapes • Body art and dressing up with natural materials • Large scale sculptures

Global perspectives Vibrancy is the energy which we bring to life Embedded Living: involves appreciating our place global matters; our responsibilities and our despair at what is happening to the planet. Our collective human situation impacts on all our psychologies, but also collectively humans are caught in the same patterns of avoidance and grasping as individuals are.

Naikan for the Planet Naikan is a Japanese therapy, generally used for life review. Here we can adapt the method to ecological enquiry: Taking the traditional Naikan questions, we can ask ourselves: • What has the Earth given to me? • What have I given to the planet? • What trouble have I caused to the planet?

Contact Details Ecotherapy Training & Psychotherapy Courses Contact: Tariki Trust 12 Coventry Rd Narborough LE 19 2 GR courses@tarikitrust. org www. buddhistpsychology. info Brazier, C Ecotherapy in Practice: A Buddhist Model will be published by Routledge, August 2017