Forces of Nature programme

Many individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can feel overwhelmed in situations with high levels of sensory input. Examples of this includes being in crowds or in situations with complex sensory characteristics such as where noise or lights are intense. These difficulties appear to be related to subtle sensory processing changes where visual and auditory processing has been found to be substantially altered in PTSD. Changes in sensory processing are thought to be responsible for the feelings of hyper arousal and flooding that are often experienced.

Bearing this in mind, it is hardly surprising that we find individuals with PTSD living off grid in remote locations,  trying to avoid situations where they would experience sensory overload, and finding some relief by being out in the natural world.

Nature offers opportunities for gentle all round sensory experiences that are based in an environment that is generally well known to participants and many feel at home with. Therefore, nature can be a tool for helping those with PTSD come to some understanding of their own personal way of being.

The Forces of Nature programme is a six week programme where each week we focus on a different sense. Each workshop, or Quest as we prefer to call them, provides the catalyst for participants to become immersed in that sense at their own pace and to their own level.  The aim is for participants to start to develop their own self insights into their own way of being through a process of sensory mapping whilst feeling part of bonded group.

Sensory approaches are becoming increasingly popular in mental health interventions because they provide experiential opportunities for participants to develop self-insight into their own sensory experiences and learn to begin to heal the mind through the physical sensations of their body. These experiences help to contradict feelings of being overwhelmed, helpless and paralysed - as sensory experiences can help foster feelings of safety. 

The programme takes place in a group situation in different areas of outstanding natural beauty such as woodland, cliffs or beaches.  It is run as a closed group in order to help individuals network with people they may not know and begin to feel safe with in a social group. Each group contains ex members of the armed forces and also community members that are able to provide additional support if required. Many of the group members have personal experience of PTSD.  

Elements of Mindfulness are introduced at each Quest which provides for participants to practice this approach to help them deal with sensory situations that may feel overwhelming at any time in the future.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) medical pathway recommends trauma focused cognitive behavioural treatment for PTSD and states that there appears to be no convincing evidence for hypnotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, or systemic psychotherapy. However, NICE does identify the need for social support - which is an aim of the Forces of Nature programme.

Nature therapy provides for a nurturing, healing and trauma informed approach to PTSD as an adjunct to medically prescribed treatment.

For further information please feel free to contact Dr Kim Brown on 07922617479

What an amazing experience this week.  Nature Therapy CIC was nominated by person/s unknown a few months back for a Venus professional woman of the year award.  We were then fortunate to be counted as one of the semi-finalists.  Yesterday I was invited to the rather lush Langstone Hotel on Hayling island for the semi-finals to see who was going through to the finals in October. Me and my battered old Ka felt a bit guilty at parking out the front of this lovely hotel - especially in full view of the rather sexy VW beetle bearing the Venus Awards emblems with pride.

Being a self confessed cake addict and somewhat of an expert in the field, I was looking forward to the cream tea.  I was not disappointed and over jammy creamy squishly gorgeous scones and tea I enjoyed getting to know some of the other women.  My goodness they were all inspirational in their own way and I enjoyed hearing their stories.

The time came to make the announcements for the finalists and it was at that point I decided I really couldn't manage yet another scone as I suddenly felt quite nervous. My inner child was so excited she was rapt with anticipation, whilst the scolding adult in me was telling her to get a grip. My category is sponsored by Checkaprofessional.com and when their representative Lisa Beale called my name as one of the finalists I thought that inner child was going to really embarrass me by blubbing - complete with gulps and a snotty nose. The scolding adult was busy telling me that blubbing most certainly would not happen if this was a male awards ceremony!

I think the most incredible part about these awards is having others believe in you. From those that nominate you, through to those that 'judge' you. For all those times it feels like you are on a hamster wheel going nowhere but in circles, these awards show that other women understand that it is not always as easy as you try to make it look. When your are spinning all those plates, when you get the inevitable knock backs - these awards can provide you with the resilience you need to wipe off your mouth, kick away your doubts, look the world straight in the eye and feel genuinely grateful to the universe for the opportunities it has provided you with.

Zentangles are the ultimate doodle. When someone tells you they can't draw then invite them to doodle instead. Once they have outlined their doodle, they can then infill different sections with repetitive patterns. 

This act of repetitiveness can be relaxing and soothing, much like when you coloured in a picture when you were a child. Many artists who use this format report feeling they are in a meditative state during this process.

Zentangles are a mirror of  nature as they are created through fractal patterns. These are patterns that repeat in nature, but no two results are alike because the potential for fractal patterns appears to be limitless.

There are many different fractal patterns to be found in nature such as lightening bolts, crystals, mountain goat horns, leaves, and even our own DNA. But the most well known fractal pattern is that of a snowflake.  No two are the same despite the repeating patterns.

Zentangles show us that each of us is unique in our own way.  We each mostly have the same pattern of arms, legs, nose, personality etc - but no two of us are exactly alike.  We appear to be an infinite fractal pattern. Zentangles also teach us we can create amazing complexity just from simple rhythmic strokes.

This is a Zentangle I created based on an experience in my childhood of loss. Whilst loss has a pattern to it such as grief, pain and eventual healing -  no two losses are ever alike. This particular loss is one that has come back to guide me much later in life.

Bubbling is proving to be immensely popular. When bubbles are suggested as a nature activity in our visual workshops there are often concerns expressed about infantilising participants. However, there are very few people that fail to get in touch with their inner child once the bubbles start flowing. In the visual workshop, it is about how the bubbles capture the light and discussions can be had about their fragile transient beauty and all too brief lifespan. Bubbles create moments of mindfulness as you are captivated by their floating essence.  They are a metaphor for our own fleeting moments on this planet - shimmering in all our glory before we fade away and return to the earth.  For those few moments in time we can be a bubble.

To make your own bubbling wand just take two drinking straws, and a length of wool that is around ten times longer than the length of one of the straws.  Thread the wool through the straws and secure the ends together. 

There are lots of recipes for bubble making mixtures on the internet - but have a go at this one to start with and then adapt accordingly:

Water - six cups

Washing up liquid - half a cup

Corn flour - half a cup

Baking powder - one tablespoon

Glycerine - one tablespoon

Mix it all in together and then put the mixture into a plastic lunch box or similar. Dip your wand into the mixture and let it soak into the wool.  Then hold it aloft and watch your creations float away in a shimmery light haze.