Think about the last time you waited in traffic. Now, recall the last time you walked along a busy road. Next, think about the last time you took a walk on a trail or in a park. And finally, the last time you just sat under a tree. How do those different memories make you feel?
Most likely, thinking of being in a big city has made you feel uncomfortable, maybe even anxious. Thoughts of your time in nature, on the other hand, have probably brought a sense of calm, stillness, even. With this in mind, clinicians have started investigating the benefits of nature therapy. It’s a relatively new practice, and prospective clients have many questions, such as:
- Does nature really improve mental health?
- What is nature therapy?
- How much “nature” does nature therapy entail? Do you have to climb Mount Everest to recover from an eating disorder?
- What is the connection between nature therapy and eating disorders?
How do cities affect mental health?
Living in the city is stressful, and yet, as of 2019, about 55% of people live in urban areas. Urban Mental Health explored the effects of cities on mental health. Even after accounting for socioeconomic conditions such as poverty and economic disparity, just being in a city makes an individual more susceptible to decreased mental health. There are many reasons for this, including jarring stimuli such as:
- Air pollution: Cities generate a lot of air pollution, which negatively affects mental and physical health.
- Light pollution: Light pollution in the city can throw off a person’s circadian rhythm, making it hard to get adequate sleep.
- Noise: Just being near the sounds of traffic and crowds have been found to increase levels of anxiety of depression.
What are the positive effects of nature on health?
There are several positive effects of nature on health, both mental and physical. In this comprehensive study, several thousand college age students (who have disproportionately high amounts of stress and mental health issues compared to the general population) were instructed to spend varying amounts of time in accessible green spaces: urban green spaces on campus, parks, and constructed trails. Researchers measured biological markers, such as cortisol, the stress hormone, and emotional markers, such as feelings of anxiety.
The results of this experiment found several positive effects on student health:
- Decreased levels of cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure
- Increased levels of focus and memory
- Increased positive mood
- Decreased levels of depression, anger, fatigue, tension and anxiety
- Increased sense of revitalization and stillness
- Decreased impulsivity and greater sense of space and self
These results can be extended to the general population, even better, it only takes ten to twenty minutes of being in nature to start feeling all of these positive effects.
There are many theories out there to explain why nature has the effect on us, however, it is universally agreed upon that humans have spent only one percent of our existence in cities and therefore are not “designed” to live in them. Fresh air, sunlight, and large spaces revitalize us, because that is what our minds and bodies are used to, and what they crave.
There is also a technological factor: we spend most of our time looking at screens and isolating ourselves. Urban spaces and the prevalence of technologies are believed to separate the body from the natural, physical world. You’ve probably felt this before, in instances where you’re looking at your phone, and suddenly half an hour has passed without you even being aware of it, or of your place within the world. You’re so immersed in the technological world, that you don’t recognize yourself and your body as being in the physical world. This dissociation between the self and the world and our split focus dissipates in nature, as nature makes us focus and feel a greater sense of awareness of our present place in the world.
Related: Here’s how to manage technology and recovery.
Nature is great, but what is Nature Therapy?
Nature therapy was first conceptualized by the Japanese as “Shinrin-yoku,” which means “taking in the forest with all of our sense.” This includes no kind of exercise, no technology, no imposed purpose. Participants wander aimlessly, taking in the forest with all of their senses. In the end, they find a sense of stillness, within the body, mind, and world. Often, participants go with a nature-guide, but this process can be done without one.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A FOREST IN YOUR BACKYARD?
The great thing about nature therapy is how accessible it really is: nature is considered anything not man made. Nature therapy, then, includes anything from forests, to urban green spaces, to tomatoes in a window planter. In fact, there are eleven subdisciplines in nature therapy, including:
- Adventure therapy
- Pet therapy
- Blue care
- Care farms
- Ecotherapy
- Forest bathing
- Nature meditation/guided visualization
- Nutrition (herbal, botanical, floral)
- Horticulture therapy/gardening
- Wilderness immersion
Many of these therapies are done either in a group, or with a supervisor or therapist, but they can also be done alone. At ‘Ai Pono Hawaii, we have recently expanded our vegetable and herb garden and residents enjoy spending time learning and harvesting outdoors. ‘Ai Pono also features a taro plant labyrinth for patients to do walking meditation within.
Nature Therapy and Eating Disorders: The Nature-Body Connection
Eating disorder thoughts and behaviors are largely tied to the body, and to the perception of the self within the world. For example, many people with eating disorders suffer from body dysmorphia, and have a distorted sense of how much space they take up, or how large or small some aspect of their body is. Nature therapy promotes emotional well-being, but it also reconnects an individual, and especially an individual’s body, to the natural world.
Merleau-Ponty, a philosopher famous for conceptualizing our bodily experience of the world, once said: “Our body is not only something we have, it is also what we are.” We often think of our minds as separate from our bodies, and separate from the world around us. This line of thought was prevalent for a long time in eating disorder treatment: clinicians focused on only the mind, and not the body. Things are starting to change though as the bodily experience is becoming recognized as an important part of recovery. Many treatment programs have introduced body focused therapies, such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Technique.
Researchers have also explored more body focused therapies, including nature therapy. In this study, which investigates the relationship between nature therapy and eating disorders, eating disorder patients engaged in individual and guided nature walks, often without shoes on. This process allowed patients to reconnect their physical bodies with the world, have a better sense of space, and a more objective understanding of their bodies. Specifically, patients found that they were re-embodied with the world, experiencing it through their feet. Many sufferers describe their eating disorders as something “in their head,” cutting off the connection between the mind and the body. Walking, and focusing specifically on the feeling of their feet on the ground, re-embodied patients, and they felt more connected to themselves and the world.
Nature also embraced them as they were. Being in nature, to the study participants, felt like a “break” from the judgment and critical self-perception that can be overwhelming when there are more people around. The concentration, whether they were walking alone or with others, was on nature. They were also able to practice mindfulness, existing in the present moment. They were not ruminating on the past or feeling anxiety about the future: they were just being.
Spending time in nature improves mood and allows individuals with eating disorders to mindfully reconnect with the world. This is why, at ‘Ai Pono, clients take several fresh air breaks and mindful walks in an idyllic, natural setting. At ‘Ai Pono we believe in the power of holistic eating disorder treatment (if you’re wondering what that means, click here) and nature therapy is a amazing therapeutic tool to include in a mind and body focused treatment plan.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or start by learning about the eating disorder recovery programs we offer.
