Ecosystemic nature-based art therapy: Portraits from the 'Book of Nature'.

The article focuses on ecosystemic nature-based art therapy, a practice that integrates art therapy with direct engagement in natural ecosystems to foster psychological healing and ecological awareness. Set within an inner-city community garden, this approach invites participants to create art inspired by the dynamic, seasonal changes of the garden, facilitating a deeper recognition of humans' interconnectedness with the natural world. Drawing on philosophical concepts such as Spinoza's pantheism and Naess's deep ecology, the practice challenges anthropocentric views and promotes a decentering of humans in favor of reciprocal relationships with other life forms. The therapy emphasizes the therapeutic potential of nature's patterns and cycles as metaphors for human experiences of change, loss, and resilience, while addressing the estrangement many urban dwellers feel from the environment. Through qualitative, heuristic methods, the work highlights how nature can act as a co-therapist, supporting both individual and ecological healing.