Ecotherapy
Nature is not only nice to have, but it’s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive function - Richard Louv
image by: Geo
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The Nature Cure
The first time J. Phoenix Smith told me that soil has healing properties that can help thwart depression, I just nodded slowly.
Smith is an ecotherapist, a practitioner of nature-based exercises intended to address both mental and physical health. Which means she recommends certain therapies that trigger in me, as a medical doctor, more skepticism than serenity: Listen to birdsong, in your headphones if necessary. Start a garden, and think of the seeds’ growth as a metaphor for life transitions. Find a spot in a park and sit there for 20 minutes every week, without checking your phone, noting week-to-week and seasonal changes in a journal.
Ecotherapy is a fledgling profession,…
Resources
A radical nature-based agenda would help society overcome the psychological effects of coronavirus
There are more and more programmes explicitly aimed at helping people with experiences of distress by providing structured contact with nature. These are variously referred to as nature-based interventions, ecotherapy or green care. A growing evidence base suggests they are effective in alleviating distress and fostering recovery and resilience – for people but also, at least potentially, for nature too.
An Ecotherapeutic Meditation in Ten Steps
This is an exercise to help your body release the stress of constantly bracing for a disaster.
Ecotherapy aims to tap into nature to improve your wellbeing
One type of therapy that is starting to become more popular is “ecotherapy”; which advocates claim can improve mental and physical wellbeing. Sometimes referred to as green exercise or green care, this type of formal therapeutic treatment involves being active in natural spaces. It’s also sighted to be one of 2020’s biggest wellness trends, though the practice is far from new.
Nature Therapy Is a Privilege
Science is learning more about the health benefits of going outside—at a time when access to wild spaces is ever-more unequal.
The Japanese practice of ‘forest bathing’ is scientifically proven to improve your health
The tonic of the wilderness was Henry David Thoreau’s classic prescription for civilization and its discontents, offered in the 1854 essay Walden: Or, Life in the Woods. Now there’s scientific evidence supporting eco-therapy. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing.
'Forest Bathing': How Microdosing on Nature Can Help With Stress
The practice, long-popular in Japan, is gaining traction in the U.S. as a way of harnessing the health benefits of being outdoors.
Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health
A growing body of research points to the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on health, reducing stress and promoting healing. Now, policymakers, employers, and healthcare providers are increasingly considering the human need for nature in how they plan and operate.
Ecotherapy – A Forgotten Ecosystem Service: A Review
Natural ecosystems provide important services upon which humans depend. Unfortunately, some people tend to believe that these services are provided by nature for free; therefore, the services have little or no value. One nearly forgotten ecosystem service is ecotherapy – the ability of interaction with nature to enhance healing and growth.
Ecotherapy: A View of the Field from a Natural Expert
“Most come away with a validation of self, saying ‘This is who I am.’ People are deeply grateful to have the opportunity to experience a therapy session outside, and are surprised that Ecotherapy is so helpful.”
Gardening Is Better Than Antidepressants for Some Mentally Ill Patients
UK eco-therapy program MindFood uses the growing and selling of produce and other foods to help residents recover from and cope with severe mental illness.
Is There an Ecological Unconscious?
Albrecht’s philosophical attempt to trace a direct line between the health of the natural world and the health of the mind has a growing partner in a subfield of psychology.
Tree Therapy? ‘Forest Bathers’ Say It Helps
They call themselves forest bathers, part of a growing movement that believes immersing oneself in nature and in the chemicals plants and trees emit has unexpected medical benefits.
How Nature Benefits Your Mental Health
Recently, scientists have been working out whether grass and trees could be used to treat depression and anxiety.
The Nature Cure
Why some doctors are writing prescriptions for time outdoors.
EcoSoul: Ecotherapy for Health
J. Phoenix Smith, MSW Founder of EcoSoul is an Ecotherapist, Teacher, Public Health Leader, and Published Author. Through her company EcoSoul she provides ecotherapy through teaching, community engagement, and ceremonies designed to support health and wellness in diverse communities.
MindFood
MindFood is an Ealing based charity that supports people with depression, anxiety and stress to improve their wellbeing through gardening, mindfulness and horticulture.
Trybe
We use a nature-based therapeutic model to create holistic restoration of mind, body and spirit.
Good Therapy
Ecotherapy, also known as nature therapy or green therapy, is the applied practice of the emergent field of ecopsychology, which was developed by Theodore Roszak. Ecotherapy, in many cases, stems from the belief that people are part of the web of life and that our psyches are not isolated or separate from our environment.
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