EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND ECOTHERAPY 53
Basic tenets of ecotherapy
The practice of ecotherapy draws from the theoretical ground
of ecopsychology and receives inspiration from numerous other
environmentally conscious historians, philosophers, poets and
writers such as David Abram (1996, 2010), Per Espen Stoknes
(2015), Maurice Merleau-Ponty (2013), Thomas Berry (1988,
1999, 2009), Joanna Macy (1991), Arne Næss (1973), Mary Oliver
(1992, 2005), Wendell Berry (1983), Gary Snyder (1990), Terry
Tempest Williams (2001, 2008) and many others. From their work
we emphasize three main tenants of ecotherapy: reframing pathology,
reciprocity and resilience.
REFRAMING PATHOLOGY
A rich body of interdisciplinary literature supports Hillman’s
premise that pathology is not only individual but also ecological
(see e.g., Roszak 2001; Stoknes 2015). This literature challenges the
premise that psychotherapy exists to serve the individual, couple or
family in a private setting through introspection and intrapsychic
processes. Ecotherapy recognizes that our dis-ease as humans often
stems from living a life that is disconnected and out of harmony with
the natural rhythms instinctive to us as human animals. The Hopis call
our way of life koyaanisqatsi , crazy life, life out of balance (Hill, Malotki
and Black 1998). The bifurcation of mental health from our larger
ecological system is evident in our ways of diagnosing pathology. Of
the nearly 300 diagnoses listed in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric
Association 2013), only seasonal affective disorder acknowledges
any influence from the environment. Yet we know that many sleep,
anxiety and depressive disorders that pathologize the individual
actually have their roots in a way of thinking and living that is
ultimately not sustainable.
Many studies now attest to the therapeutic benefits of spending
even small amounts of time in nature. Improvements in self-esteem
and physical health and decreases in depression, stress and fatigue
were observed among participants in a study who had access to, and