Our friend and colleague Martin Jordan died unexpectedly on January 5th 2017, leaving a big gap in the international ecopsychology community and in the hearts of all who knew this remarkable man.
Martin Jordan is a chartered counselling psychologist, psychotherapist and counsellor. He is also a senior lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy and course leader for the post graduate diploma in psychodynamic counselling at the University of Brighton, UK. He has published several papers, some of which you can access here.
After completing a first degree in psychology, Martin went on to train as a drama-therapist, and became interested in working with stories and myths. He subsequently engaged in further training in counselling psychology and psychodynamic psychotherapy. He has worked in mental health settings both in day centres and residential treatment. He set up and managed a therapeutic service for drug using offenders and worked with families experiencing drug problems.
His interest in nature and therapy has developed through his work with and participation in men’s groups and nature-based therapy experiences. He has completed mountain leader training and trained as a vision fast facilitator at the School of Lost Borders, culminating in a four day and night vision fast in Death Valley, California.
“At times of personal crisis and struggle I have used nature as a co-therapist. Spending time in nature has helped to centre and ground me, giving me the space and support to deal with my issues. I have also found metaphors of my struggle in the form of trees, plants or animals which have enabled me to understand and process my difficulties. I believe that deep within us there is a stored memory of our ancestors’ intimacy with nature. We can bring to life this powerful bond through trips into woods, fields and up mountains, walks by lakes and the sea. Even by sitting in our gardens surrounded by plants, or growing vegetables in our allotments, we can find healing and peace.”
Martin is very active in the field of ecotherapy and runs courses through his ecotherapy website (see sidebar).
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