Listening to the Inner Landscape

In nature-based and somatic therapy, we often pay attention to the outer world, the land, the seasons, the weather. But there is also an inner landscape that lives within us. This inner terrain is shaped by our experiences, relationships, and survival responses. It holds places that feel open and steady, as well as areas that feel tight, guarded, or worn down. Like nature itself, this landscape is alive and constantly responding.

Somatic noticing is the practice of slowing down and listening to this inner world through the body. Instead of analyzing or fixing, we sense. We notice texture, temperature, movement, or stillness. Anxiety might feel like wind moving quickly through the chest. Grief may feel heavy, like damp earth. Calm might feel like solid ground beneath the feet. These sensations are not signs that something is wrong, they are information, offering guidance when we’re willing to listen.

In ecotherapy, nature often becomes a mirror for this inner terrain. You might notice that part of you feels like a dense forest, protective, quiet, hard to access. Another part might feel like a riverbank, shaped by years of pressure but still holding its form. When we approach our inner experiences this way, with curiosity rather than judgment, the nervous system often softens. There is relief in being met instead of managed.

A brief guided pause

If it feels okay, take a moment now.

Let your eyes soften or close.
Notice where your body is supported by the chair, the floor, the ground beneath you.
Bring gentle attention inward and ask, What does my inner landscape feel like right now?

There’s no need to search for an answer.
Simply notice what shows up first, a sensation, an image, a sense of space or constriction.
You might imagine this experience as a place in nature. Let it be exactly as it is.

Stay with this noticing for a few slow breaths.
When you’re ready, gently return your attention outward, bringing this awareness with you.

You can return to this kind of noticing anytime, while sitting outside, on a short walk, or during a quiet moment in your day.

Healing doesn’t always come from doing more or trying harder. Often, it comes from listening differently. When we learn to relate to our inner landscape the way we might walk a trail, slowly, attentively, respecting natural boundaries, change happens in its own time. Trust builds. The system begins to settle.

If this way of working resonates and you’re longing for deeper, more grounded support, I invite you to schedule a free consultation. Therapy can be a space to slow down, reconnect with your body’s wisdom, and gently explore your inner landscape with care, respect, and at your own pace.