Nara Wellbeing

13/02/2026

Gentle journaling prompt:

- What did your caregivers get right?

- What did you need more of?

12/02/2026

Somatic therapy visuals

10/02/2026

Have you ever wondered how your upbringing affects your relationship now?

It's not about rehashing the past, but understanding the patterns!

27/01/2026

I will be opening a few more slots after February half term, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Please PM if you're interested.

£50 per session online
£55 per session in the forest/outdoors
I'm not currently taking in-person/in-office sessions due to room availability, but have a waiting list for Monday morning in-person sessions.

05/09/2025

Nature—and water—heal us in more ways than you might expect. A landmark study by Berman, Jonides & Kaplan (2008), “The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature” (Psychological Science), found that even just viewing images of natural environments can restore attention, reduce stress, and uplift mood.

But there’s more: research from UC Davis by Richard Coss & Craig Keller demonstrated that gazing at a calm body of water—like a pool or creek—for under two minutes leads to measurable reductions in heart rate and blood pressure, along with increased feelings of relaxation.

Then there’s the soothing science behind the Blue Mind Theory—popularised by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols. This concept explains why being near, on, or even just looking at water can shift us into a tranquil, meditative state by calming the brain, promoting involuntary attention and boosting feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin—while dampening stress hormones like cortisol.

So, when real outdoor time isn’t possible, try this: surround yourself with leafy visuals, water images or even nature soundscapes. Let the “green” calm your mind and the “blue” reset your body and mood.

15/07/2025

Interesting new research shows that even multisensory VR can reboot your brain and lift your mood. No excuses for anyone to not engage with nature these days!

www.

25/05/2025

When I started my company 5 years ago there was only one page on the Island that used 'wild' in their title. Time moves on and there's been a huge boom in outdoor practitioners on the IOW and you can barely open Facebook now without coming across "wild" something or other, so I knew it was time for a change. I wanted a name that represented all the parts of my work, both as an Integrative Counsellor and as a Wilderness Therapist.

What is !Nara?

!Nara (pronounced with a click, as if tutting "tse"nara, but we'll just go with Nara ;) ) is a plant found in the Namib desert. It is a spiky melon-like ground plant that looks foreboding, but provides sustenance and accommodation for a variety of desert creatures and historically for the Topnaar or !Aunin Khoisan people.

Much of my love of the outdoors comes from a childhood spent in the Namib desert, so it seemed fitting for me to return to my roots - specially as I have a real interest in attachment and inner child work in therapy.

I also love the symbolism of something spiky and tough looking being really sweet, nutritious and life-saving. Not to mention that its taproots reach far underground for water, which stabilises the desert soil too, in the same way mindfulness and nature connection ground us.

The Topnaar have a beautiful relationship with this plant - they use it in ceremonies and rituals, especially a trance-like dance, where they believe their connection with their ancestors (attachment theory again!) brings physical and emotional healing.

I won't have you dancing or taking substances in a therapy session - not till it's legal, anyway - and !Nara seeds aren't hallucinogenic, but the trance dance is primarily a healing ritual and the rattles made from
!Nara seeds are part of the healer’s toolkit. The sound vibrations are believed to assist in channeling healing energy or "n/um" through the body of the healer.

Whether food, shelter or spiritual connection, the !Nara plant feels like the right fit for me, and naming my practice, with it's strong roots in outdoor therapeutic work, seemed like a good choice.

06/04/2025

Something to take into this week with you

04/04/2025

This term has been so busy, I rarely have time to post. Lots still going on though.

Someone asked me the other day why I offer foraging courses when I'm actually a counsellor and I replied that foraging to me is therapy. It's not talk therapy, but it's engagement with the outdoors, it's breathing in phytoncides and terepines which increase dopamine and serotonin in the brain. It's stilling your mind from all the noise; focusing in on small things. It's all the things we try to encourage clients to do in wellbeing sessions, but you get to stimulate a different part of your brain, learn something new and nourish your tummy too.

It's a different way to feel good.

Self-care isn't selfish, and there are different ways to care for yourself.

28/03/2025

Any therapists or counsellors here who'd like to participate in a 7-question survey about your own outdoor engagement?

It is generally accepted that ‘being outdoors’ is good for us, and many counsellors and therapists have taken their practice outdoors over the last decade. There is a plethora of research into the benefits of outdoor therapy for clients, but not much has been done about the benefits of being outdoors specifically for therapists.
I would like to invite you to participate in an anonymous survey where I will ask 7 questions about your current engagement in outdoor activities, whether you feel that being outdoors impacts on your own mental health, with specific regard to compassion fatigue, burnout and emotional burden, and if you do not engage in the outdoors therapeutically, what the barriers of this are to you?
The survey will run till the 31st of March 2025, whereupon the data received will be analysed and findings will be publicly available on on Instagram and on Facebook.
Thank you so much for participating!
This project has been reviewed by, and received a favourable opinion from Wight Counselling Training Institute.

I am currently undertaking my counselling diploma, as part of which I have to complete a research project. It is generally accepted that ‘being outdoors’ is good for us, and many counsellors and therapists have taken their practice outdoors over the last decade. There is a plethora of research i...

21/03/2025

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-is-nature-so-good-for-your-mental-health

Nature may make us happier and healthier because it inspires awe.

02/03/2025

Last week we had a woodland wellbeing session for parents and carers where we did some weaving as a flow state activity along with grounding, mindfulness and connection. We also ran a workshop at a conference for outdoor professionals, looking at metaphors in nature and how nature reflects our own self-beliefs and internal reality.

What a great way to spend time on self-care.