Unwinding Stress in the East Bay Hills: Ecotherapy, Polyvagal Practices, and Brainspotting in Nature

I’ll be the first to admit it: I spend too much time staring at screens. Between client notes, emails, and the endless pull of my phone, I sometimes notice my body humming with a nervous energy that doesn’t feel like mine. My eyes strain, my breath shortens, and my nervous system feels like it’s on high alert even though I’m just sitting still. Last month, after yet another evening of scrolling far longer than I intended, I felt the call to do something different.

So, the next morning I left my laptop behind, pulled on my well-worn boots, and wandered into the East Bay hills. The dirt trails, the scent of eucalyptus and bay laurel, and the open sky above gave me exactly what my body was craving. As I walked, I let myself slow down. I paused to feel the texture of bark under my fingers, to notice the sound of hawks overhead, and to let my inner bohemian, barefoot, hippie self roam free. My body softened. My breath deepened. That subtle hum of screen-stress faded, replaced with something much older and wiser inside of me: a deep sense of belonging.

This is the medicine of ecotherapy—remembering that healing is not confined to an office or a chair. When we step outside and allow ourselves to connect with the natural world, our nervous systems reorganize in profound ways. The polyvagal theory tells us that safety and connection are the foundation for healing. Nature offers both in abundance: the grounding rhythm of our feet on earth, the gentle sway of trees reminding us to regulate, the vast sky helping us expand beyond our worries.

As a trauma-informed somatic mindfulness therapist, I weave this wisdom into my work. Brainspotting and EMDR are powerful tools to access and resolve trauma held in the body and brain. When practiced outdoors, these modalities gain another layer of potency. A client once described how focusing on a “spot” while watching the sunlight filter through oak leaves helped her unlock emotions she hadn’t been able to reach indoors. The environment itself became a co-therapist, holding her gently while she processed.

Mindfulness and ritual deepen this connection. Simple practices like creating a small earth altar from stones and leaves, pausing to breathe with a tree, or offering gratitude before beginning our work can help us shift into presence. These rituals are not about perfection—they’re about intention, giving our nervous systems a clear signal that it’s safe to soften, explore, and release.

For those of us living in the Bay Area, we are blessed with hills, trails, and shoreline that invite us to remember who we are beneath the busyness. If you, too, feel the weight of screens, the pressure of doing, or the confines of traditional talk therapy, I invite you to step outside with me. Together, we’ll blend the science of trauma healing—through Brainspotting, EMDR, and polyvagal-informed techniques—with the timeless medicine of the natural world.

Sometimes the most profound healing begins not with words, but with bare feet in the dirt, a deep breath of fresh air, and the courage to let yourself just be.