INTEGRATING THE MIND, THE BODY, & THE NATURAL WORLD TOWARD WHOLE-BODY NOURISHMENT & EMPOWERED LIVING
Writing Your Wilderness
— with Bailey Sims, LMHC
Nature-based Somatic Psychotherapist
A self-paced nature-based writing course for self discovery & whole body nourishment.
This isn’t just a writing course—it’s a guided journey back to your inner wilderness, reconnecting you with yourself and the natural world.
Take a guided journey into your inner wilderness and learn to slow down, reconnect, and nourish your whole being in a world that rarely gives you permission to pause.
What's the connection between writing & nature?
Writing Your Wilderness is more than a writing course — it’s a guided return to your own inner knowing, through the grounding lens of nature and the written word.
For as long as humans have been writing, we’ve written about and through the natural world. Of course we have — we are nature. Yet in a world dominated by digital demands and indoor living, we’ve become disconnected from our own cycles and seasons. That disconnection can lead to dissociation, dysregulation, and the kind of stuck or spiraling thoughts that leave us feeling overwhelmed and alone.
This course offers a gentle space to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with what’s real. It’s a place where your body, your breath, and the natural world become raw and real resources — helping you untangle thoughts, process emotions, and find nourishment for your whole being.
A note from your host, Bailey:
After years of leading this beloved live workshop every season, both in-person and virtually, we decided to make it a self-study.
Unlike typical writing workshops, Writing Your Wilderness blends intuitive writing, body-based awareness, and nature connection to help you explore and express your inner wilderness and truth.
This course for the intuitive ones, the deep-feelers, the self-reflective souls. The ones asking questions, longing to feel rooted again — in their bodies, their lives, and the living world around them. It’s an invitation to reconnect with the earth, with yourself, and with the wilderness that lives within us all.
What's included?
15 page downloadable & fillable workbook
Five recorded video sessions with accompanying visual slides, playlists, invitations and more.
Nature-based exercises for exploring the ecological self and our reciprocal relationship with nature.
Archive of curated poems, prose, and authors for deepening self-reflection and connecting with others' stories and experiences.
Writing prompts to help you reflect on the process of writing, explore how it felt in your body, and what came alive for you.
Themed and curated playlists, guided somatic & mindfulness meditations, supplemental resources, and more.
What you walk away with:
anxiety & stress reduction
Through mindful writing and nature-based exercises, you’ll find relief from stress and overwhelm. Slowing down to connect with the natural world will help you regulate emotions, quiet racing thoughts, and cultivate a deeper sense of ease. Writing becomes a tool for grounding, allowing you to process emotions and restore clarity in times of uncertainty.
connection & community
You won’t be on this journey alone—you’ll connect with all the dimensions of yourself, and deepen your relationship with the natural world and your body. By noticing the rhythms of the earth and tuning into your sensory experiences, you’ll cultivate a greater sense of presence, embodiment, and belonging in both your inner and outer landscapes.
self reflection & knowledge
By the end of the course, you’ll have a collection of journal entries, creative pieces, and personal reflections that serve as meaningful touchstones for self-discovery. Writing will help you untangle emotions, recognize your inner cycles, and mirror the wisdom of the natural world. With access to nature-based exercises, reading lists, and prompts, you’ll leave with practical tools to sustain your writing as a practice of healing, creativity, and self-awareness.
Testimonials
"This gathering nearly surprises me each time as to how much it allows me to feel, reflect, and feel comfortable with near strangers. Spending time outside around a fire with kind humans there to share and be…it’s quite special. And something I’d encourage anyone to join."
—Lauren Day
“Writing Your Wilderness rejuvenates my spirit every season! I enjoy being able to slow down, sit in nature and community, and have space and guidance to channel my creative energy. I always leave this experience feeling calmer, more grounded, and with a good poem or two in hand!”
—Workshop aparticipant
"The workshop as a whole was so refreshing—a wonderful blend of individual self-exploration and communal sharing of experiences. I was moved by all parts of the workshop, and I look forward to participating in future opportunities."
—Allison B.
"I really loved learning and practicing new mindfulness techniques! I think the structure of practicing them together helps me remember each practice and feel confident doing it on my own."
—Workshop aparticipant
Course Overview
Section 1: NATURE & CONNECTION
Spend time connecting with yourself and the nature that exists within you through journaling and nature based exercises, while also exploring the connection between you and the natural world.
In this section:
🌀 Journal prompts that invite you to explore the nature within and your ecological self.
🌿 Experience the nature within using various exercises and activities.
🔗 Explore the pillars of connection that sustain you and support you in this life.
section 2: READING & REFLECTION
Deepen the experience of your connections and inner wilderness by reading and reflecting on various pieces of writing, both poetry and prose from a list of suggestions.
In this section:
🌀 Choose a piece of writing from a selection of authors, poets, prose and poetry.
📖 Spend time reading over the piece multiple times, silently and aloud.
💭 Reflect on what you read utilizing the prompts provided.
section 3: Writing & expression
Take pen to paper as you begin to write your wilderness and put words to the inner workings of your being, the sensations of the body, and the connections you've explored.
In this section
🌀 Space to free write for 20 minutes - by hand, typing, it doesn’t matter. Just write nonstop.
🤲 Prompts to help you reflect on the process of writing, explore how it felt in your body, and what came up for you.
🌎 An invitation to share your writing in a safe and private Google Doc, a compilation of nature writing collected by participants.
YOUR hosts
Nature-Based Somatic psychotherapist
Bailey Sims
Bailey Sims is a licensed mental health counselor, holding space for transformation and incorporating mindfulness, body and nature based modalities into her work.
Her work weaves together science, spirit, and embodied practice, creating spaces that feel safe, sacred, and deeply nourishing. She holds the nuanced balance between reflection and action, between wildness and steadiness.
Creating, making, and cultivating experiences for people that instill love, compassion, and comfort is her life's work. She lives near the White River with her husband, toddler and dog & cat.
author
Emma Hudelson
Emma Hudelson leads the Butler MFA Writing for Wellness initiative. She holds a PhD in creative writing from the University of Cincinnati, and her research areas include narrative medicine, expressive writing, and critical authoethnography. At the intersection of these fields lies creative writing for wellness, and Emma loves harnessing the therapeutic power of creative writing with her students.
Since 2017, she's led Writing for Wellness workshops in the Indianapolis community and beyond. Her first book, Sky Watch, was released in March 2024 with the University Press of Kentucky and is available for purchase! Emma lives on the east bank of the White River with her husband and daughter, and she will forever be a horse girl.
Ready to discover how writing & nature can transform your life?
$45
With a one-time purchase of $45, you receive lifetime access to recorded videos, workbook, and slides.
$45
Are you ready?
Reconnect with Nature & Yourself – Explore the deep connection between writing, nature, and the body to reduce stress, process emotions, and nourish your whole being.
Engage in a Guided Writing Journey – Through journaling, nature-based exercises, and creative expression, discover your inner wilderness and develop a reflective writing practice.
Comprehensive Learning Experience – Gain lifetime access to a 15-page workbook, recorded video sessions, writing prompts, suggested readings, and nature-based activities.
Collective Community – Add to the archive, the living library, of nature-inspired writing where you can read and receive all the writing of other participants, past & present.
Expert Guidance – Led by therapist & writer Bailey Sims and writing-for-wellness expert Emma Hudelson, this course blends expressive writing with mindfulness and nature-based healing.