Nature's Effect on Mental Health

A healthy dose of nature may be just
what a patient needs.

by Alex Roweton

Although medication and therapy are often effective for treating mental illnesses, nature may have the ability to help those who are resistant to traditional methods of treatment.

As mental health becomes less and less of a taboo subject in society, it’s important to think about the different approaches to treatment that work for different people. One person might respond well to medication and therapy as a method of treatment for their mental illness, but traditional methods may not work for another. Although medication and therapy are often effective for treating mental illnesses, nature may have the ability to help those who are resistant to traditional methods of treatment. Wilderness therapy (sometimes known as forest bathing) involves spending time in nature and may be just what a treatment-resistant patient needs.

Nature's Debut

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Using nature as a healing source is not a new practice. Starting markedly in the Romantic era, artists like Caspar David Friedrich depicted a sense of peace while in nature. In the photo to the left, Friedrich depicts a wanderer, lonely as can be, pondering before the sea. The scene brings a sort of calm, melancholy feeling to the viewer and allows for them to get lost in the waves and the potential of the wanderer. Other figures from the Romantic era like Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote pieces like Nature about the transcendentalist idea that nature has the ability to give us clarity and enlightenment more than any other place could.

The Romantic period certainly had an impact on mental health. Before this time, mental health was not talked about almost at all, and those who did deal with mental illnesses were likely seen as possessed, so they were exiled from society. The Romantic period brought depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses into the conversation through its art, music, and literature. The Romantic period also, however, created many unhealthy and often toxic mentalities and stigmas around mental health. Mental illness was often depicted as dark, dramatic, and, in some ways, heroic. Solitude, something that is discouraged by most therapists while depressed, was also romanticized and thought to be a higher way of living. One of the themes that the Romantics did get right, however, was the power of nature.

Education on Using Nature Therapy

Because medication and therapy work so well for many patients, alternative methods for treating those who are not helped by traditional methods are still being explored. Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), for example, may not benefit from therapy because talking about the trauma can often re-traumatize the person, and medication can often increase suicidal thoughts and tendencies. These patients, obviously, are in need of a different treatment method altogether. Some have found art or music therapy to be helpful for them, and others, like myself, have found nature therapy to be helpful. Most people, however, are unsure of what nature therapy is. Essentially, nature therapy is spending time in nature (usually with a group of people) so as to lessen or improve symptoms of your mental illness. In an audiobook called The 3-Day Effect, a story is told about a woman who had served in the army and was now dealing with PTSD. She explained that, at home, she would have to take medication to help her sleep, but when she spent time camping and hiking out in nature, she fell asleep with no problem.

Researchers are now exploring alternative
treatment methods like nature therapy.

The reason that nature therapy works is that it gives the person a chance to get out of their normal lives and to take control of their surroundings. Nature therapy often works very well for those who have PTSD and depression because of the control that the patients gain out in nature. Often, if someone is dealing with PTSD or has depression, it’s triggered by an event where the patient had little or no control – whether over their bodies or their surroundings. In being out in nature, the person can choose where they go, what they do, and how they do it. It’s a chance for them to feel like they’re in control again. It’s also a chance for them to communicate how they feel and what they’re thinking to those around them. Often, whether the patient has PTSD, depression, or another mental illness, it’s difficult to talk about what’s bothering the person because it can be seen as embarrassing or too traumatizing to discuss. With nature therapy, however, the person is partially distracted by the new smells, sights, and sounds, and may be able to talk through what’s troubling them when normally they wouldn't.

Implementing Nature Therapy in Day-to-Day Lives

One study done in Wisconsin showed that the more regularly a person has access to nature and "green space," the lower their stress, depression, and anxiety levels are. Recently, I was in a situation where I  had very high anxiety because I was stranded right outside of Zion's National Park. I had lost the keys to my car and, when I tried to use a spare key to get it going, the engine wouldn't start. To top it off, it was around 10:30 at night, meaning it was pitch black outside. It was a seemingly hopeless situation, but in the midst of the chaos (and while I was waiting for AAA to come tow my car), I looked up to see one of the clearest skies with the brightest stars I had ever experienced. I took a deep breath in and smelled the trees, the campfires from nearby campers, and the crisp night air, and knew that everything was going to be okay. Looking up at the stars and feeling the wind on my face gave me such a sense of peace even though I had every right to be freaking out. It allowed me the clarity I needed to figure out a solution and solve the problem.

It's clear that nature can reduce negative symptoms in a person, but one difficulty with nature therapy is that often, people do not have access to the Rocky Mountains, or the Atlantic ocean, and have to go out of their way to reach any kind of wilderness. As a full-time student with a job, a husband, and a very needy cat, I also sometimes find it difficult to manage my mental illnesses through nature therapy. One study, though, showed that taking a 5 km walk through a scenic area where you might be able to view mountains, the oceans, or other greenery results in decreased anxiety and negativity at the end of the walk. What's great about nature therapy is that a person does not need to spend an entire week out in the woods in order to feel the effects of nature therapy (although that does work wonders on some). For those who do not necessarily have immediate access to nature, studies show that they can still experience some benefits of nature therapy by planting an indoor garden, exercising outside, or their lunch outdoors instead of at their office desk. For those who struggle with severe mental disorders, researchers recommend spending at least an hour outside every week and, if possible, to get involved in an outside volunteer program or a guided ecotherapy program. 

Nature therapy doesn't have to be complicated, and it also doesn't have to be isolated. I, personally, have found that a combination of medication, traditional therapy, and nature therapy works best to manage my depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and you might find something like that too!

Image Credits:
Joey Guidone, Backpacker
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

Source Credits:
Nature Therapy - Emily Deans; Psychology Today
Wilderness: The New Treatment for PTSD - Annette McGivney; Backpacker
The 3-Day Effect - Florence Williams; Audible
Exposure to neighborhood green space and mental health: Evidence from the survey of the health of Wisconsin - Beyer et al.;  Int J Environ Res Public Health
7 Ways to Get Nature Therapy, Even if You Live in the City - Joni Sweet; Forbes
The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition - Bratman et al.; Landscape and Urban Planning
Why Nature is Therapeutic - Author Unknown; CRC Health