ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses an eighteen-week environmental arts therapy pilot group with adult mental health clients, using both traditional art materials and nature as its primary mode of relating. A central theme which emerges is in relation to mother, the impact of hostile mothering and the group’s tentative connections to the Earth as great mother. The book considers the potential for trauma-informed environmental arts therapy to help reduce the pain and symptoms of clients suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, highlighting research that shows how childhood trauma and emotional suppression contribute to these conditions. It describes how the author set up COATS, the Community Outdoor Art Therapy Service in London, using urban parks and community gardens. The book explores the development of an elder women’s group working in and with woodland to explore and celebrate womanhood and aging.
