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Glacier's End, by Dick Miller
Nature as Therapy
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: May 20, 2021
Shawndra Miller
It’s mysterious and profound, accessible to all. Nature heals, whether through a tree outside a hospital window or through full-on forest bathing.
The growing field of forest therapy brings structure and support to this experience through the support of certified guides. Christy Thomson is one such guide. The Huntington resident has taken countless people into the woods since becoming a Certified Forest Therapy Guide. She traveled all over the world in her former role as retreat planner for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Though 2020’s travel restrictions changed that aspect of her work, she now offers retreats and walks both in Indiana and elsewhere.
She particularly enjoys partnering with land trusts to take people out to nature preserves, where they can encounter a living, breathing ecosystem. She’s also led walks in botanical gardens and public parks. She’s offered outdoor experiences to groups of caregivers, cancer survivors, teachers, children and nature lovers of every stripe. Wherever she goes, whoever the clientele, the common denominator is a sense of quieting the mind.
She says, “For me that’s where the biggest value will always be: knowing how to access that mindset by getting the body involved and mind turned off. Forest bathing is an easy-access mindfulness practice.”
In possession of a mind “that moves way faster than it should,” Christy herself benefits from the quieting practices she teaches. For example, she guides forest bathers to slow their movements and deepen their breath. “Just walking slowly gets the brain slowing down,” she says. “If the body’s moving slowly, the brain will slow down too.”
“Forest therapy walks are about mental health,” she says. But unlike in conventional talk therapy, this kind of therapy isn’t generally about verbal expression. Words aren’t needed to find shifts through nature immersion. Often, Christy leads a retreat group in creating mandalas or paintings. She may give them time to create something with sticks and rocks and leaves and flowers. Creating an external representation of what they have experienced can open the door to more self-understanding.
Christy Thomson
With an educational grounding in both environmental science and theology, Christy doesn’t pretend to have answers, but she knows how to ask questions and listen. “The forest is the therapist,” she says. “I’m just a guide.”
Along the way, emotions come up from pride to joy to grief. But gratitude is always there.
Christy incorporates a land acknowledgement into these outings, honoring the indigenous people who originally stewarded the land. “That is really powerful for people who have not come across that,” she says. “When I started this practice, that was not part of my life. We’re farmers. The land was central to our life, but we never thought of who we stole it from, basically. It’s a beautiful practice because it feels like there’s gratitude imbued into it.”
“There’s no way to get through a walk without feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the land,” she says. “It’s such a powerful teacher.”
Find Christy on Instagram @wildcommunion or through her website, www.WildCommunion.org.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
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