by Melody Wright, LMFT

We all know that spending time outdoors is good for us. Many of us are instinctively drawn to nature and enjoy outdoor forms of exercise like hiking, biking, or swimming. But nature does not only affect our physical health: it impacts our mental health as well.

Research has found that spending time in nature offers various mental health benefits. Spending time outdoors has long been a popular self-help strategy for individuals struggling with mental health issues or psychological stress. Now, even mental healthcare professionals are harnessing its advantages to help clients struggling with anxiety, depression, and more. 

The practice of incorporating nature into mental healthcare is known as ecotherapy or ecopsychology. Ecotherapy is a relatively new therapeutic specialty, but it shows substantial promise in the field. As a client (or potential client), here's what you should know about ecotherapy and how it can help you thrive.

The Mental Health Benefits of Nature

Studies dating back to the 1970s and 80s have documented the health-promoting effects of nature. For example, in a study conducted between 1972 and 1981, and published in 1984, Ulrich found that patients recovering from surgery had shorter hospital stays when their rooms came with a view of the outdoors.Nature has also been found to have a profound influence on mood and cognition. Ulrich observed in 1991 that the brains of healthy, unstressed individuals viewing scenes of nature produced more serotonin than the brains of those not looking at natural scenes. The benefits are not only biological: individuals in connection with nature report greater subjective feelings of happiness, too.Research has only recently begun to explore the implications of nature on psychopathology. Nature-based interventions have been successful in helping individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ecotherapy may also be helpful for people with schizophrenia, impacting both their physical health and self-esteem.So, why is connecting with nature so helpful for our health? Experts have proposed an explanation called the biophilia hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, humans have an innate drive to connect with nature because our ancestors relied on the land for their survival. Another hypothesis, the stress reduction hypothesis, proposes the idea that interaction with nature triggers an innate biological response that naturally lowers our stress levels.

What is Ecotherapy?

Ecotherapy is a modality used by mental health professionals to address concerns like stress, anxiety, depression, and more. Just as we do at Life by Design Therapy, ecotherapy takes a holistic approach to mental healthcare, by combining traditional talk therapy with interventions that occur in contact with the natural landscape.It's important to understand that in ecotherapy, time spent in nature does not replace traditional therapy. Instead, time in nature is used to supplement the benefits obtained by engaging in therapy with a trained mental healthcare professional. Some of the ways that ecotherapy incorporates nature into the therapeutic process include:

• Outdoor meditation or yoga

• Nature-based metaphors

• Books about the natural world

• Therapy sessions that are held outdoors

• Animal-assisted therapy

"Ecotherapist" is an unofficial term that any clinician can use to describe themselves and the way they utilize nature in their practice. However, many therapists choose to support their professional development by taking ecotherapy certification courses online or in person. These courses offer additional insight into how building or strengthening a connection with the natural world can be helpful to clients.

Working with an Ecotherapist

If you are located in the Bay Area and interested in working with an ecotherapist, Life by Design Therapy has openings! Our staff therapist Krystal Williams, LMFT, LPCC, incorporates ecotherapy into her practice, as well as other holistic approaches such as mindfulness and expressive arts. She is currently completing her second level of the ecotherapy certification and would love to meet you. Contact us today to see if Krystal could be a good fit for your needs.

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6143402/

2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1992-97201-000

3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916512451901

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17007224/