Do you know that feeling of being totally overwhelmed, overstressed and like you are physically confined to your familiar surroundings or room, only to suddenly think “I need to step outside for some fresh air”? It’s a pretty common phrase for most people and comes almost instinctively. Sometimes we find that, at that moment in time, the physical space has somehow become heavier, and the mind seeks out something outside of its confined space (open space, ability to move freely about, or just being outside in nature).
When someone is under stress, we rarely tell them to just stay inside and indulge in watching something else or to mindlessly play video games. Instead, the majority of the time we will say, “go for a walk”, or “get outside for a little bit”. This kind of suggestion seems obvious and almost seems universal. However, even though people do have similar reactions to stress, we still must ask the question: Why does going outside help? Why is it so restorative for most people when they walk outside and are under the sky?
These responses are not coincidental and they illustrate a reality of psychological nature that is being reaffirmed through the creation of a growing interdisciplinary field of psychology known as Ecopsychology, which studies the relationship between the psychological wellbeing of humans and the physical environment and posits that the health of one’s psyche cannot be fully understood without including the connection of the human spirit to nature. The goal of this article is to present an overview of the foundation of ecopsychology and how the use of nature-based interventions can facilitate emotional recovery now and in the future.
What is Ecopsychology?
Although there are many branches of psychology, such as behavioural and dynamic, there is also a branch called ecopsychology. Ecopsychology integrates both ecological factors and psychological factors in order to understand how humans’ relationships to their environment impact their psyche. This relationship can also impact an individual’s capacity to create a sustainable world.
While Ecopsychology has already existed for many decades, the first formal presentation of it was made in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Sigmund Freud attempted to define the relationship between the person and the environment in his book “Civilisation and Its Discontents.” One of the founders of Ecopsychology, Theodore Roszak, states that “the purpose of ecopsychology is to help us rediscover an innate sense of environmental reciprocity with the Earth that we all have within our Ecological Unconscious.” (Inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud)
Consequently, we are all entailed in some manner by our environment and from that connection, we can develop a sense of safety, tranquillity, and equilibrium within our own psychology. Roszak proposes in his book, “The Voice of the Earth,” paradigms that helped this new field (ecopsychology) become popular. His theory argues that humans’ connection to our (natural) environment is akin to that between the parent and child and the feeling of well-being, safety and emotional stability that connection generates for the individual.
Read More: World Environment Day: The Role of Environmental Psychology
Ecopsychological Approaches to Mental Health
Ecopsychology is a course of action whereby therapists use methods from the natural environment to promote healing by assisting individuals in reconnecting with nature. Therapists combine therapies that have been established as effective because they operate on the premise that human beings have an innate connection through their mind, body, and spirit to the broader world, which can be restored to help improve mental well-being. Nature is viewed as the basic foundation for establishing and maintaining emotional balance and control within ecopsychology practice.
Ecotherapy employs several different approaches to allow individuals to interact with their surroundings by participating in activities that take place in a natural setting, such as having a scheduled hike on a guided tour of the woods or working in a garden and producing food through the planting/harvesting process through the use of plants, as well as going to a location in the wilderness. The use of all of these methods has continued to grow as a means of aiding people with their feelings of anxiousness and depressive symptoms, in addition to disorders developed through stress, by allowing them to develop a significant relationship to their ecological surroundings.
Types of Ecopsychological Interventions
Ecotherapy, as defined by ecopsychology, uses nature as an element of the process for healing a person’s mind. The focus of ecopsychological treatment is on your connection with the natural environment and how being outdoors or in a natural environment has a positive impact on your physiological, emotional, and mental well-being. For ecopsychologists, nature isn’t just a nice part of your life but is also a partner in your healing process. Therefore, the relationship between humans and the natural world is a vital part of the recovery process for ecopsychologists.
Read More: Ecotherapy & its Impacts on Mental Health
1. Nature Exposure and Green Spaces
Being around nature is a great way to heal yourself and create balance in your life is through implementing ecopsychology techniques into your daily routine. Ecopsychology suggests that access to places like parks, gardens, forests and open spaces will help to reduce negative emotions, decrease stress and cortisol levels, and boost mood regulation.
Natural environments provide what has come to be known as soft fascination as per Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan), which means they engage your mind gently without causing cognitive overload; therefore, allowing your brain to rest. Studies have shown that even minimal exposure to green spaces, such as sitting in a park or walking among trees, has been linked to a reduction in anxiety and improvement of emotional balance and homeostasis.
2. Walk Therapy (Ecotherapy)
Walk therapy (also called ecotherapy) uses a more physical element of exercise in nature with the client, therapist and the ability to discuss issues while walking in nature. Without having the client in a ‘boxed-in’ setting (i.e., traditional inside therapy environments). The client may feel more emotionally open when doing outdoor therapy, although they might otherwise feel confined during times of crises or distress.
Physical activity produces endorphins that help alleviate stress and anxiety, whereas all the sensory components of fresh air, sunlight and changing scenery have an impact on the levels and balance of the client’s nervous system; as a result, clients have stated they are more relaxed and expressive when outside doing therapy versus inside. Therefore, clients are encouraged to use nature for assistance with the processing of emotions.
Read More: How Nature Therapy can help people with Autism?
3. Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku)
Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese act of going for medita ative walk through the forest and observing the environment as you walk. The emphasis is more upon becoming aware of your surroundings than upon receiving an exercise benefit.
According to research, participants who spend time in natural settings have been shown to reduce their blood pressure and stress hormone levels while at the same time increasing the amount of parasympathetic nervous system activity (which causes relaxation). By using all five senses with nature, to reduce stress.
4. Horticulture and Gardening Therapy
Increasingly often, people involved with both clinical and community mental health have begun using gardening and other plant-based activities. Horticultural therapy is defined as using the nurturing of living things as a means to instil responsibility, patience and achievement in individuals.
Using soil and growing plants, individuals have shown an increased level of improvement in mood, decreased levels of depression and increased self-esteem. The cyclic process from seed to harvest (growth) also offers symbolic meanings to individuals and assists them in reconnecting with renewal and recovery.
Read More: Why Gardening is good for your Mental Health?
5. Wilderness Therapy
Wilderness therapy is a type of therapy based on structured programs that take place in natural outdoor settings (also known as outdoor behavioural therapy). Teens and those who struggle with emotional or behavioural issues, or are struggling with substance use utilize wilderness therapy. The activities within the wilderness experience are designed to develop the client’s resilience, ability to work with others, and belief in oneself through group/individual participation in hiking, camping, etc., and through group community tasks (group survival tasks) within the context of this wilderness.
6. Blue Space Interventions
Ecopsychology places an emphasis on the mental benefits of ecologies with water, including water bodies (i.e., rivers, oceans, lakes, creeks, and waterfalls). As per recent research studies, it is deduced that exposure to blue spaces can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and is also linked with lowering the risks of obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Clinical Applications
Ecopsychological interventions have shown effectiveness across diverse populations, including individuals with:
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum conditions
- Grief and bereavement
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
Nature-based therapies provide non-intrusive, sensory-grounded experiences that support emotional regulation and psychological recovery.
The Reason Behind Why Ecopsychological Interventions Work
The psychological and physiological processes that lead to the many benefits of ecopsychology are not random occurrences; they occur in specific ways. Ecopsychological interventions affect mental health in multiple ways:
- Decreased physiological stress levels
- Increased ability to focus the mind/sustain cognitive energy
A “mindful state” of being is created (concentrating on items that are present). People feel a connection to themselves and to the nature around them. With the ongoing trend of increased reliance on technology and the growth of cities to accommodate large populations, developing a deeper relationship with nature can give people a meaning for helping them manage anxiety/burn-out/emotional tiredness.
Conclusion
We mistakenly think we do not employ these strategies to help reduce stress in our daily lives. The act of walking outside, breathing in fresh air, going for a walk, etc. are innate human behaviour motivated by the desire to be connected with nature. The field of ecopsychology posits that seeking nature when we feel distressed is not something we’ve learned but rather a natural human response, and as such, a way for us to connect with the environment in which we developed.
References +
Shailendra Chandelkar, BIJNR, BRIO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING RESEARCH, & James, A. (2024a). “Ecopsychology and Nature-Based Interventions: Exploring Therapeutic Benefits and Integration into Mental Health Nursing Practice.” International Journal of Nursing Research, 5(1), 279. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378968953_Ecopsychology_and_Nature Based_Interventions_Exploring_Therapeutic_Benefits_and_Integration_into_Mental_Health_Nursing_Pr actice
Shailendra Chandelkar, BIJNR, BRIO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING RESEARCH, & James, A. (2024b). “Ecopsychology and Nature-Based Interventions: Exploring Therapeutic Benefits and Integration into Mental Health Nursing Practice.” International Journal of Nursing Research, 5(1), 279. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378968953_Ecopsychology_and_Nature Based_Interventions_Exploring_Therapeutic_Benefits_and_Integration_into_Mental_Health_Nursing_Pr actice
Thoma, M. V., Rohleder, N., & Rohner, S. L. (2021a). Clinical Ecopsychology: The Mental Health Impacts and Underlying Pathways of the Climate and Environmental Crisis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(675936). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.675936
Thoma, M. V., Rohleder, N., & Rohner, S. L. (2021b). Clinical Ecopsychology: The Mental Health Impacts and Underlying Pathways of the Climate and Environmental Crisis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(675936). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.675936
White, M. P., Elliott, L. R., Gascon, M., Roberts, B., & Fleming, L. E. (2020a). Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits. Environmental Research, 191(191), 110169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110169
White, M. P., Elliott, L. R., Gascon, M., Roberts, B., & Fleming, L. E. (2020b). Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits. Environmental Research, 191(191), 110169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110169
Wikipedia Contributors. (2019a, September 25). Ecopsychology. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecopsychology
Wikipedia Contributors. (2019b, September 25). Ecopsychology. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecopsychology
