Healing & The Wisdom of Trees
In my office, I have a framed photo of a Bristlecone Pine tree. For many reasons, this photo has significance. It was taken by my daughter. Having this photo is both a way of connecting to her each day and it also represents my deep love of trees. It might surprise you to know that my first degree and career was in forestry conservation! While being a therapist may seem like a huge shift, believe it or not, there are some parallels. For me, both careers represent my deep care for the wellbeing of the earth and its inhabitants as well as my faith in resilience & transformation, which trees embody as they shift from season to season as well as navigate growing in many challenging environments.
The photo in my office may not seem all that impressive at first glance. The tree itself looks rather scraggly honestly. But with deeper reflection, there’s so much more than meets the eye. Isn’t this a perfect metaphor for all of us as humans? We are so much more than what has happened to us; so much more than the cracks and bruises.
In Native American traditions, trees are revered as the "Standing People"—sentient beings, teachers, and ancestral figures. They symbolize the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds– grounding us to the earth with their roots while stretching to the sky and the spiritual realm of higher consciousness with their branches. For me, trees have been important teachers and guides. They provide awe with their beauty and majesty and invite me to reach for more with their whispers and the gentle rustle of their leaves. They have also held the grief and celebration for the lives of my parents who have both passed (and whose memorials were held underneath the massive oak tree on their property) and have offered me quiet guidance and sturdy presence on many occasions.
I am always in search of accessing the deeper meaning of life, especially our places of pain and struggle. For me, nature and spiritual connection are ways I find this resonance. The spirit of the bristlecone pine in particular represents resilience, longevity, and endurance. As one of the oldest living organisms on Earth. with some trees living for nearly 5,000 years in harsh environments, its spirit teaches us how to thrive through adversity and find strength within.
This to me is the essence of true healing, where we move from surviving to thriving.
As an EMDR therapist, this is a process I both love to witness and support. We all have ways that we’ve learned to manage our experience of life, especially ways we organize around the painful parts. These “adaptations” become our patterns—both what we do and don’t do as a result of what we’ve learned about ourselves and the world. Much of this is unconscious, at least initially.
Some of those adaptations are advantageous in some ways, and often have a downside as well. For instance, the ability to push through is resourceful in many contexts: pushing through to meet a goal or a deadline; taking care of a sick child that requires compromise to our needs/routines; being able to put our feelings aside to manage our work day. This is the strength-side of using an adaptation like pushing through. However, many of us use adaptations like this indiscriminately. It’s something we do on autopilot, regardless of the context. The maladaptive side of pushing through can lead to: anxiety, burnout, panic, depression, chronic pain, perfectionism, autoimmune disorders, and much more. There is an impact to ignoring the signals of our emotions, body, and needs on a chronic basis.
Fortunately, we all possess an innate capacity to heal. This is true resilience and endurance. EMDR therapy can help us more effectively access the full expression of our Self. It helps us resolve the past emotional confusions that keep us perpetuating patterns that no longer serve us. And step into our greater potential; the fuller expression of our adult self.
What happened to you is not the end of the story!
For me, this ties into the spiritual part of being a human—holding our greatest challenges as an invitation to learn about and lean into our greatest potential and unique gifts. And what better mentor, aside from a great EMDR ally, is to have the wisdom of the trees to keep us grounded and reaching for more all at the same time. Whether you connect to the Bristlecone Pine or perhaps some other species calls to your heart, trees can remind us to both stabilize, stay connected, and hold hope as we weather the inevitable storms of life and healing. They offer an invitation to go deeper and reach higher.
Here are a few practices to invite tree wisdom:
Mindful Connection: Sit with a tree, touch it, have a picnic under it and contemplate the bark and branches. Use it as an opportunity to slow down and be present.
Meditate: use a walking meditation and observe the trees. Ask if they have any messages for you and then just let your mind be open to any whispers that may arise. Or sit under a tree and quietly receive. Meditate for 3-15 minutes.
Journal: How do you relate to the Bristlecone Pine’s qualities of resilience, longevity, and endurance? What qualities have helped you get through difficult times? What are you ready to let go of? If you were a fuller expression of yourself, how would you look, sound, feel, act differently? What would be 1 or 2 steps in that direction?
“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” – Kahlil Gibran
If you want to dive deeper and consider if EMDR therapy could help you reach your fullest potential, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Fondly,
Mari