Nature-Based Recovery: with Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy

The problem with some recovery plans is that they focus on abstinence by telling you not to think about substance use. The problem with telling yourself not to think about it is that telling yourself not to think about it is thinking about it.What if, instead of focusing on telling yourself not to use, recovery were something you did with the living world around you?In Nature-Based Recovery with Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook, Charlton Hall, MMFT, PhD, offers you a structured yet deeply experiential path for healing substance use and behavioral addictions through the restorative intelligence of nature. Drawing from mindfulness-based ecotherapy, trauma-informed practice, and systems thinking, this workbook invites you to step out of cycles of compulsion and into a lived experience of connection, awareness, and grounded change.You are guided to notice how addiction is not an isolated behavior, but a pattern shaped by disconnection from your body, from others, from meaning, and from the natural world itself. Through carefully designed exercises, reflective prompts, and nature-based practices, you learn to rebuild those connections in ways that are tangible, embodied, and sustainable.Rather than relying solely on willpower or abstinence-based thinking, you are invited to cultivate mindfulness as it shows up in real environments: walking outside, observing seasonal change, tracking internal states alongside ecological ones, and recognizing the reciprocal relationship between personal healing and environmental awareness.Each chapter helps you develop practical skills for relapse prevention, emotional regulation, and values-based living while also restoring a sense of belonging within the wider ecological web.This workbook is for you if you are seeking more than symptom management. If you are ready to understand recovery as reconnection with clarity, compassion, and grounded exercises, Charlton Hall offers a pathway where healing is not separate from nature but supported by it at every step.ABOUT THE AUTHORCharlton Hall, MMFT, PhD, is a clinician, educator, and author with more than twenty years of experience specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. His work integrates clinical rigor with experiential, nature-based approaches to healing, with a particular focus on mindfulness-based ecotherapy as a pathway for recovery and reconnection.Dr. Hall is the founder and director of the Mindful Ecotherapy Center, an organization dedicated to advancing the integration of mindfulness practices and ecological awareness within mental health treatment. Through this work, he has developed innovative therapeutic models that emphasize the interconnection between personal healing, community wellbeing, and the natural world.Over the course of his career, he has worked with diverse populations in both clinical and educational settings, helping people move beyond cycles of addiction, trauma, and disconnection toward sustained recovery and meaningful engagement with life. His approach is grounded in the belief that healing is not only an internal psychological process, but also a relational one extending to the environment and the broader web of life.In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Hall is an author and trainer, developing resources and curricula that support therapists, counselors, and recovery professionals in applying mindfulness-based ecotherapy principles in their own practice. His writing and teaching emphasize practical tools, experiential learning, and accessible frameworks for integrating nature into recovery work.He continues to live and work in the Pacific Northwest, where he draws ongoing inspiration from the natural landscapes that inform his clinical philosophy and professional practice.Visit the Mindful Ecotherapy Center at www.mindfulecotherapy.org Read more