Laurel Vogel
Ecotherapist/Writer

Websites:

• http://mukilteocounseling.com
• http://mukilteocounseling.com/blog
• http://naturetherapyretreats.com/

Our busy, rushed, electrified way of being separates us from a true vitality that is at once energetic and restful. Research shows that access to nature greatly increases our capacity to heal, both physically and emotionally. Many of us are starving inside because of the lack of beauty and connection in our lives, the pace at which we live, and because the values we've embraced separate us from the healing that already surrounds us. It's as if we are living in a museum, peering through plexiglass at alien forms of life, and we are unable to fully see, hear, touch and experience the places we inhabit.

I work with clients to help them drop the barriers between themselves and the healing power of the natural world. We find ways to open up our heart and mind and body so that nature's harmony can pour into us--no matter where we may find ourselves.

My partner and I have developed several retreats that combine ecotherapy with emotion-focused therapy. Our clients report powerful effects from their experiences with us--we help them center in their body, uncover difficult to access feelings, and connect with themselves and others. We find that interactions with others and the natural world facilitate deep change and healing, and we use play, contact with nature, and compassionate communication to bring about these experiences.

Our couples retreat was so successful we are very excited about our next day long workshop at the Earth Sanctuary, and we need a few people to sign up and experience the powerful healing combination of nature, writing and emotion-focused group process.

As an undergraduate I studied intensively with an expert in Relational Therapy, Dana Crowley Jack (Silencing the Self). As I explored how psychological theory needed to expand from power relationships, I became more and more aware of how we are effected by our environment. I received my Master's in Ecopsychology and Writing (with focused study in Contemplative Psychology) from Antioch University, where I blended my love of writing with the practice of listening and attending. I mentored at length with my partner in emotion-focused relational therapy, and he and I wrote a book about this process. I also study Soto Zen with my teacher Norman Fischer, incorporating contemplative methods into both my writing and counseling practices. Recently I have decided to devote myself entirely to Ecotherapy practice and workshops.

I have been in private practice for 3 years, and before that I worked for several years as a counselor and advisor to my peers, and I have life experience that turns out to make what I do especially effective. I have facilitated workshops in Ecopsychology and Despair work, and in herbal medicine. I'm fairly well versed in alternatives methods of healing the mind.

My first book has just been published by Book Surge and is available on my blog (Currents Through Useless Bay), and at Amazon.com. In a Cradle of Words: Intimate Enounters in Relational Therapy. I am currently working on a book of poetry.