What is Inner Nature Writing™?
We are nature. We are not separate from it the way we’ve been conditioned to believe. We’re not visitors to this Earth; we’re innately woven into the vast matrix of existence – into the wise web of nature itself. Even after we die, we will be a part of this place, albeit in another form.
We are expressions of the intelligence that lives within forests, oceans, and meadows. Our bodies and our inner terrain – our thoughts, emotions, energy cycles, seasons – mirror the natural word in a way that’s not just metaphor. It’s the same wisdom, the same living, responsive intelligence as what we admire in the natural world around us.
For much of human history, our innate belonging to nature was known. Our ancestors, no matter who we are or where we came from, had to live in alignment with the natural world. As time continued on, some lineages stayed closer to that nature-based living while others diverged from it, but deep in the imprint of our souls and ancestral lineage, there was awareness of our human connection, of our small place in the wider web of existence.
Modernity, the shift away from traditional, agrarian lifestyles to an urban, industrialized world, severed this thousands-of-years-old connection we held to the natural world. We were pulled away from the natural world and into lifestyles of increasing convenience, ease, and, in recent years, distraction. We were led from the depths of our being to the superficial layers of existence. And as we lost touch with the natural world around us, we also lost a deep understanding of and connection to our inner nature.
Inner Nature Writing™ is a pathway back to belonging – a method of reconnection. It’s a way of coming home to the wise inner nature that lives within us through understanding – and seeing – the ways that external nature mirrors what lives in the inner world.
What Is Inner Nature Writing™?
To be a little more explicit, Inner Nature Writing™ is a structured facilitation method that weaves together nature, guided imagery, and writing into an experience that helps us reconnect with the wisdom of our inner nature. It was developed by Inner Forest School founder, Gillian Sanger, after years of guiding others through these practices separately – and eventually recognizing that there was a way they not only could be put together but belonged side-by-side in harmony.
The method is built on the understanding that each of us carries within us a wealth of inner wisdom – and that nature, encountered through the mind’s eye in this case, has the capacity to draw that wisdom out. In this method, nature is something we write about simply, or that we analyze. It’s seen as symbol, teacher, and mirror. It’s bridges that perceived gap between the nature “out there” and the nature within.
What Makes It Distinct
What makes Inner Nature Writing™ different from “meditation followed by writing” or simply journaling about our connection to the natural world is the intentional layering of seven elements supportive of insight and wellbeing. The seven elements, or stages, are: Regulation, Nature Invocation, Symbolic Identification, Somatic Embodiment, Written Articulation, Witnessing, and Integration.
Together, these elements, woven in an intentional and careful way, create the conditions for deeply held wisdom to unfold. It’s a method that also grounds that awareness backs into the body and also listens to the body – for it, too, has a lot to reveal to us. It’s this seven-staged method that leads into deep self-listening, in a wise and compassionate way, and also bridges the gap between “having a nice experience” and learning how to live it.
The Seven Stages
To better understand this method, here’s an overview of the seven stages it’s comprised of:
Stage One: Regulation
Before we can journey inward with clarity and receptivity, we need to feel calm and safety in the nervous system. Regulation is about laying a foundation of trust, agency, curiosity, and compassion so that when we travel inwards, we’re less likely to experience our inner landscapes as chaotic or overwhelming. Facilitators support nervous system regulation through their presence, carefully crafted opening instructions, and mindfulness meditation techniques to prepare for the journey ahead.
Stage Two: Nature Invocation
Once in a more regulated state than upon arrival, participants are guided to open the imaginal field and to invoke an inner natural landscape, a practice with roots in the ancient wisdom of shamanic journeying and Jungian psychology. It’s not about creating something that is an escape from reality but rather stepping into a place where we can better understand reality. The senses come alive in this place – sound, smell, sight, touch or feeling – as we enter a place that will prove to be ripe with teachings and meaning.
Stage Three: Symbolic Identification
Within the imaginal landscape, attention is guided towards something in particular – something that connects to the theme of the session and slowly and gently unveils the wisdom of nature as its felt and known within the human. Symbolic identification and exploration is where a bridge is built between outer and inner nature and, through gentle inquiry, awareness, clarity, and supportive qualities emerge. In some cases, the facilitator provides the symbol to be explored. In others, it arises spontaneously and uniquely for eac participant.
Stage Four: Somatic Embodiment
Guided visualization can sometimes bypass the body entirely, leaving participants floating with imagery without actually rooting it somewhere – or without referring to the physical body for its input and wisdom. In Inner Nature Writing™, Somatic Embodiment brings the experience back into the physical. It’s about letting the body share its wisdom at the same time that the subconscious or higher self is sharing its. By unifying mind and body, participants walk away from the experience feeling more anchored, self-attuned, and aware of how the body is always providing information.
Stage Five: Written Articulation
After emerging from the inner nature journey, we turn to writing – to support the processing of the material we experienced. This isn’t just about writing what happened during the visualization. It’s about moving through carefully crafted prompts that either 1) untangle deeper layers of the experience through first-person reflection, or 2) explore new perspectives and layers of meaning through creative writing (i.e. poetry, storytelling, letter writing). This stage helps to concretize the inner experience and further clarify the messages, themes, and teachings discovered.
Stage Six: Witnessing
All of what is experienced up until this point can be deeply moving and insightful, but something special happens when we open ourselves up to being witnessed – and/or when we create space to truly witness others. Participants in this stage are invited – never required – to speak what they’ve written, experienced, or discovered. Equally important is that the entire group (or just the facilitator if this is a 1:1 session) listens with full presence, without distraction, and with a compassionate heart. This act of witnessing and being witnessed deepens the work, creates a genuine sense of belonging, and transforms what began as an individual experience into a collective one.
Stage Seven: Integration
There is an incredible opportunity at the end of guided imagery that most facilitators miss – which is the opportunity to begin integrating. Integration asks the question: Now what? What do we do with the insights that arose? With the feelings and knowing we tapped in? This is about supporting what happens for participants outside of the session. It’s not about coaching them or ensuring they’ll walk away and build a new practice. It’s about providing guidance as to how whatever was discovered in the imaginal realm and through writing might take root in how they live and experience the world going forward.
Becoming an Inner Nature Writing™ Facilitator
As a facilitation method, Inner Nature Writing™ is for coaches, therapists, yoga and meditation teachers, educators, and other wellness professionals (or those who want to become one) who find themselves at a natural intersection: drawn to writing, to nature, to meditation or guided imagery, and to meaningful inner work. It’s for those who want to guide people inwards, with confidence, wisdom, and clarity, without overstepping into the role of therapist (unless, of course, they’re already trained and certified as such).
Inner Nature Writing™ is a way of facilitating that empowers participants to find their own answers, bridges gaps between self and nature and between the humans sharing space together, and feels grounded, intentional, and rooted in wisdom – inner and outer. Nature innately lives around and within us, and this method of facilitation is a way of remember that and helping others to remember it too.
Our next cohort of the Inner Nature Writing™ Facilitator Course will begin autumn 2026. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens and to receive an exclusive early bird discount.