What is Nature Therapy? - Types, Techniques & Benefits

Nature soothes your mind, body and soul. Treatment through nature is a wonderful concept where psychologically, nature is used in the process of healing. Additionally, it lowers your heart rate, activates the parasympathetic nerves and reduces overall blood pressure.

Read this article to learn all about nature therapy, its benefits and the techniques of this therapy.

Ecotherapy, green therapy or nature therapy is a field of ecopsychology, which heals your stress and anxiety through connection with nature. This idea was developed by Theodore Roszak. The concept states that people are part of the environment and a web of life, and our psyches are not separate or isolated from nature.

Therefore, you must explore your relationship with nature and its beings. This therapy also includes blue therapy, which allows you to spend time near oceans, rivers and lakes. As the blue colour denotes peace and tranquillity, it will put you in a good mood.

According to National Human Activity Pattern Survey, almost 93% of people spend their time indoors. This leads to distress and reduced recovery from mental and physical issues, hampering the overall quality of life. Eco therapy nurtures your mind, body and soul and soothes your central nervous system reducing stress hormones. Therefore, you must consider this therapy when you have the following concerns:

• Anxiety and depression.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Anger and grief.
• Mood-disorders.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Climate anxiety.
• Addictions.

With nature therapy, you are able to find out what is bothering you the most and what you must avoid and move on. It increases your self-awareness in relation to the environment.

Ecotherapy involves visiting places such as farms, gardens, forests or parks and engaging in activities such as gardening, hiking in a forest or walking along a beach. As per guidance from your therapist, you can choose to get involved in any of these. So, the types of nature therapy are as follows:

• Nature Meditation: The best way to divert yourself from negative thoughts and approaches is to practice nature meditation. It is an effective procedure that allows you to focus on your breath, sight, sound, body, and mind. You can meditate peacefully amidst natural elements such as plants, trees, birds, flowers, water or soil through nature meditation. This is a wonderful way to tune in to all your senses.
• Adventure/Wilderness Therapy: This unique concept of treating mental health teaches therapeutic skills and coping techniques to adults through various rigorous activities. These include rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, hiking or trekking in the wilderness. These structured group therapy sessions help treat conditions such as depression, mood disorder, harmful behavioural patterns, and anger, fear and anxiety issues.
• Animal-Assisted Therapy: As the name goes, animal-assisted therapy involves animals in your healing process. It can be a part of group therapy, where you might have to take care of animals on a farm. Additionally, it might also come as an individual therapy where you have to take care of a pet. However, this provides excellent emotional support to your mind.
• Green Exercise: Green exercise allows you to take part in activities outside. They are running, taking a ride, cycling or going for a walk. It also includes exercising in green areas that include parks, forests trails and activities done near water, also known as blue exercise. You can do it individually or in structured groups. These exercises will boost your energy, help you to relax and reduce stress and depression.
• Horticulture Therapy: If you are suffering from acute depression and loneliness, horticulture therapy or garden therapy is an ideal treatment. In these sessions, dedicate yourself to working in a garden or farm where you have to take care of flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs. In addition, it reduces mood disorders and irregular behavioural patterns.
• Dark Nature Therapy: This is a wonderful way to treat you if you suffer from addictions or chronic fatigue syndrome. It allows you to slow down the pace of life and relax your mind. Dark nature therapy prominently involves stargazing.
• Nature Conservation: This therapy involves caring for endangered animals, planting trees, shrubs and flowers, participating in cleaning projects, cultivating wildlife gardens and many more. Apart from helping the environment, this allows you to take care of your mental health, reducing stress and anxiety levels. In addition, however, therapists suggest conservation therapies to reduce the feeling of loneliness and isolation.
• Forest Bathing: This unique concept allows use of five senses as you explore forests. It is a tradition in Japan and China known as Shinrin-Yoku, where you tend to experience nature in a completely different way, only with your senses. It is much similar to nature mediation therapy. However, it allows you to concentrate on the feelings you get while inside the forest rather than just walking inside it. Forest bathing enhances a sense of connectedness and safety and reduces blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, it decreases symptoms of depression.
• Arts and Crafts: The therapeutic use of writing, participating in craft projects, paintings, and photography using natural items is nature art and craft therapy. In this therapy, you have to use natural elements to create something. This can include clay, wood, grass or bamboo to create something unique. It helps to boost your creative skills and allows you to gain self-confidence.

Ecotherapy is a structured and formal way to deal with mental health issues. If you want to indulge in proper Ecotherapy, you must seek help from a trained therapist who will guide you with an appropriate strategy. Here are some techniques used in the therapy:

• Indulging in Cleaning Nature: Carry a trash bag while you go for a morning walk. This will initiate a feeling of responsibility and can attract many others to this project. Additionally, you can communicate with a lot of like-minded people involved in this cleaning spree.

• Engaging in Garden-Related Activities: As you may imply from the name, this involves garden-related activities, like planting a sapling of a tree. Digging the ground to plant a tree actually helps you connect with the soil which consists of Mycobacterium vaccae, a type of helpful bacteria. These bacteria helps release a hormone called serotonin which enhances positive moods. You can smell the earth and feel the soil through digging.

• Spending Time Amidst Nature: Spending time in nature will rejuvenate your mind and body. You might not have any forest area nearby. In that case, plan a vacation to such a place and spend a few days in the lap of nature. You can simply read a book, meditate or just have a walk in the forest. But try not to use your mobile phone or any such technology that could distract your mind.

• Writing Down Your Experiences: You can simply enjoy the scenery and write it down somewhere, expressing your feelings. This creates a sense of connection where you can absorb the good vibes from nature and express it through words.

• Decorating Interiors With Nature: Decorating your interiors with natural elements will allow you to appreciate nature's beauty and increase your connection with nature.

• Starting a Community Garden: You can start a community garden where you can allow other people to indulge in gardening and related activities. With this, you can also interact with other people and discuss and share feelings and experiences with them.

• Joining Hiking Groups: Try to join the local hiking groups that plan frequent camping and trekking. This will energise you and boost your mental health. In addition, planning to indulge in regular activities/adventure activities help you gain self-confidence.

The healing power of nature comes with a lot of mental health benefits. So, the benefits of nature therapy are as follows:

• Social connection: When Ecotherapy takes place in groups, you can connect with others after the sessions. For example, if you are participating in community gardening, it will reduce loneliness and isolation as you get to interact with new people.
• Motivation to exercise: Consciously or unconsciously, Ecotherapy motivates you to exercise. Certain activities include a lot of movement. As it enhances your mental health, it improves your sleeping condition too.
• Mindfulness: As you spend more time amidst nature, you use your senses to experience the surroundings. Pleasant sounds such as the chirping of birds and the swishing sounds of leaves will help you detach from the stresses of daily life.

A recent study has shown that people who have undergone Ecotherapy sessions have increased resilience to anxiety and stress. In addition, this therapy has benefitted in improving concentration levels, enhanced cognitive abilities and helped in understanding self-worth.

Additionally, it has reduced post-traumatic stress disorder. Another research proved that the sounds of nature have helped recover the nervous system. A 2020 review said people had reported relaxed moods after undergoing nature therapy.

There are no particular steps that will guide you with the therapy. This is all about your own choice and decision. Your therapist might ask you to attend therapy sessions and recommend you to start trekking, hiking or camping, which will help you to connect with nature directly. Since there are several benefits of nature therapy, you can choose your comfort zone and indulge in one.

However, you start simple by participating in nature activity projects. If you love gardening or community farming, enrol your name on such activities as well. Your therapist might include you in a group or as an individual and analyse and assess the change in your behavioural patterns. As you slowly get involved in these activities, you will notice a difference in yourself.

There is no fixed time that states how long nature therapy should last . The more you get involved in such activities, the more beneficial it is for you. It all depends upon your willingness to be a part of such therapies. Once you absorb the positive vibes that this brings, you will want to continue this in the future.

A great approach for introverts, Ecotherapy has several things you must keep in mind:

• If you plan to go trekking, always ensure to check the warnings that come along with this activity. For example, keep track of the weather changes to avoid risks of cancellation of the journey.
• Finally, do not forget to check the wildlife warnings that are present in forests. Most parks and forest areas have detailed websites that guide you with safety warnings.