ABSTRACT
The authors commonly associate the changes with interactions between people – the healer and the “healee”, for example – or with spiritual events, as in Lourdes. But their research with lay people, suggested that nature was another important factor in their understanding of healing. The importance of both art and nature for healing were particularly well-known to many ancient civilizations and are still very important to some Indigenous people, whose healing practices make extensive use of them. For example, shamanic healing rituals in South America and elsewhere often take place in the natural environment, and involve drumming, dance and artistic adornment of those involved. In addition, nature and art are both being used therapeutically in the West. There are some specific examples that fit the disease model of health in which we are embedded.
