NATURE-BASED EXPRESSIVE ARTS 121
In the therapy field, we often speak of vicarious trauma, but we
also know that when we hear stories of clients’ strength, perseverance,
and growth through adversity we experience a sense of vicarious
resilience (Hernandez, Gangsei and Engstrom 2007). Similarly,
when we hear stories of species threat and loss and environmental
degradation, we may experience vicarious eco-trauma. Through
stories like those of the pink lady slipper, however, we experience
vicarious eco-resilience, a connection with our own abilities to
navigate change, loss and threat. The following personal story is one
such example.
A personal story
During my separation and divorce, I (Melia) survived by reclaiming
an overgrown and neglected garden space at the cabin I rented
during my doctoral studies. I set boundaries, putting up tall fencing,
and constructed new containers to hold life, creating raised beds.
These beds I filled with fertile soil and seeds that would feed me—
greens and radishes, tomatoes and peppers, squash and eggplant,
potatoes and beans. Between the boxes, I laid brick and painted a
bench that would become my place of meditation in my growing
garden. Daily, I visited the garden, tending to the chores of weeding
and watering. I asked for and accepted help when I couldn’t do the
work alone. Everything grew, and this neglected place, which had
been percolating with metal and trash, now fed me. I shared the
harvest with my neighbors and fed myself well with fresh whole
foods. Often, I was visited by a deer who had lost a leg after being
hit by a vehicle. That spring, against all odds, she had a baby. In
the wildlife preserve where we lived, we both found sanctuary
and a hidden wholeness that emerged amidst loss. The growth and
resilience I saw in my garden and in the deer weaved their way
into my poetry and became a touchstone of strength as I moved into
the unknown, informing my personal journey as well as my clinical
work, as illustrated in the following story.