Growing Well: Providing Secure Attachment and Reconnection to Physis Through Eco-TA and Farming

Abstract

This article explores how farm-based ecotherapy using a transactional analysis approach addresses the links between structural oppression and the symptoms of poor mental health that arise from alienation and isolation. It uses a case study of the development of Growing Well, a cooperative that supports people with poor mental health, to examine the value of using transactional analysis theories in the development of an outdoor therapeutic space on a farm. It explores how a cultivated outdoor space can offer a secure attachment experience that helps people with mental health problems to regulate themselves. The article explores the connections between ecotherapy and eco-TA and examines the nature of homonomy and physis.