Get Outside
Yourself

An open-hearted, open-handed invitation to step into a holistic way of being, becoming intimately connected to nature and its healing effects. 

COMMUNITY — RESOURCES — COURSES

The hope of this space is to foster inner awareness, a higher degree of presence, and a stronger attachment with the beauty of nature, and to create a thriving environment where positive feelings towards ourselves and others flourish.

Growing more deeply interconnected with the natural world—as humans once were—allows us to harness the full potential of our minds, as awe, wonder, and gratitude create a calm space within for nurturing nourishing mental habits. With more softness for ourselves, we face the world with greater kindness and compassion for all.

A Note From Dr. Lena Dicken

THE OUTDOOR PSYCHOLOGIST

Dr. Lena Dicken is a licensed psychologist. 
Learn more about her professional background and expertise here

The Outdoor Psychologist is the culmination of my life’s personal and professional work. From my upbringing in a historic east coast spiritual community to losing my mother before elementary school to discovering my passion for psychology in college to a twist of fate that led to a four year intermission spent mostly outside - surfing the beaches of Hawaii, exploring the wilds of Central America, trekking through the Himalayas and cycling 2500 miles through Southern Europe, to a doctoral dissertation and subsequent business that proposed a radical new type of outdoor experiential therapy combining surfing, self compassion, and positive reappraisal— my life feels like an extraordinary series of doorways toward this moment. In launching The Outdoor Psychologist, I seek to illuminate one of neuroscience's most hopeful discoveries: our brains are not only designed to remain open to growth, but they flourish in connection with the natural world. Through the evidence-based contemplative practice I’ve designed, it is my privilege to offer clients a methodology that builds resilience, releases limitations, and reestablishes the self’s inextricable belonging to nature.

It is my mission to share this methodology with those seeking to heal and flourish. 

I look forward to working with you.

Yours,

Lena

Dr. Lena Dicken


PSYCHOLOGY — ECOPSYCHOLOGY — NEUROPLASTICITY

Do you feel in tune with nature? With the rhythms of daylight, and the seasons, and the wind in the trees? Are you powered and pulled by the sun…or by the glow of your screen? 

It’s hard to stay rooted to our natural source in the midst of modern life, where every daily convenience and move towards “progress” shifts us further from touching the earth. Granting ourselves time in nature feeds and fuels us, giving us the kind of presence, awareness, and calm that carries us through the joys and trials of everyday living. 

The OP Method is a tool for reframing the role that nature plays in our lives–not just as a place for recreation, or occasional retreat, but as the heartbeat for our whole being. The natural world is our spiritual home, and the more we lose connectedness with untamed places, the more we find ourselves disconnected from our inner selves, and from those around us. 

Let’s get reconnected together.