EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND ECOTHERAPY 55
other creatures. In 1973, he introduced the concept of deep ecology
to the environmental movement. Deep ecology is based on a respect
for nature, the inherent worth of other non-human beings and
experiencing ourselves as humans as a part of the living Earth.
Extending Næss’s ideas into the social sciences, poststructuralist
philosopher and psychoanalyst Félix Guattari (1996) articulates an
interdependent and interconnected circular relationship between
environmental, mental, and social ecology. He suggests that these
systems naturally and necessarily influence one another, creating
complex rhizomatic relationships that cannot be separated and must
be considered as an interconnected whole to ensure the health of
the world. He advocates for an “ecosophy” (p.264) that would link
environmental, social and mental ecology.
RESILIENCE
Resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to change or
disturbance in a way that resists damage and promotes recovery.
Disturbances may be from the natural environment or anthropogenic
in origin. The Earth teaches us that, when threatened, it has the innate
capacity to restore equilibrium, reorganize and adapt to change. In
ecotherapy we recognize that humans have access to the processes
of renewal and resilience of the natural world. Working and living
close to the Earth reminds us that we are subject to the same rhythms
of birth, growth, decay and death found in the cycles of nature.
Witnessing the renewal and resilience of nature connects us to our
own storehouses of strength to navigate threat, stress and change.
Toward a nature-based expressive arts
In a larger sense, all expressive arts work is nature-based. All the
materials of artistic making, whether clay, skin, stone, paint,
instruments of music or the body itself, come from the Earth. All
creative expression begins with our presence with the sensory
experience of the body. We see nature as the inspiration and the
model for our understanding of creative process, and we view creative