Ecopsychology in Practice: How Nature Shapes Our Health, Behavior, and Everyday Well-Being
- Justine Ferland
- Apr 5, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Why Ecopsychology Matters Today
Ecopsychology at its core, is about the connection between humankind and nature. It is the bridge between both ecology and psychology. In a world that moves faster each year, many people quietly feel it: the nervous system stretched thin, attention pulled in twelve directions, and a subtle sense of disconnection from place, season, and self.
Ecopsychology offers a different path. It reconnects health with nature. It helps people ground their energy, sharpen their presence, and rebuild resilience through everyday contact with the natural world.
At SEELEDU, this isn’t a theory. It’s a practical system for well-being rooted in behavioral science, somatic awareness, performance coaching, and integrative coaching principles.
What Ecopsychology Really Is
Ecopsychology sits at the intersection of ecology and psychology. It examines how our inner life: attention, emotion, identity, and behavior is shaped by the environments we inhabit, and how we in turn shape and connect with our natural environments.
The World Health Organization highlights four pillars of health: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Ecopsychology supports all four pillars of health and becomes most effective when translated into daily practice through an integrative coaching approach:
reduce stress and restore baseline
feel grounded and connected
increase sensory awareness
regulate energy and mood
build meaning and belonging through place
. However, Ecopsychology as a whole goes beyond individual healing to encompass a broad cultural scope. It also looks to redefine and re-imagine society’s current relationship with nature, asking participants to critically think about their interactions with nature, implications of consumerism, materialism, and environmental exploitation. Ecopsychology understands that the needs of the planet are the needs of the person, and the rights of the person are the rights of the planet (Roszak, 1992). It is both a personal practice and a cultural lens:How do we live well with the natural world?How do we reconnect in ways that support both human and ecological well-being? Much like roots of a tree, ecopsychological practices overlap and intertwine into other fields. You will see ecopsychology using mindfulness and contemplative practices such as meditation and introspection; sensory awareness; animal human connections; environmental action; environmental education; restoration; cultural and native practices; sustainability; de-commercialization and relocalization (emphasis on local practices and decreasing global consumerism); gardening and horticultural work; wilderness therapy; shamanism; wilderness rights of passage; ecotherapy; and ecoart (seasonal celebrations, festivals, use of natural materials etc.)
The SEELEDU Approach: Nature as a Health & Performance System
SEELEDU integrates ecopsychology with somatic practices, behavioral principles, mindfulness, and performance strategies through the SEELEDU integrative coaching framework:
somatic practices
behavioral principles
mindfulness and presence training
performance strategies
ecopsychology, nature-based coaching, and place-based learning
seasonal rhythms and sensory awareness
For us, nature connection is not a luxury. It is a practical, grounded way to regulate the system, sharpen attention, support performance, remind people of who they are beneath the noise, and further recipricol relationships with our larger world. Much of this work unfolds in the landscapes of the Schwarzwald, where quiet hills and seasonal rhythms support deep restoration & attunement including our Waldhexen retreat experiences.
Three Core Ecopsychology Practices at SEELEDU
These practices form the backbone of integrative coaching sessions designed to support regulation, presence, and long-term wellbeing.
Ecotherapy: Mind–Body–Nature Integration
Ecotherapy is one of the primary applications of ecopsychology. It supports the total mind–body–spirit relationship and has been shown to improve well-being across conditions such as stress, depression, hypertension, and post-traumatic experiences.
More importantly, it gives people space to reconnect with themselves through:
mindful presence in nature
gentle somatic grounding
sensory awareness
restoration and energy regulation
community or shared experience outdoors
contemplative walks, slow hikes, or simply sitting in stillness
How does this look in practice?
Since there is no one definition of eco-therapy it can look a lot of ways! It can look like a conservation project, gardening or farming, practicing mindful moments in nature, cultivating sensory input, spending time with others in nature and processing your experiences, relaxation, somatic practices in a natural setting, adventure therapy including white water rafting, caving, or climbing, wilderness therapy such as overnight camping and expeditions, and much more. Sessions can follow a set structure and others can be more informal; it all depends on the type of work you are doing, who you are doing it with and their experiences in the field.
SEELEDU Practice Tip
A simple grounding practice you can use today! Choose one natural anchor: breath, horizon, wind, a tree and hold your attention there for one minute. Let it be enough.
Using the principles of positive and client-centered psychology, ecotherapy-related techniques have been shown to be effective in medical disorders like hypertension, obesity, post-surgical recovery and psychosocial conditions like depression, stress reduction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder (ADHD) and adjustment disorders (Chaudhury, Banerjee 2020) .
Animal assisted work
Animals have a profound impact on human nervous systems and health. Research shows that interactions with dogs can:
lower blood pressure
reduce stress and anxiety
release endorphins
strengthen emotional connection
improve attention and social confidence
(Schuck, 2020)
Animal-assisted work falls into two broad categories:
Animal-Assisted Interventions
Relaxed interaction with animals like feeding, caring, & spending time in their presence.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Targeted sessions supporting social, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral goals.
A good handler is equally important: attuned, experienced, and deeply bonded with the dog.
At SEELEDU, this partnership is central. You may meet our beloved black Labrador, Utahraptor- the “world’s only therapy dinosaur.”He supports us through:
emotional grounding
executive function skill work
behavioral strategies
empathy development
somatic awareness and nervous system regulation
relaxation practices
SEELEDU Practice Tip
Spend 30 seconds noticing how your body shifts when you imagine (or see) an animal you trust. Soften into that response.
Did you know: visits from dogs help reduce blood pressure, lower anxiety and stress levels, reduce perceptions of pain and stimulate the release of endorphins, which makes people feel good? This is especially important for those who are feeling lonely, isolated or depressed. Canine companions also trigger similar neural pathways to the parent-baby bond (Stoeckel, 2014)!
Hoes does animal assisted work look at SEELEDU?
First of all, it is important to note, that no animal assisted work is done if you are uncomfortable with it! That goes for all work, we work with you to find the right solution for you.
Environmental Education & Nature Literacy
Ecopsychology also includes nature literacy- understanding ecosystems, plants, animals, seasons, and our place within them.
This is not only about ecological knowledge. It’s about developing your sense of belonging, identity, awareness, and responsibility core themes of embodiment explored in retreats
Environmental education encourages people to:
develop sensory relationship with local landscapes
learn seasonal rhythms
understand the impact of consumption
reconnect with simple, grounded daily practices
restore a sense of stewardship and care
How This Looks at SEELEDU
Workshops may explore:
plant knowledge and foraging basics
beekeeping and pollinator support
creating community gardens
land tending and seasonal practices
Waldbaden and sensory immersion
sustainable habits and local living
Ecopsychology in Action at SEELEDU
The majority of our work blends multiple ecopsychological approaches into a single, holistic experience. Examples include:
Wilderness experiences in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
Winter care and safety training
Green mindfulness and sensory walks in the Schwarzwald
Gardening and land stewardship projects
Animal-assisted interventions
Community education & local nature literacy
SEELEDU supports individuals, teams, and communities through integrative well-being and performance coaching that draws from:
behavioral psychology
somatic practices
mindfulness and presence training
ecopsychology
lifestyle medicine
nature-based approaches
seasonal frameworks
This work supports people in showing up with more clarity, energy, emotional steadiness, and grounded confidence.
Work With Us
Final Reflection
Humans heal and function better in connection- with nature, with community, with rhythm, and with ourselves. Ecopsychology offers a pathway back to that connection. In Erich Fromm's words “I believe that man is the product of natural evolution that is born from the conflict of being a prisoner and separated from nature, and from the need to find unity and harmony with it” (Schwachhofer, 1965); ecopsychology bridges the separation of man from nature, fostering their mutual relationship!
SEELEDU helps you walk it intentionally, whether through performance coaching, somatic awareness, animal-assisted practices, or restorative experiences in the forest.
Nature regulates us. Nature strengthens us. Nature reminds us.
Author & Photographer: Justine Ferland
Justine Ferland is a psychologist, educator, and integrative health and wellbeing coach with over two decades of experience supporting people in cultivating resilience, performance, and grounded daily practices. Through SEELEDU, she blends lifestyle medicine, somatic awareness, and nature-based wisdom to help individuals strengthen presence, energy, and everyday wellbeing. All photographs in this article were taken during her own outdoor practices and seasonal fieldwork.
References
Chaudhury, P., Banerjee, D. (2020). Recovering With Nature”: A Review of Ecotherapy and Implications for the COVID-19
Pandemic. Public Health, 10 December 2020
O'Haire M.E., Guérin N.A., Kirkham A.C., Daigle C.L. (2015). Animal-Assisted Intervention for Trauma, Including Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder. HABRI Central Briefs.
Roszak T. The Voice of the Earth. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster (1992).
Schuck, S.E.B., Johnson, H.L., Abdullah, M. M., Stehli, A., Fine, A. H. & Lakes, K. D. (2018). The Role of Canine Assisted Intervention
on Improving Self-Esteem in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 08,
November 2018
Stoeckel, L. E., Palley, L. S., Gollub, R. L., Niemi, S. M., & Evins, A. E. (2014). Patterns of brain activation when mothers view their own
child and dog: an fMRI study. PloS one, 9(10), e107205. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107205
Schwachhofer R. Credo 1965: Gedichte. [Kreis der Freunde]. Relief-Verlag-Eilers (1965).
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