Eco-therapy is rooted in the theory that your health is directly impacted by your surroundings and uses physical interaction with nature as a tool for healing.
Melbourne based eco-therapist and hiking tour guide Amanda Connell (holistichikes.com) explains more about it.
What is eco-therapy?
Many eco-therapists believe that the earth has a way to keep herself in balance. Through ‘nature informed therapy’ people can harmonise with this.
With mental health issues, eco-therapy takes a pragmatic, solution focus without having to discuss the actual problem itself, providing the opportunity for people to explore their relationship with nature. The fundamental concept in eco-therapy is that by enabling people to become spiritually closer to nature it helps to ease the underlying psychological issues they face.
A deepening of connection with the world around them and subsequential a deeper connection within themselves and in their significant relationships. This is the healing effect of synchronising with nature. This is eco-therapy.
This interconnection with the natural world is key to our health and wellbeing.
Eco-therapy carries beliefs that we are all part of the natural web of life, that we are not separate, as we often see ourselves to be. Humans are just one of the many species within a balanced ecosystem, interwoven in the fabric of nature.
Eco-therapy differs from other forms of therapy, as the focus is on the activity itself rather than on the persons cause of disfunction, their mental or physical health difficulties. Eco-therapy activities can be facilitated by a therapist, coach, or guide, however, it is nature itself which is the real therapist.
A passive therapy, eco-therapy is about immersing oneself in nature, flooding the senses with natural elements, allowing nature to heal us and enhance our wellbeing.
Ideally the therapy is practiced outdoors in the natural environment, however, it can also be experienced indoors. Bringing the natural elements into our homes can provide a connection that is therapeutic. Indoor plants, animals inside and natural materials used in the home like wooden floors, stone benches or driftwood and shells collected from walks along the shore, all provide a connection to the natural world.
How it works
Eco-therapy invites you to explore beyond what you can see. Aromas draw you further into a eucalypt forest, the touch of dew drops falling delicately from the ferny undergrowth kiss your skin as you brush past. Birds sing in the canopy above, as stream murmurs in your periphery.
Awaken to all that happens in this moment, your proprioception, your awareness of your body being in a natural environment creates a bridge between you and the natural world.
It is through our touch, taste, smell, sight and sounds that we create an instant connection to our central nervous system. By bringing awareness to our senses, we can manage the busy mind, the source of unease that can be traced into our physical body.
Dr Qing Li of Nippon Medical school in Japan, has found through his research spending time around trees or nature, immersed in the experience can reduce blood pressure, lower stress and anxiety, boost energy and immunity, and promote a sense of calm and wellbeing.