Nature Based Therapy

40 Hours. One Eye. A Lot of Learning.

Today I completed my EMDR Training for Social Workers (Combined Level 1 & 2) — 40 hours of professional development focused on trauma recovery, healing and resilience.

What makes this achievement particularly meaningful is that much of the training occurred while I was navigating a serious eye infection, a corneal ulcer, hospitalisation, daily treatment and ongoing vision challenges.

As someone who is always curious about the connections between mind, body and experience, I can’t help but reflect on the symbolism of the eye.

Eyes help us see the world around us, but they also shape how we see ourselves, our experiences and our future. EMDR is a therapy that helps people reprocess traumatic memories, often allowing them to see past experiences through a different lens. It feels more than a little interesting that while learning a therapy centred on processing and perspective, I was also dealing with a condition affecting my physical sight.

I don’t know exactly what meaning there is in that, but I am curious about it.

This experience has reinforced the importance of slowing down, adapting when life requires it, and trusting that growth can still occur during challenging seasons.

I’m excited to continue developing my skills in EMDR and integrating trauma-informed approaches into my work across mental health, wellbeing, nature-based therapy and holistic care. I look forward to using these skills to support people in improving their quality of life, strengthening resilience, and creating new possibilities for healing.

Just as importantly, I value EMDR as a pathway for my own ongoing personal development and reflective practice. The best practitioners never stop learning, growing and doing their own work.

For now, I’m grateful for the learning, grateful for the healing that is slowly occurring, and grateful for the reminder that sometimes our greatest insights come when life invites us to look at things differently.

🌿👁️✨