Therapy in NATURE

My name is Sharon Howell and I am the founder of Ebbing Tides - Therapy in Nature . I am based in Lancing, West Sussex.

I have had a varied and successful career in education and therapy in the UK and overseas. I am also a Reiki practitioner and swimming teacher.

In 2016 family bereavements changed my life forever and I turned to the outdoo

My name is Sharon Howell and I am the founder of Ebbing Tides - Therapy in Nature . I am based in Lancing, West Sussex.

I have had a varied and successful career in education and therapy in the UK and overseas. I am also a Reiki practitioner and swimming teacher.

In 2016 family bereavements changed my life forever and I turned to the outdoors and swimming for comfort and healing.  

As a passionate all-weather swimmer, the benefits to me simply being in cold water and immersed in nature are immense.  I discovered that it was a way to experience true mindfulness.  It fed my soul and lifted my spirits and helped me both physically and mentally.

I believe that experiencing nature's power and beauty gives us a different perspective on the world and our place within it.  

I am passionate about helping others find their way too; guiding them to move forward and regain their place in the world. 

And so Ebbing Tides - Therapy in Nature was born.

A little more about my journey through grief

In 2015/2016 I lost my parents and eldest son all within 7 months of one another.  As time progressed I knew that I had to face the grief and so I returned to my home in Cornwall and the sea.  

Being in the water I immediately felt supported; it wasn't about the swimming but being immersed in the water.  Somedays I scraped the ice off the windscreen and on other days I left home whilst it was still dark and sat on the shore watching the sun rise.  I collected stones, wrote words and poems and looked for signs of my loved ones.  My emotions fleeted from anger to feeling grateful, loved and blessed.   Emotions came and went with the waves and the sea became my friend; it was my safe space and held me both emotionally and physically.  I went with the flow, letting the water and surroundings seep into my being.  

I experienced true mindfulness in nature and my observations became more precise and fine tuned.  I watched a feather floating on the water in front of me and picked up the heart shaped pebbles on the shore, I even made eye contact with the seagull watching me so intently. They all spoke to me.  Sounds soothed and movements showed  that there is always a before and after.  I was finally beginning to find hope in the tiny glimmers of blue hidden in a grey, oppressive sky. 

I started to explore what was beneath the waves and became fascinated by the forests of seaweed; even taking some home to eat and bathe in.

The rocks were testament to how they suffered from nature's erosion.  Some  were tossed about in the waves, others stood firm and proud, accepting the changes that nature made to their shape.  On calm days I could sense their strength.

The waves also brought to the shore random items and then took them back on the next tide.  I found beautiful seaglass, lost shoes, hats and even false teeth .  On one occasion a balloon floated towards me; that day was actually my birthday!  

Although I was alone through this rollercoaster of a journey, nature showed me that there can be moments of calm within the storm.  

I felt nurtured and my resilience grew.  

I started to make soaps and research the benefits of essential oils.  Today my soaps, pulse points and sprays incorporate those essential oils and seaweed; they soothe, relax. uplift and energise .  I have captured nature. 

Nature showed me that we are here but for a moment and I wanted to make those moments count. Seasons come and go and life begins and life ends.  Tides rise and recede and waves ebb and flow.  I learned to breathe it all in and accept. It helped me to make sense of everything.

I had used the healing power of nature to open the door to recovery and transformation.

I now live in West Sussex and enjoy all that nature has to offer in this beautiful county.

Note - An ebbing tide is a receding tide, getting smaller, diminishing.  

"Our worries are slowly flowing away, like the ebbing tide back to sea." 

Sharon