ABSTRACT
Introduction: In this paper, the author offers an overview of walking with sensuous presence as part of a wider methodology of eco-somatic Felt Thinking and considers its integrative benefits when working with children and young people in therapy. Practice: The practice is based on walking outdoors with a creative focus on engaging the nervous system in ongoing dialogue with the living environment, while the offered guidance helps to expand the sensual apparatus with listening, smelling, touching, and noticing. Outcomes: In the author’s experience, working with embodied receptivity has proven valuable in re-educating young people about their inner agency of choice, as well as in re-patterning their habitual ways of distancing themselves from the environment. Implications: The author further indicates that embodied participation is the key to functional integrity and emotional wellbeing; with its positive effects on how young people are able to integrate their perceptions and rebalance emotionally, walking with sensual presence provides an essential opportunity for more inclusive ways of therapeutic support, as well as for more caring engagement with the natural world.
