What is Natural Attraction Ecology?

The term Natural Attraction Ecology was coined by Michael J. Cohen, PhD, who has lived in nature for 50 years, researching the natural systems that connect us to the web of creation and which enable us to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially- in harmony with all of nature.  Mike Cohen's original nature-connection program, Trailside, was called "the most revolutionary school in America" by Robert Binnewies, Vice President of the National Audubon Society. 

From Dr. Cohen's article, "The Science of Natural Attraction Ecology: Educating, Counseling and Healing With Nature Through 53 Natural Senses" at http://www.ecopsych.com/kechnscience.html

"Natural Attraction Ecology is a holistic environmental process that explores and implements nature's blend of the ways of natural systems with the process by which we think.

Researchers in this science observe that by the time we are born, we have at least 53 natural senses that enable our thoughts and feelings to make sense so we may live in balance with Planet Earth and each other. However, to our loss, we have learned to overlook this inheritance. For example, most of us in Industrial Society have enjoyed a walk in the park or other attractive experiences in nature that have relieved our stress and/or cleared our thinking. Although we usually take this restoration for granted, the reason it occurs is because humanity is part of the web of life. In a natural area, gently connecting our natural senses with the grace of nature's balancing and purifying powers revitalizes the energies of our psyche.

We seldom learn that our body and mind consist of ten times more cells of other organisms than human cells; over 110 species live on our skin alone, our genetic makeup includes plant and animal DNA and every 2-7 years every atom in us is replaced by atoms from the environment.

Our thinking learns to omit that each atom almost entirely consists of space filled with natural attraction energies, that we and the world, almost 100 percent, consist solely of space filled with natural attraction energies. These attractions interconnect, bind and unify everything, including us. Our psyche registers them as 53 natural attraction senses. Natural attraction creates, sustains and recycles nature's perfection to health.

Throughout our lives the natural world becomes us and we become it. We are obviously part of Earth's web-of-life community, a seamless continuum of its flow through our body, mind and spirit.

The detrimental effects of our indoor lives excessively disconnecting us from nature's regenerative ways clearly shows that the global ecosystem is an important nurturing heart of our lives. What is also true is that in order to be part of any system, one must be in communication with that system. We seldom recognize that, as part of the global ecosystem, without using words, we biologically inherit the ability to communicate with it.

As noted above, Earth communicates with us, as part of itself, through the intelligent sensibilities of at least 53 natural senses. For example, our sense/sensation of thirst intelligently "turns on" to attract us to drink water, to make the global water cycle flow through and sustain us. In addition, when we have enough water, thirst reasonably "turns-off" and, in balanced ways, attracts us to stop drinking. Each of our additional 52 senses is a similar attraction intelligence. Besides the sense of thirst, our love for water, these senses include our love of community, reason and trust; aroma, place and consciousness; color, taste and motion; belonging, beauty, music and gravity along with 40 additional wordless natural sensory attractions. The web-of-life and we hold them in common while they hold us together in unity.

Let us pause here a moment, look at, or think of, a natural scene, or some alive member of nature, and, with awe, recognize that it has come into its perfection through eons of wordless natural attraction relationships that register in our awareness.

Significantly, on average, we are socialized to disconnect over 98 percent of our time, thinking and feeling from the satisfying guidance and restorative sensory callings of nature.

We suffer because we have learned to ignore or obstruct the peaceful and biologically balanced fulfillment of most of our 53 natural senses. This reduces our natural ability to make sense.

Our extensive loss of rewarding nurturance from nature's perfection leaves us wanting. We feel that we never have enough, or that we are enough. This spawns our excessiveness and other problems. We become destructively greedy, stressed, abusive, depressed and/or chemical and relationship dependent.

Nature knows how to sustain its optimums of life, diversity, balance, purity and cooperation. It does this without producing garbage and with a minimum of greed, abusiveness and isolation. Everything in nature belongs, including us. As part of nature, because we have these natural sensibilities we dream about living in their perfection.

In natural areas, Natural Attraction Ecology helps us apply a psychological science of nature-connected education, counseling and healing. It offers an "ecopsychology" or “ecotherapy” for many troubles that enables us to increase personal, social and environmental well-being. Through it, we reasonably reconnect our thinking to the healing flow of natural systems, in and around us. Backyard or backcountry, we learn to make genuine sensory contact with authentic natural systems. As exemplified by even a walk in the park, this empowers our thinking to help nature recycle any garbage or pollution that Industrial Society has dumped in our mind.

Barb Huning's individual sessions, classes and workshops are designed to help you restore your natural senses and revitalize your natural internal guidance system to help you make wise choices for yourself, and to reconnect you with the feelings of love and joy and freedom that are "business as usual" in the wilderness. 

Because we are a part of nature, our inner drive to feel this joy, to share it, to increase it, helps us to overcome our resistance and wariness about the wilderness within us.  As we begin to "touch in" to the wild places inside us,we discover that these places are the ones that we have always secretly cherished and protected in our deepest hearts.  Wonders never cease.