Theory Thursday; Ecotherapy and Trauma Recovery
Nature-based ecotherapy efficiently supports various aspects of mental and physical wellbeing, but don’t just take my word for it. The body of research suggests that ecotherapy can significantly reduce a wide range of unwanted symptoms; such as, memory and attention issues, self-esteem problems, emotional distress, overthinking, etc.
Can it really be that simple? Yes. A natural environment can help facilitate new and meaningful emotional memories. Movement can support emotional regulation. A stimulating sensory environment with relaxing sounds, varying temperatures, interesting smells, and benign living plants and animals signal to the body that you exist and that it’s safe to relax.
There are many therapeutic interventions designed to create similar conditions for the nervous system already, but they tend to be amplified with the help of a natural environment. Perhaps even as you read this, you can imagine finding yourself in the forest. I challenge you to notice your body’s reaction as you imagine the crisp air touching your face via a gentle breeze. You hear the rustling of leaves somewhere in the distance as a squirrel darts into a bush. You are now walking at a clip and your pace of breathing increases slightly. The sun shines between the branches of the trees, creating interesting patterns of light in front of your feet. You smell a damp dirt smell that is musty, but not unpleasant. Even imagining such an experience can be very soothing.
As we go through life, we learn about the world by making memories that store information for us to draw on as wisdom. Sometimes, we learn an unhelpful or unrealistic belief and re-experience the emotions that were present at the time of that learning inappropriately in a way that causes us to suffer unwanted symptoms. For example, let’s say that the first time you rode a bike, you felt scared as you crashed it and injured your knee. Your knee had stung a lot and you were panting in fear and shock, trying to see if any other part of you was injured. You might tend to continue feeling scared when you see a bike and remember the sense of fear you felt. You may begin to believe that bikes are more dangerous than they actually are. You may feel insecure because most of your friends enjoy riding bikes, but you don’t think you can.
In this example, what you need in order to feel better about yourself and biking is to learn by making new memories and forming more realistic beliefs about bike riding. This process of expanding our understanding of reality to reduce distress to a reasonable degree and to form more realistic beliefs is often referred to as memory reconsolidation. In reality, bike riding can be a little dangerous, but there are many ways to reduce risk. It is also quite possible to survive a skinned knee, even though crashing was terrifying the first time you rode.
Why am I going on and on about bike riding? Well, sensory stimulation, felt safety, and an awareness of the present moment tend to make memory reconsolidation easier for the brain to do efficiently and sufficiently. Expanding on our wisdom from the past requires us to be present with an old upset, while also experiencing positive emotions and many present-time safety cues in our surroundings; thus, ecotherapy sessions tend to serve as a reliable vehicle for this type of desired change.
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