Greetings from Lockdown!
An unprecedented world event is unfolding as we prepare this spring issue of the EEAI newsletter. We live with not knowing what are the outcomes. We experience this separated from others. Some are fully alone; some are in isolated clusters. In Ireland we live though this strange time blessed by the most uncharacteristic glorious spring weather, a balm for those with gardens and balconies, a cruel twist for those who have none. People seek green spaces for our allowed exercise. Everyone seems to be growing vegetables. We are returning to our farming roots in this time of uncertainty, where the lifespan of a radish, from seed to plate is as much forward planning as we seem able to undertake. Seed potatoes are the new must have item.
Therese and I have spoken about the changes unfolding around us in our personal and private lives. I have noted that many people are doing very well with the removal of ‘normal’ life routines. Time is relative. Anxieties are lessoned, people are living in the now and being grateful for small things. Commute time is now family breakfast, or zoom mindfulness classes. People have adapted quickly and innovations abound like mushrooms after rain. Fears on the horizon are shelved for another day. I did not expect this newfound contentment in a circumvented life but I am happy to see it, as I am also conscious of the unwitnessed grief and loss. It is an ill wind that blows no good, but it is an ill wind nonetheless for many. We will come together one day, to celebrate and to grieve, but for now it is very individual, and very hard and lonely for some.
I invite you all to sow your own seeds of hope and future, and to reach out to others in this seed share. Practically, we do not know what shortages the future may hold, but under the surface of this distance our thoughts meet and intertwine like the roots of a great forest. We are joined even as we stand alone. Stay safe, stay positive and stay in touch.
Thank you to all our contributors, and thank you to you our supporters. I look forward to the great gathering that will be, but for now we share our thoughts.
This edition of the EEAI newsletter was compiled by guest editors Catherine Rountree and Therese O’Driscoll of the EEAI, and published by Aidan Ring, our regular newsletter coordinator; thanks to them and to all who have contributed
News
The EEAI hosted a gathering on the symbolic Hill of Uisneach in Westmeath on January. Twelve people travelled to the meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to look critically at the EEAI and refine and define its aims. The committee for EEAI was agreed for the coming year and roles and volunteer positions were decided. Membership levels were reviewed to try to meet the needs of the burgeoning and diverse membership and ensure that EEAI remains both inclusive of diversity of training and needs in the field of Ecotherapy and maintains high professional standards that can reassure prospective therapist members and potential clients seeking ecotherapy.
The group looked at how EEAI can meet the needs of the public and of professionals seeking to practice from an ecological perspective. Working as a mental health professional offers unique challenges to the individual therapist and EEAI was seen as a potential forum for peer support and professional development across disciplines, with all linked by common beliefs in Nature as a resource for healing, individual growth and the therapeutic process. Therapy in nature facilitates the engagement of both the cognitive and the somatic, allowing a complete process for therapist and client.
EEAI is also seen as a venue for offering information to the public about ecotherapy in Ireland and sourcing of therapists for potential referrers and clients. The ongoing dialogue looked at these diverse needs, asking if and how the association and its website can meet these different needs.
It was agreed that questions such as refining the remit of EEAI and its aims is part of an ongoing dialogue, which was planned to continue across the year. All agreed that meeting in places close to nature was key to the process.
These face to face meetings are currently on hold in light of the current health crisis, but other areas discussed on the day are progressing such as an overhaul of the website. Watch this space!
It was a glorious day in January, blessed by sun and the group took a walk around the Uisneach complex, appreciating the views and sensing the presence of the hill and her history. This being with the place was different to most other AGMs conducted in stuffy hotel rooms and separated from the surrounding landscape, and this difference inspired a lively and reflective conversation.
If you would like to contribute to this ongoing process please contact EEAI. Special thanks to all who attended in January and who shared their photographs from the day.
Events
Dr. Rosie Burrows of Queens University, Belfast, will be hosting an online, virtual fireside chat on Wednesday, April 29th.
Research & Development
In terms of our own continuing commitment to Research & Development here at EEAI, we are delighted to offer a contribution from our esteemed colleagues in Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, entitled ‘Calming the Storm‘. Laura Allen, Courtney Crim, Jonathan King, Ellen Barnett & Benjamin Sosnaud are currently conducting research into how nature can benefit the minds of university students in dealing with the stress and anxiety of academia. The results will be published in our next newsletter or as soon as available.
A Time to Reflect: 3 Pieces for your enjoyment
We are proud to announce that the EEAI Spring Newsletter 2020 is featuring three reflective pieces contributed by various parties. The first is by Rosie Burrows PhD, at The University of Belfast, and is entitled ‘Reflections on a world pandemic: nature as a positive source’.
The second, from our guest editor of this newsletter Therese O’Driscoll, explores the similarities between a certain invasive plant and COVID-19; click the title to read about ‘Questions from Ground Elder on the arrival of COVID-19’.
The third piece was supplied by Helena Gleeson and is entitled ‘Personal Reflections on a World Pandemic, Nature as a Positive Source, the Solution’. We hope you enjoy and find inspiration from the minds of our practitioners.
Reading Recommendations
For this edition, our special guest editor Catherine Rountree shares with us some of the books which she has found to be the most stimulating and enlightening on her trajectory in the world of ecopsychology. Click here to read about reading.
We sincerely hope that our dear readers are finding ways to cope with the unprecendented circumstances in which the human species finds itself. To this end, we hope that the content of this newsletter provides some solace, insight or direction regarding how we can all empower ourselves and each other to effect change and appreciation for nature within ourselves and our communities.
The Team.
eeai | Interim Committee