Workshop “The tree of life”

AdventureTherapyEurope

ReachingFurther–StrategicPartnershipsupportedbyErasmus+

BE_The_Tree_of_Life.docx Page1of10

LynnVanHoof&NadiaVossen–NATURE(Belgium)

Workshop“Thetreeoflife”

1.Whatisit?

Thisistheworkshopweprovidedfortherestofthepartnershipgroupduringoursecondmeetingin

TheNetherlands.

A:Visualizationexercise(exerciseofgrounding)

1. Sitorstandcomfortablyandcloseyoureyes.Takeadeepbreathandletitoutslowly.Ifyou

want,youcanputyourhandonyourbelly.Andasyoubreathin,youfeelthatyourbelly

expands,getsbigger….asyouslowlybreathoutyoufeelyourbellygettingthinner.Repeat

thisforseveraltimesasyoufeelyourbodyrelaxingmoreandmore…

Concentrateyourawarenessaroundyourcenterofgravity,inthemiddleofyourbody.

Visualizeaseedorsaplingthere,readytotakeroot.Becomeawareofwhereyourfeetare

connectedtotheearth,andimagineyourselfasthesaplingyoungtree,takingrootthrough

yourconnectiontotheearth.

Asyoubreathin,feelyourselfgatheringyourenergy,andasyoubreatheout,letyourroots

digdeeperintothesoil.Theytunneldownandspreadoutastheygrow.Feelyourself

connectingwiththedirtandstonesandeventhewatertable,deepbelowyou.Witheach

breath,pushyourrootsalittlebitfurther,gently,becauserootswillfindtheirwayaround

andthroughanyobstaclesthatpresentthemselves.Asyougetdowntothebedrock,feelyour

rootstouchthestones,andconnectwiththeveinsinthestonesthemselves,sothatyour

rootsgodownintotheverybones,thecenteroftheearth.

Pausethereforamomentandletthatconnectionstrengthen.Letwhateverisbotheringyou

flowdownandoutintotheearthandbediffused,anddrawupfromyourrootswhatever

energyandsustenanceyouneed.Feelthestabilitythatyourrootsgiveyou,sothatyouare

balancedandsteady.

Now,whenyoutakeabreathin,drawthatflowupintoyourself,intoyourtrunk,andasyou

breatheout,starttoputoutleavesandbranches.Breathein,andfeeltheenergyoftheearth

combinewithyourown,tofeedthosebranches,andasyoubreatheout,feelthemgrow,

reachingupthroughthesky.Letthemdivideandspread,sothatsomearethickandstrong,

andothersendindelicatetwigsthatswaysmoothlyasthewindblowsthroughthem.Feel

yourleavesseekingoutthesun’senergy,orthemoon’s,orboth.Thatenergyflowsintoyou,

andmingles,mixeswithwhat’salreadythere,strengtheningyourtrunkandfeedingyouall

thewaydowntoyourroots,too.

Restthere,lettingtheenergyflowintoyouandthroughyou,lettingitnourishyou,healyou,

andreplenishyou.

Whenyou’reready,gentlydrawyourrootsandbranchesbackin.Youcandothisby

visualizingthemshrinkingbackintoyouasyoubreathein.Youknowtheywillalwaysbe

there,andthatyoucanextendthemagain,andconnectwithyourenvironmentagain,atany

time.Fornow,letthemretractintoyou,sothatyougraduallybecomeawareoftheshapeof

yourownbodyagain.

2. Whenyou’reready,youturnaroundfacingtheoutsideofthecircle.Keepyoureyesclosed

andtrytostayincontactwithyourselfandinsilence.

B:Solo

…Receivethefollowinginstructions:goonalittlesolowalkhereintheenvironment,onthebigfield

weareonandsearchforatree(oraspot)thatremindsyouofyourchildhood.Atreethattriggers

somethinginyou,touchesyouinsomewayorfeelsfamiliar……thatremindsyouofhowitwasfor

youasachild.Youwalkaroundandyoutakethetimetofindyourtreethatconnectswithyouand

yourchildhood(withthisinstruction:creationofanatmosphere).Whenyouhavefoundthistreeyou

getacloserlookandfindaspot(sitting/lyingdown/…)whereyougetagoodimage,animagethat

touchesyouinsomeway.Seewhatcomestoyourmindwhensitting/lyingthere.Takethetime.

Whenyou’redone,turnyourattentioninsideandseehowyoufeel.Trytocreateanimagethat

matchesyourfeelingofthismomentwithnaturalmaterialsthatyoucanfindinyoursurroundings

andplaceitnexttothetree.

Youcantakemoreorlessabout40minutestimeandwhentheDRUMgoes,youcomebacktothe

circle(maybegentlyusingthedrumatthatmomentsothattheyrecognizethesound..).

C:Showingpartnersyourtree+writingexercise

Whenthedrumgoes,comebacktothecircle–insilence.Thereisacandleinthemiddleand

everyoneiscalmandsilent.Instructionsaregivenoftakingyourrightneighborsothatyoupairup

withanotherperson,thentoblindfoldonepersonoftheduo.Theotheronetakeshimtohisspot/

tree.Whenarrived,hecantakeoffhisblindfoldandyoutellhimeverythingaboutyourspot.Tellhim

howyoufoundit,whichthoughtscametoyourmind,whichassociationsyou’vemade,whatisthe

storybehindit,howyoufeltandwhy.Thepartnerlistenscarefully.

Whenthestoryisfinished,yourpartnerwilltellyouwhattouchedhiminyourstory.Hewillalso

changesomething/addsomethingtotheimageyouhavecreatednexttothetree(withoutknowing

whatitis).Youdon’tneedtotalkaboutthechangingoftheimage,justfeelwhatitdoestoyou.

Afterthis,eachpersongoesbacktotheirowntree,takesapenandbookletwithhimandopensthe

envelope.Therearesomewritinginstructionsinit:writealetterfromtheperspectiveofthetree(or

thespot)towards:

• thechildthatyouwere

• thepersonyouarenow

→youcanchoosebetweentheselasttwo,whateverfeelsmosthelping/supportiveforyou

Whenyouhearthedrumyoucansaygoodbyetothetree.

D:Sharinginthebiggroup

Gobacktothecirclefacingeachother(andsitdown).Whowantstosaysomethingabouttheir

experience?Whowantstoreadoutloudhis/herletter–intheirownlanguage?Whatdoesthisdo

withhim/her,withthegroup?Whatdoyouneed?

E:Endinggame

Shakeyourbody,yourarms,legs,neck,head,…Thenformacircleclosetoeachother.Putyourtwo

handsintheairandturn90degreestotheright.“Andthenwesay:‘WelldoneNadia’”Whilst

rubbingtheupperarmsofthepersoninfrontofyou(inacaring,lovingway).Thenagaintwoarmsin

theairandturn180degreestotheleft.“Andthenwesay:‘WelldoneSusana’”Whilstrubbingthe

upperarmsofthepersoninfrontofyou(inacaring,lovingway).Thenagaintwoarmsintheair,

facingthemiddleofthecircle.Last,butnotleastwesay‘WelldoneLynn’(toyourself,inthesame

2.Whoisthetargetgroup?

Upuntilnowwe’vedonethiswithyoungadults,adultsandfamilies.Butwe’vealsousedsomeparts

oftheworkshopwithyouth-at-riskandwithYouthatriskandtheirfamily.Youshouldsimplifyalittle

andnotgiveallinstructionsatonce.

3.Whoarethetrainers/educators?Whataretheircompetences?

Therapistswhodon’tneedanyspecificoutdoorskills.

Trainersneedtobeabletocreateareflectivespaceandtoslowdowntheparticipants.Theyneedto

begoodatfacilitatinggroupprocessesanddiscussionsaswellastheindividualtherapeuticprocess

oftheparticipants.

Trainersalsoneedtobeabletoexplainsafetyissuesandguidelinesregardingwheretowalk,whatto

wear,whattobringandtherulesofleavenotrace.

Foragroupofmax.14participants,onetrainercanbeenoughtofacilitateit,althoughtwomightbe

moreinterestingregardingthegroupfacilitation:ifsomethinghappenswithaparticipantandthe

othertrainerneedstoleave.

4.Whatkindofmethodologiesdoyouuseinthisworkshop?

Influencesfrom:

• Experientialandclient-centeredtherapy–Intheexerciseandinthecoreconditionsofthetherapist(seeG.referencesfromRogers):congruence,empathy,unconditionalpositiveregard

• Emotion-focusedTherapy–Inthereflectionofthesharingpart+inthequestionsasked• Systemic/contextualtherapy(biographicalwork)-Ifyouconnectwithchildhood,it’s

importanttohaverespectforexistentialloyaltytotheparentsandfamilyandfor“relationalethics”inthewayyoureflectandhandlethoseissues.

• Groupdynamicsandgrouptherapyingeneral(forthesharingpart)

5.Whydoyouusethispractice?

Becausethissequenceofactivitiesfacilitatesandgivestheopportunitytostandfacetofacewith

yourselfthroughthemetaphorofthetreethatislinkedtoyourownchildhoodandlifenow,withthe

opportunitytohealemotionalissues.Standingfacetofacewiththetriggeringtreeyourchildhood

andlifeappearsandcrystalizesitselfinthetree:intheformofthetree,thesmellandevery

sensationthatyoufeelinthatmoment.Sometimesgoingbacktochildhoodisneededtohealinthe

hereandnow.Butit’snotjustdiggingintothepast;itismakingthelinkwiththepersonyouarenow

andinrelationtoothersandusingthegroupasamutualhealingsource.

Ofcoursewedon’tusethesameworkshopeverytimeagain.Youadaptittowhatisgoingoninthe

group.

Soitisagoodcombinationbetweengroupprocessesandspaceforindividualtherapeuticprocess.In

betweenthereisthepossibilitytoshareissuesandthemesabouttheirchildhoodfirstinasmaller

group.Thisstepbeforethegroupsharingpart,maycreatemoresafetytosharefeelings.Laterthey

canshareitinthebiggroup.Challengebychoiceisobviouslyveryimportantforthisactivity.

Alotofouryoungstersorevenadultsrushthroughlifeandthroughtheprogramswithouttakingthe

timetoslowdownandevenstandstilltobemoreawareandfeelwhatisgoingon.Thesolowiththe

treegivesthemtheopportunitytofocus(withoutdistractionbyothersandotherinputchannels),to

stoprunning,toencounterthemselves,takethetime…

Participants,especiallyvulnerableyoungsters,haveoftennotonlylostconnectiontotheoutside

world(andtonature)butalsotheconnectiontotheirowninnerworld.The‘solowiththetree’can

helptheminanindirectwaytocomeclosertowhatreallymatterstothem/whatkeepsthembusy

bydescribingsomethingoutsideofthemselves(nature/tree).

Feedbackfromyouthatrisk(12years)showinghisspotwithtreetohisfamily:“inmychildhoodI

havetwokindsoftrees:abunchofdeadwoodalmessedupandchaoticandbesideaverybeautiful

tree.ThisishowIfeelaboutmychildhoodbutthisisalsohowitgoesinourfamily:wehavevery

goodandconnectedmomentsandwehavealsoalotoffightsandthenit’samess”.“Iwouldliketo

buildtogetherasafamilystrongfoundationfromthemessywood,sothatwecanliveinharmonyas

afamilyandthat’swhyIthinkweneedhelp.”

6.WhataretheAdventureTherapycomponentsinthisworkshop?

Thisactivityisalwaysimbeddedinalarger(adventure)therapyprogramandisatitsbestwhenthe

grouphasgonetogetherthroughawholeprocess,notatthefirstdayswhentheyarestillinthe

groupdynamicphaseofinclusionortoomuchfocusontheinfluenceandroles.Thereforwedoit

moretowardstheendofaprogram,butwithenoughspaceafterwardstoprocess.Offcoursewe

putemphasisontheexperientiallearningphilosophyof“challengebychoice”.Keepinmindthe

gradingprinciple.Youdotheexerciseatthemomenttheparticipantshadthechancetogradeupto

thestep.

Wetrytocreateatherapeuticenvironmentlinkingnaturalelementsastrees,air,wind,…toissues,

moments,emotionsinyourlifeconnectedtochildhoodissuesthatyouwantto,youchoosetoletgo.

Itprovidesaframeandaplaygroundtoactivateemotional(dysfunctional)schemesandgivesan

opportunitytotakeasteptowardsachangeinmorefunctionalschemes(wheredoyouwanttogo

to).Giventhefactthatyoucanonlychangeanemotionalschemewhenitisactivated.Thisactivity

hasthepotentialtogiveafertilesoilforchange,fortheprocessofactivationandfacilitationofthe

creationofnewandfunctionalschemes.Everyparticipantcanlinkhisownpersonalsignificanceinto

thetree.Youcanhelptheparticipantsto‘grade’thechallengetotheirlevelofengagementand

readinessforaction(upgradedowngrade).Theroleofthefacilitator,therapistisveryimportant:in

guidingtheclientandthegroupthroughthisprocess.

Thefactthatyoualsoincludeotherparticipantsinpartsoftheactivity(duos,groupreflection)can

provideastrongconnectionbetweenthem.Theyareactuallypartofthestoryofyourchildhoodtree

andtheprocessoftheonethatisfacetofacewithit,andcanbea‘sourceofhelp’intheindividual

healingprocesses.Thefactthatyoualsoincludeotherparticipantsinframinga“challenge”andthat

youreflectbackonthesolo,sharinginpairs,writingtheletterwiththewholegroup,providesa

strongconnectionbetweenthemandmakesotherparticipants‘co-facilitators’inallindividual

processes.Thegroupcansupporttheparticipantintakingthechallengeandreactingonwhatthe

participantbrings.

Firstthroughthevisualizationexerciseyouopenagateofgroundedself-awareness.Thenyoustart

tousethatverystrongMetaphoriccomponentofthetree.Itisveryimportanttocreateasafespace

andtakeenoughtimetobeableto“contain”emotionalreactions.Somescreeningbeforecanbe

recommended(suicidal,psychoticreactions…).

Itisanactivitythatbringstheclientsintoasituationofstretch.Itisimportantthatthetherapist

recognizesanddistinguishesstretchfrompanic.Becausewhentheparticipantentersinpanic,

he/shewillnotlearnandgrow/healanymore.

‘Findyourtree’hasthepotentialofun-doingaprojectionlinkedtochildhood.Weallmake

projectionswhenwe‘project’somethingweourselvesfeeluncomfortableaboutonsomeoneor

somethingelseorevenonagroup.Itcanmanifestitselfbyfeelingirritationtowardsthatperson/

thing,byfeelingexcessiveadmirationorsometimesevenbyhavinganinappropriategoodfeeling.

Thetreegivestheopportunitytogetawareofthepossible(mostlyunconscious)projection

participantsareinvitedtomakeonthetreethat‘touches’them.Byaskingquestionsaboutwhat

‘strikes’them,theprojectionmightgetclearer.

Thetreecanalsoprovideaframethatcanactivateemotional(dysfunctional)schemesandhasthe

potentialtobeamotivatorortriggertowardsa(wishto)changeinmorefunctionalschemes(where

doyouwanttogoto).

References

Peeters,Luk:FromAdventuretoTherapy:Somenecessaryconditionstochancethetherapeuticoutcomesofadventureprogramming.“Processing-in-action-model”

Vermeylen,K.(2010),“Livingattheboundary”*Growthcircles&edgeworkasamodeltofacilitateexperientiallearningprocesses.OutwardBound®Belgium,Leuven,non-publishedarticle

Hovelynck,J.(2003).Movingactivelearningforward.Keynotepresentation.30thannualAEE

Conference,SaintPaul,Minnesota,November2002.InTheJournalofExperiential

Education.2003,Volume26,NO.1,pp.1-7.

Nadler,R.,Luckner,J.(1997),Processingtheexperience.Strategiestoenhanceandgeneralize

learning.Dubuque,Kendall/Huntpublishingcomp.,418pp.

Geysemans,Kristof(2010):Groupdynamicprocesses:Putonyourglasses:differentwaysoflooking

atandusinggroupdynamics

Rogers,Carl(1961).OnBecomingaPersonISBN0-395-75531-

Xhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/039575531X

Rogers,C.(1957)‘Thenecessaryandsufficientconditionsoftherapeuticpersonalitychange’,Journal

ofConsultingPsychology,21(2):95-103

Rogers,Carl.(1959).ATheoryofTherapy,PersonalityandInterpersonalRelationshipsasDeveloped

intheClient-centeredFramework.In(ed.)S.Koch,Psychology:AStudyofaScience.Vol.3:

FormulationsofthePersonandtheSocialContext.NewYork:McGrawHill.

Rogers,Carl(1980).AWayofBeing.Boston:HoughtonMifflin

Elliott,Robert;Watson,JeanneC;Goldman,RhondaN;Greenberg,LeslieS(2004).Learningemotion-

focusedtherapy:theprocess-experientialapproachtochange.Washington,DC:American

PsychologicalAssociation.ISBN9781591470809.OCLC52554018.

IrvinD.Yalom&MolynLeszcz:TheTheoryandPracticeofGroupPsychotherapy.5thEdition2005.

Greenberg,LeslieS(2015)[2002].Emotion-focusedtherapy:coachingclientstoworkthroughtheir

feelings(2nded.).Washington,DC:AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.

ISBN9781433819957.OCLC903873710.

FriedmanM.(red.)(1996).‘RelationalethicsinContextualTherapy.Commitmenttoourcommon

future’,MartinBuberandtheHumanSciences.NewYork,StataUniversityofNewYorkPress,

Boszormenyi-Nagy,I.&B.R.Krasner(1986).BetweenGiveandTake.AClinicalGuidetoContextual

Therapy,NewYork,1986.

Authors

LynnVanHoof(°1987)

Psychologist,TrainerandAdventureTherapistatNATURE

(www.nature.be),BelgianATICrepresentativeandcoordinatorofthe

EuropeanATpartnershipproject‘ReachingFurther’

Workingwithvulnerableyoungstersandadultsinanoutdoorsetting

since2010.

LinkedInLynn//lynn@nature.be

NadiaVossen(°1976)

Contextualpsychotherapist,familyandcrisiscounselorwithyouthat

riskandAdventureTherapistatNATURE(www.nature.be)

Workingwithvulnerableyoungstersandtheirfamilysince1999and

inoutdoorandexperientialsettingssince2012.

nadia@nature.be

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