We have evolved with the land and with the space around us. Nature informed therapy is not a new concept. Not when you consider, that for as long as humans have been walking this earth their has been a connection to the environment. Our modern day world has taken much of us away from this natural relationship. We work in an office, spend time on devices, drive to get from place to place, and when we do spend time outside are quickly move from place to place.
Nature informed therapy, is not just for the tree huggers…although who knows maybe by the end of it you will want to hug a tree. Nature informed therapy is rooted in science. We know that the colors, sounds, and sensory information that your brain processes in nature decreases stress and is easier on the brain. Why? Because evolutionarily speaking you’ve been conditioned to be outdoors and our brains have had much longer to adapt to the sounds of nature than they have to our present day environments. There are also things in nature that trigger your parasympathetic nervous system that helps to relax your body. We don’t always understand the why, but we know that when you see repeating patterns, called fractals in nature your PNS is engaged reducing stress. These patterns could be those seen on a fern, bark on a tree, repetitive patterns most often seen in nature.
Nature is also an excellent teacher. If you’ve been learning about mental health you’ve likely come across the term mindfulness. Mindfulness can be a challenging concept to teach and for those with high anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions it can seem unachievable. Nature can be such an intuitive way to practice mindfulness. I will often have people walk for a few minutes and then ask…did you hear any birds? Feel any wind? See any animals? Pass a flower? Most of us are so focused on all the things that we have to do in life that we miss what is going on around us. Mindfulness is an attention to the present moment. Taking time to be in the present and notice what is going on around you is mindfulness. Mindfulness is incredibly beneficial because it helps to anchor you to the present moment. When we think about the future we often induce anxiety and when we think about the past it often causes depression. The present is the moment that you can take action, engage, and feel.
Do I have your attention yet? If you are interested in learning more, please reach out. I am a certified Nature Informed Therapist and would be happy to talk about what Nature Informed Therapy could look like for you. There are walk and talk sessions, sessions where we find a location to sit in the outdoors, dynamic ways of engaging in nature to process and understand issues that you are struggling with. There are endless possibilities for incorporating nature into your therapy. So if you are ready and interested let’s schedule a time to talk about what might work for you.
