Nature Therapy

My choice is clear.
I am stepping slowly
Into the quiet open land beyond.
There are no roads, no maps, no guides.
There is no insurance coverage, no training school.
Edible vegetation is sparse.
Rain trickles down my back
As I fumble with reed to make a hat.
Through the mist
I catch a thread of song
And rise to see a band of barefoot sisters
Approach with open arms.
With nothing more than faith and grace,
Our dance has just begun.
-Kirstin George

At Holos we believe that a holistic path of healing on the levels of mind, body, and spirit includes a personal and intimate connection with the natural world. Soul is reflected in nature. Our program offerings are carefully designed to encourage a deepening relationship with the wilderness that exists both outside and within our humanity. Our intention is to restore balance, harmony, inspiration, and imagination by attuning to the transformational cycles, energies, and seasons of nature.

In a unique and new program at Holos, lead by both licensed and intern therapists, we offer mindful excursions into local wilderness areas for both half and full day experiences. These are small group experiences that are carefully constructed to provide a meditative, reflective and ritualized encounter with beautiful natural landscapes. The intent of these experiences is to restore one’s natural balance, relax the body and mind, and let the beauty that surrounds us begin to heal the psyche. The actual experience can be a very gentle walk or a vigorous and challenging exercise. Our nature therapy program has half day on-going groups, all day workshops, and entended wilderness excursions.

Friday Afternoon Medicine Walks
In this on-going group, we will meet in the beautiful landscape of Tennessee Valley in Marin County with the intention of developing a personal and intimate connection with the wilderness that exists both outside and within our deepest selves. These medicine walks are physically non-strenuous and include elements of facilitated group sharing as well as some solo time working with a healing intent. The small group experiences are carefully designed to provide a meditative, reflective, and ritualized encounter with nature. Together, we will explore the richly varied terrain of how nature reflects the qualities and movements of the human soul through the seasons.

These 3-hour excursions are lead by licensed and intern psychotherapists who share a passionate commitment to holistic paths of healing. The group meets approximately every 2nd and 4th Friday afternoon of each month, from 3-6pm. Groups will include a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 12. We welcome those interested in a single session as well as those interested in a series.

"call for dates and details"

Fee: $55 per session; sliding scale available.
Pre-registration is required.
To register, please call Holos Institute events at 510-287-8816.
Upon registration, further details will be given.

The Healing Journey
Cultivating the Wisdom of Body, Psyche, and Spirit

"A six day residential intensive set in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of Northeastern New Mexico"

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

26 ceus available for MFT, LSCWs, and LPCs (BBSE ce provider # 2610)
Ocamora Retreat Center
Ocate, New Mexico

This land-based retreat, held in a beautiful and remote setting in the mountains of northeastern New Mexico, offers a return to natural rhythms and to our own inner landscapes. Recognizing the time-honored need for quieting the mind, it offers a safe and supportive setting for reconnecting with the inherent intelligence of the body, psyche and spirit.

This retreat will incorporate the powerful practices of both Grof Holotropic Breathwork and the time-honored shamanic journey in which we will seek out the healing influences of animal and spirit guides and cultivate the power of inner vision. Our deep journey experiences will be supported and enriched through the use of council, mindfulness practice, self-expression through art and writing, guided time in nature, and sacred ritual. The intention is to listen to the subtle wisdom of Spirit, awaken our creative spark, and discover ways to embody this inner knowledge in everyday life.

This retreat will be of value to those interested in personal regeneration, enhanced creativity and wellness, and heightened
spiritual awareness. It is an excellent adjunct to therapy, as well as a powerful method of self-care for helping professionals.
Theoretical material related to the psychotherapeutic application of both the ‘transpersonal’ perspective and shamanic world view will be included.

The Setting:
OCAMORA is a 265-acre retreat center nestled in a high valley on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo range in northern New Mexico. It occupies a mile-long valley composed of irrigated agricultural and lightly forested land, beautiful pastures, creek, year-round spring, organic apple orchard and garden, abundant wildlife, and mountain wilderness. For over 20 years Ocamora has offered its extraordinary landscape as a retreat, meditation, and educational center during the warm and stunningly green summer season. The facilities, built around a 100 year old ranch complex, offers guests an intimate and homelike experience in a setting of charm and rustic elegance. Ocamora is located two hours northeast of Santa Fe and an hour east of Taos.

Retreat Leaders:

Jan Edl Stein, MFT, is the director of Holos Institute and a Jungian oriented psychotherapist with a deep interest in ecopsychology and the healing power of spiritual practice. She leads workshops and retreats in meditation, shamanic journeying and shamanic psychotherapy. She has taught at numerous venues including the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Sonoma State University, and the Grof Transpersonal Training program. Jan has maintained a private practice for over 18 years in San Francisco and Marin, which includes clinical supervision, individual and couples psychotherapy. Her spiritual explorations include a long involvement in the yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Vipassana meditation, and shamanic traditions.

Diane Haug, LPCC is a licensed mental health professional and certified practitioner of Grof Holotropic Breathwork. Her background includes a decade of working with adults and children dealing with life-threatening and terminal illness, as well as a seven year cycle living alone in a wilderness setting. Her intimacy with the natural world has informed her interest in shamanism and the the wisdom traditions of earth-based cultures; she has a wide variety of experiences with healers from North America, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. As a senior member of the Grof Transpersonal Training staff, Diane currently teaches GTT training modules including Shamanism and The Art of Integration. She is currently an adjunct faculty member with Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For more information as well as registration information, please download [The Healing Journey] PDF file

The EarthWays 2008 Calendar:

Holos Institute is pleased to be collaborating with Earthways
in presenting more extended nature programs. EarthWays sponsors a variety of programs and Vision Quests dedicated to Rites of passage work and to restoring our relationship to the living earth.

A list of 2008 Earthways propgrams are listed below. For detailed information, inquires and registration please contact Earthways directly.  http://www.earthways.info

MARCH

Women Weaving Wisdom: Turning The Stories of Our Lives into Gold
A Sacred Circle for Women 50 and Older
Series of  3 Sundays, 3 - 5 pm
March 2, 9, 16 in Sebastopol
$75  for series

Relational Presence With the Earth
Saturday, March 22,  8am-4pm
Sonoma County Wilderness
$95 - 65

APRIL

Ordinary Magic : Bringing Earth-Based Rites of Passage into Everyday Life
Sunday , April 13, 2:30 - 5:30 pm in Sebastopol
$35 - 25

MAY 

Reflections from the Earth: A Day Quest
Saturday, May 3 , Dawn -5 pm
Prep Meeting Friday , May 2,  5:30-7:30 in Sebastopol
DayQuest location will be a wilderness area of Sonoma County
$125

Embodied Speaking : Using Our Body Experience of the Four Natural Elements to Cultivate Relational Presence
Saturday, May 17, 10am - 3pm in  Cozy Sebastopol Country Home
$95 - 65

JUNE

A Year of Heartful Living: The Four Seasons of Your Heart
A 10 Month Group beginning June 19, ending with a DayQuest
Two Thursdays a month , 5:30 - 7:30 pm in Forestville 
$50 per meeting

JULY

The Great Giveaway: Telling Our Stories Through Our Listening Hearts
Friday, July 19, 9am - 5pm at Ocean Song Wilderness Center
$125 - 100

SEPTEMBER

A Harvest Moon Vision Quest
Turning Towards the Soulful Depths
September  11-14 , Sonoma County Wilderness 
Prep Day  Sat. Sept. 6 , 9am - 2pm  in  Forestville
$450 - 325

Reflections From the Earth; A Day Quest
Saturday, Sept. 20 , Dawn -5pm
Prep Meeting Fri. Sept. 19, 5:30-7:30pm in Sebastopol
DayQuest location will be a wilderness area of Sonoma County
$125

OCTOBER

Earth Dances: A Ceremony of Creative Movement with the Natural World
Saturday, October 4, 9am - 5pm
Sonoma County WIlderness
$100

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