Being in the middle of the environmental era, it would seem like the ideal time for eco-therapy to take off. And indeed, all across North America in cities close to woodlands, many people are seeking eco-therapy rather than slouching in a chair Tony Soprano-style in a psychotherapist’s office.
Eco-therapy is a way to clear the mind by taking the time to connect with nature. In many styles of medicine around the globe, the environment has a direct impact on our health and bodily functions. So this idea fits right along with that.
Eco-therapists are springing up in rising numbers. Their offices are the great outdoors. There, they have people with virtually any mental health problem participate in therapies, such as walking slowly through a forest as a way to silently meditate. It isn’t only walking, though, as patients closely study their surroundings: the trees, shrubs, forest floor, and sky. The idea would be to summon the image up even with eyes closed.
That is but one example of nearly any idea you could think of. Eco-therapy could be watching the morning mist roll in over the hills. It could be simple gardening. It could be an early evening hike. It could be a bicycle ride through a meadow of flowers. Anyone could do this on his or her own, of course, but eco-therapy provides the added benefit of a trained psychologist. That way, the trips to nature can be tailor-made to help with one’s particular mental health problem.
While this style of mental health medicine can’t replace more conventional styles, it has shown very positive results. It allows someone to break free from social isolation, for instance. It allows someone to feel part of a huge connection (that being the one with nature). More simply, it allows someone to engage in a meditative practice in the most serene settings around.
It is being dubbed “green exercise.” Books and magazines are talking about it more than ever. And even a little bit can help. Studies have shown that eco-therapy could be a clinical way to treat mental distress and depression. Tension and anxiety dissipate after one has a “green walk.”
All this taps into one central idea: nature can be a cure for the mind. And that notion is far from new. If you are suffering any sort of mild or moderate mental or emotional symptoms, eco-therapy could prove to be a breath of truly fresh air.
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