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Nature as Teacher & Healer Retreats

Wilderness experiences fostering connections, inspirations, self-renewal and strengths. Small full day 2-3 day retreats in the mountains of beautiful Colorado, my home since 1979.

Next Event: September 30, 2021

This special Nature as Teacher and Healer day is an optional add-on day to the 4th Colorado HSP Retreat held in Ft. Collins, Colorado, September 27, 28, 29, 2021
Full Retreat Information
Registration Form for Nature as Teacher Only

What do ‘day camping,’ Elaine Aron, and September 30, 2021, have in common?

Well… for one, day camping is something I have been doing, much like Elaine, for many years. I love her description of the special days in nature she enjoys.

A lightweight backpack filled with nurturing food, snacks, water, and of course, my 3 lb hammock is all that is needed to enhance my self-care for a deep sense of solitude and peace. One of my HSP gifts is being aware and sensitive to subtleties. This gift offers me a multitude of sensory delights including sight, colors, sounds, smells, and touch, while I read, rest, nap, process, or journal. Of course, living in beautiful Colorado, I am blessed to know of places that are not too crowded, especially during the week.

And did you know that research shows those who spend at least two hours per week in nature report feeling a great sense of good health and psychological well-being?

This is only one of the many reasons I am pleased to invite you to join me on the optional Nature as Teacher & Healer, which is an add-on day to the 4th Colorado HSP Retreat here in Ft. Collins.

Besides the joy and comfort of being with other HSPs, here are just a few of the benefits you will receive from spending an entire day in nature with me and other highly sensitive people.
  • enjoy your own special place of solitude, hopefully with your own hammock, and choose hiking, exploring, napping, journaling, and joining in our small group discussions
  • an experiential eco-psychology process where you will learn how to foster a deeper connection with Self and nature
  • using all your senses, learn how to be open to receiving guidance, wisdom, and solace from nature
  • gain a great appreciation for our planet, maybe even become a climate change advocate, if you aren’t already?
  • experience a sense of self-renewal that only nature can provide
  • return home feeling inspired, enriched, and perhaps spiritually renewed

FAQ

Yes. Right now, I hope to contain the number to 6 – with the possibility of adding a couple more if need be.
Meet at the retreat house at 9:30 am. We will be driving to a natural area only about 25 minutes from Ft. Collins. Most likely, since it will be a weekday, our group may be the only visitors. There is plenty of space for each of us to create separate, yet not too far apart, places of solitude. to create our own special nest in nature in which to rest, reflect, process, write, nap.

10:00 – 11: 45 am  Arrive, set up and create your own individual nurturing space of solitude in which to rest, reflect, process, write, nap.  Engage your curiosity and sense of adventure to get comfortable with your surroundings and to explore with a one-mile radius of our community meeting place. Be thinking about “what wants your heart’s attention” and what wisdom you might hope to receive from your special connection and full day in nature.
See below for what to bring.

Noon – 12:45 pm: Lunch on your own or within our group

1:00 -2:15 pm: Begin our Nature as Teacher & Healer exercise with small group discussion about the Nature as Teacher & Healer exercise.  Optional sharing of what wants your heart’s attention.

2:15 – 3:30-3:45 ish pm: Reconvene with our group, sharing what we have learned from our connection with nature

3:30 – 5:00 pm: Free time to continue exploring

5:15 pm: Depart back to Ft. Collins, dinner on your own, or with the group ?

Ideally, I am asking that you bring (or purchase) a light weight hammock as the main comforting staple for your day camping adventure. You will also need a soft, light weight (yoga type) blanket, small pillow if you have one. You will need a day pack, journal, good walking shoes, rain gear (just in case), your own lunch, snacks, lots of drinking water, sunscreen, lip balm, hat (optional), and any other things of comfort you might want/need that will fit into your day pack. If you will not have a hammock, please do bring a yoga mat or two which you can use in conjunction with a picnic table to make a nice spot for yourself. I will have two extra chairs for someone to borrow if need be.
Yes. Transportation is limited to four people in my husband’s truck. Hopefully, there will be others with a car who can share transportation as well.
You must be in good health and willing to sign a waiver acknowledging the risks of being in the nature, away from cell phones, etc. You will also agree to sign a check out/in sheet if you choose to hike away from our main community meeting area.  It is perfectly fine and safe to hike on the designated trails or along the river.  The check out/in sheet is just a precaution to protect the integrity and comfort of our group, and to prevent anyone from becoming lost — something no one wants to experience, let along the distress this would cause the group.

Yes, however, space is first reserved for those who have attended the 3 day retreat.

Yes. The Black Powder Trail is 0.8 miles and climbs steeply to an expansive view of the Poudre Canyon. The Overlook Trail is 0.3 miles and it climbs steeply to a beautiful ridgetop. There is also access and saunter along the Poudre River which should be flowing quite slowly in September.  You can also hike to Seaman Reservoir, owned by the City of Greeley, Colorado which is about 1 mile from via a flat, scenic dirt road with a short climb at the end.  

Registration Form for Nature as Teacher
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© 1999 – 2021 Jacquelyn Strickland. All Right Reserved
© 1999 – 2021 Jacquelyn Strickland.
All Right Reserved
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Depth of Processing

Depth of processing is the most basic aspect of our SPS trait, and results in the deep, rich inner life most HSPs experience. Research has shown more brain activation in the prefrontal cortex and in a part of the brain called the insula which has sometimes been referred to as the ‘seat of consciousness.’ This creates the tendency to reflect more than others about the “way the world is going or “the meaning of life.” By integrating information and experiences, from both past and present, the HSP’s unique depth of processing can enable a sense and understanding of longer term consequences and may be able to influence future decisions with more creative and expansive thought.