Born in Belfast, Geoffrey McMullan served in the British Army for 22 years, where he first learnt some of his Survival skills at The International Long Range and Reconnaissance Patrol School in Germany. During his Army service he received a British Empire Medal from the Queen for establishing a Nature Reserve in Germany called the ‘Zachariassee.’

In 2002, Geoffrey established Natural Pathways with Hannah Nicholls who continues to take the company from strength to strength. Being an avid ‘Birder’, he has taken part in various worldwide bird projects and ringing programmes; he has collected data for breeding atlases in Germany, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the Falkland Islands and being a gifted artist – he has illustrated several bird books such as the ‘Breeding Atlas of the Birds of the Falkland Islands’ and is the author if ‘Discover Nature Awareness’.

Geoffrey completed a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Addiction Psychology and Counselling at London’s Southbank University, his research looked into ‘Exploring How People with Addictions Experienced Nature-Awareness as a Therapeutic Intervention’. In 2009 Geoffrey presented Natural Awareness at the 7th Wilderness Therapy Symposium at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado USA

Now based in Devon, Geoffrey has gone on to develop Nature Awareness into Natural Awareness as an intervention, which looks at and investigates behaviours such as addiction. This concept first came into existence in 2006 when Geoffrey began working with addictions and has since been successfully used throughout various regions of the world from the UK, Europe to the USA. Geoffrey is now taking Natural Awareness forward with his friend Barry Smale and developing a programme called ‘The Art & Science of Natural Awareness’.

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I would like to acknowledge the teachers I have had the privilege to work with over the years as I have developed Natural Awareness into its present form. I feel it is very important to recognise those that have been there to guide us and to encourage us on our journey.

All too often people take what they have learnt without this acknowledgement. I believe it dilutes the process by taking it in the wrong direction by not honouring those that have paved the way for us. My purpose is to be of service to all those I come into contact with and while I cannot pay back those who have given me my inspiration, I can pay it forward through the things that I do and teach.

Geoffrey’s first contact with survival skills and tracking was when he bought Eddie McGee’s book No Need to Die. Thanks to the British Army and in particular the instructors from The International Long Range and Reconnaissance Patrol School in Germany for passing on their experiences. On leaving the Army he worked for Raleigh International in Belize for five months as their Logistics Manager resupplying remote sites the length and breadth of the country, during this time he gained experience in Jungle Survival from Winston, a renowned survival expert.  On returning to the Uk I then met Thomas Schorr-kon from Trackways (UK), Thomas gave me the language (I am not just talking about words here) for what I have always known inside me, about my relationship with Nature. Thomas has always been supportive of my work and I am very grateful to him for this.

I also attended courses with Tom Brown Jr from the Tracker School (USA); I found Tom’s Spiritual and Nature Awareness teachings to be very powerful. And of course not forgetting the countless students on my courses who have taught me so many things I feel honoured that they are open to sharing with me their skills & knowledge, thank you to you all. I have also trained with Ian from Bushmasters who is based in Guyana; there I went into isolation in the jungle for a few days.

There are many others along the way that have inspired me, however there is one group without whom I would not be teaching Natural Awareness as I call it, and they are the people who are in active recovery that I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with in the Promis Recovery Centre under Dr Robert Lefever who allowed me to work with his patients. I am grateful to them for challenging me and allowing to be a part of their journey, to the point now with which I have the privilege of passing on what I have learnt to others, so that they too may be of service to those in need.

Last but not least, I am grateful and thankful to my creator for being in my life and for guiding me on my journey. We must never forget that we are all teachers and students at all times and we must always acknowledge the source of our knowledge, be it from our teachers, elders or our ancestors and of course nature.

Natural Awareness is now set to reach out to many others through the students that have attended my courses and for me this is an exciting time because I know that Natural Awareness has much more to offer and it is important to me that it remains in its truest form.

Being a committed life-long learner, I continue my personal development and I am the proud father of Janine & Nickie Sara.

Warm wishes

Geoffrey