Love Thy Nature
How Nature Enhances Our Well-Being
A 2-part workshop conducted by Paula Hartman-Stein, Ph.D.
Thursdays Aug. 26 & Sept. 2, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Join psychologist, author, and teacher Paula Hartman-Stein for a 2-part workshop exploring the power of nature and awe to enhance our spiritual wellness. Both parts of the workshop will take place online via Zoom video conferencing. During Session 1 on Aug. 26th, participants will view and discuss the award-winning documentary “Love Thy Nature.” In Session 2 on Sept. 2nd, Dr. Hartman-Stein will conduct an interactive workshop on the theme of nature-inspired awe and its power to enhance our overall wellness, including our spirituality. A detailed description of each session and registration information follows.
The cost for this special event is only $15 per person. Registrations are now being accepted HERE.
Session 1 (2 hours): In this virtual session we will view the 76-minute documentary, Love Thy Nature, released in 2016, described below:
“Narrated by Liam Neeson, Love Thy Nature points to how deeply we’ve lost touch with nature – and takes us on a spellbinding journey through the beauty and intimacy of our relationship with the natural world. Neeson is the voice of “Sapiens” (our collective humankind) who, in the past few hundred years, has come to believe that we have transcended nature. Yet, experts uncover how a new era of nature-connection might be dawning: “Biomimicry” scientists look to the natural world for cutting-edge inventions, social ecologists unveil how nature restores communities, and doctors are finding new ways in which nature heals the body, mind, and brain.
“The winner of 27 awards, Love Thy Nature soothes our urban angst with the dazzling spectacles of our world, showing that a renewed connection with nature is critical to our personal health…and Sapiens’ journey reveals how a relationship with nature ignites a sense of meaning and wonder so profound that it touches us at the very core of what it means to be human.”
Following the film, moderator Paula Hartman-Stein, psychologist and educator, will lead a 30- minute discussion of the film.
CLICK HERE to register
($15 per person; all materials included)
Session 2 (2 hours): During this interactive virtual session, Dr. Paula, who has led intergenerational expressive writing groups in nature settings for over 10 years, will spend the first hour reviewing how nature contact increases attention, improves mood, enhances creativity, and helps us solve problems. She will also illustrate through examples of narratives written during her writing groups the deepening of spirituality that can occur.
The second hour will be a discussion of “awe” experiences, spiritual connections, and insights participants have had during their own nature experiences.
Paula Hartman-Stein is a nationally recognized psychologist, educator, and journalist for the newspaper, The National Psychologist. She has used narrative psychology techniques and has combined “the power of the pen” and “Vitamin N for Nature” by conducting intergenerational writing workshops in nature settings to enhance mood, creativity, and spiritual connections. She is the founding director of Center for Healthy Aging. In 2020 Dr. Paula, her husband, and adult son moved permanently from Northeast Ohio to Western NC, drawn to the beauty and awe they felt from nature in this area.
Images courtesy of Felix Mittermeier on pexels.com (above) and lovethynature.com (below).
