Nathaniel Putnam, LICSW
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Boston MA
Ecotherapy- "Not all Who Wander are Lost"
Ecotherapy removes the confines of traditional office setting and creates a therapeutic alternative to "talk therapy". Ecotherapy calls you to challenge yourself, unearth a deeper connection to nature and explore new ways to unpack limiting beliefs, repair relationships and appreciate the beauty of the journey.
Sacred plant medicines can require as a person to identify more with "the soul" than the "ego". Journeying into altered states of being can release stuck emotions, reveal harmful habits, restore joy and confidence and push you to encounter and endure unknown fears. Remember, as in life, not all journeys are filled with bliss. Personal integration is important to discover, accept, and consider new ways of living as the first steps of your transformation. With structure and support, YOU can loosen old narratives and step boldly forward to embrace who YOU want to become.
Shamanic Healing Arts*- "Traveling beyond the confines of modern society"
Shamanic healing is not logical or rational. One of my teachers calls it "a trained capacity to connect with the web of life". For the ancestors, it was a profoundly spiritual process that required commitment and a high level of openness to examine and learn.
One goal can begin to rise above suffering, and widen one’s“frame of reference” to bring beauty, magic, and hope in your life. Shamanism can help you find courage, gentleness and identify allies in the darkest times as a member of a sacred world. It is possible to uncover how to be inspired by the world again by connecting with ritual and creativity.
* I make no personal claim to be a shaman or a medicine person. The word, shaman or saman comes from the Tungusic language family of Eastern Siberia which is not from my lineage. My lineage stems from my teachers (Jaime Meyer, Tom Cowan, Manda Scott, Karen Ward/John Cantwell) whose heritage and direct teachings have been lost due to centuries of colonial oppression, cultural assimilation and the loss of practices stored as oral traditions, of which fragments remain.
Nathaniel Putnam enjoys life as a social worker and group facilitator. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College with a focus in Educational Psychology and a Master's Degree in Social Work from Boston University with a clinical concentration in community-based mental health, along with a Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Nathaniel has worked as part of the Boston-based clinical team conducting FDA-approved research on the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treating PTSD with Lykos Therapeutics, formerly known as MAPS, The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Nathaniel is also an avid explorer, and has been blessed to backpack through the spiritual mountains of Nepal, learn from shamans in the Amazon rainforests of Peru, connect with the tribal roots of east Africa, snowboard the backcountry of the Swiss alps, get stuck on the frozen F roads of Iceland and surf the gnarly riptides of California.
Nathaniel enjoys studying the "old ways", writing poetry, singing off-key, shaking his ass to bagpipes, challenging himself and others in a variety of martial arts, and being a loving father of 3, and a variety of furry pets.
Individual sessions, 45-60 minutes, $200/hr with a sliding scale. Some services can be covered by health insurance.
Artist's Way Support Group, limited to 6 people a session, 12 Fridays a year, $400 for the series.