Positive Psychology & Plant Medicine
This unique 4-week course will take you on an exciting journey of discovering benefits of Positive Psychology through an embodied experience with Plant Medicine. Witness how this powerful group engagement with nature and our senses can increase your well-being: deepen your self-awareness, improve your resourcefulness, enrich your emotions, and strengthen your relationships. Understand the connection between a sense of belonging and the importance of mattering.
Positive Psychology is a new and fastest growing sub-science of general psychology that focuses on human flourishing. It offers scientific tools and strategies to increase happiness and wellbeing.
About the course
During this innovative course we will engage in a meaningful practice with herbal medicine, nature, vitality and well-being.
Through activating our senses while working with plants we will develop a state of mindfulness and acute presence to our feelings and emotions. We will discuss them in an intimate group setting through the lens of Positive Psychology while building a deep sense of trust and belonging.
Belonging fosters gratitude and mattering, which in turn activate our resources, make us more resilient, allow us to find answers to the inner quest and encourage us to take that next step forward on the journey.
Would you like to tune inwards, deeply connect to yourself and nature, and feel heard and received by others? Then this course is for you!
What we will do in the session
We will start each session by sharing everyone’s current feelings and reflecting on them.
We will then develop and craft a unique signature blend of herbal medicine (tea blend, spice blend and essential oils mix) choosing plants that will deeply resonate and nourish the energetic needs and emotional states of the individuals within this particular group. Through our sensory experience with the plants we will gain a more direct access to our feelings and our true nature while fostering clarity, joy, creativity and gratitude.
While making herbal medicine we will tap into the power of gratitude and learn how this emotional state can improve our psychological health and make our life happier.
At the end of the course, we will identify shifts in our feelings and share how our emotional states have evolved throughout this journey. We will discuss the importance of feeling grateful, belonging, mattering and their powerful influence on our wellbeing.
We will introduce a special psychological test PERMA (Positive, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishments) which evaluates our sense of wellbeing. This test will be taken before the first session and after the 4 sessions to measure the changes.
Who we are:
Natasha Shaginian, MD
Natasha is a psychiatrist and received her medical training in Moscow. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) from the University of East London. Natasha has worked extensively as a Positive Psychology Specialist with individuals and various groups in both the nonprofit and corporate world www.positivechange.today
She is a researcher and an international speaker. Natasha creates Positive Psychology projects in different parts of the world. Her recent innovative project ‘Positive Emotions Through Photography’ was presented in London in January 2023 with Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology.
Natasha is the founder of international foundation Life in Motion International www.lifeinmotion-charity.org which supports special needs children to realize their dream to walk. The charity helps these kids get prosthetics, orthopedic treatment and become independent.
“Mental Health is both my passion and my profession. I am continuously searching for new elements within this arena and including them in my practice. I am very excited to introduce you to the fascinating world of Positive Psychology and its influence on our well-being.”
Katya Varlamova, Clinical Herbalist
Katya is a clinical herbalist with more than 12 years of experience. She is a naturopath, plant wellness educator, and founder of the organic herbal wellness line Warmicita Herbals (www.warmicitaherbals.com, IG @warmicitaherbals). Katya hosts plant walks, teaches plant medicine classes and retreats, and holds women’s circles in NYC, the Hudson Valley, Europe and the Amazon.
In her private practice, Katya uses herbal medicine from a variety of traditions and works closely with her clients to get to the true cause of health challenges, often using muscle testing and dynamic kinesiology as added techniques to shed light on the true origins of health imbalances.
Her work takes a very holistic approach, and when the path to true wellness calls for shifts in the emotional, psychological, energetic or spiritual aspects of being Katya uses flower essences, gem elixirs, guided meditation, inner child work, ritual and breath work, to encourage and nurture the process of inner transformation.
“Nature has been my saving grace, my refuge, and my inspiration for as long as I remember myself. I look forward to guiding you through this unique sensory experience with plant medicine, while making the most of its unique and powerful gifts."