Areas for Futher Study
A First-Person Study on the Effects of Ecotherapy, Ritual and the Witness on Developing Coping Skills for Posttramatic Symptoms
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This is a section from my master’s thesis from 2016. You’ll find the index for the entire thesis here.
The friendship between Carmen and me was changed by both my symptoms and the process described in this study. While I do not believe friendship is necessary for the work done in these pages, this has yet to be tested — and I’m eager to bring this method into clinical practice for future research.
This particular combination of ecopsychology, Authentic Movement, and current research on trauma pathology has great potential and deserves further exploration in the field.
I believe the order in which the interventions occurred was important—not only for my own personal needs, but also for the underlying pathology of trauma:
Air came first, and breath is one of the most effective tools for calming fear and activating the parasympathetic nervous system available outside of psychopharmacological methods (van der Kolk, 2014). Beginning with Air allowed this technique to ground the work from the start.
Fire came next and addressed human connection, anger, and sexuality at the apex of the process. This allowed two more interventions to follow, reinforcing safety and integration after the potentially destabilizing work of Fire.
Water built on trust in community through safe emotional expression. It affirmed the value of slow, gentle healing.
Earth grounded the process with a sense of stability and rootedness, leaving me with a living, growing reminder of the changes I had made in my life.
The order appears so clearly therapeutic that it may seem planned in advance—but it wasn’t. I chose the element week by week, based solely on what I felt I needed in the moment. Often, I couldn’t explain the choice beyond “I just knew.” That instinctual knowing, repeated throughout the process, speaks to an innate healing capacity we each possess. Time and again, my instincts prompted me to do or say exactly what I needed.
As I look toward further research and adaptation of this methodology with clients, I find myself torn between two instincts: the desire to preserve client autonomy in shaping their own rituals, and the desire to follow a pattern which I believe was healing and effective. This tension is one I cannot resolve through this study alone—it must be further explored.
I also question whether the work must follow a four-element model at all. Another participant might identify with a different system of elements, potentially shifting both the symbolic meanings and the structure of the timeline. Future studies may offer insights into how these frameworks can be personalized while still supporting therapeutic depth.
If this had been your study, how would you have adapted it? Would you choose different elements, a different structure, a different path? Share your reflections in the comments or subscriber chat. This reading still sometimes touches something tender in me. If it does for you, too, know you're not alone.
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