Ecotherapy: Is It Really a Viable Answer to Mental Heath Issues?

image

Green therapy – or Ecotherapy, as it’s often called – has an increasing body of research backing it as a successful form of treatment for people suffering with mental health conditions. However, on first impression it does seem a little bohemian, and perhaps a little too lacking in medical prowess to be a viable answer to the complexities of mental health.

Ecotherapy can involve anything from organised gardening groups to a week spent living out in the open, and some ‘patients’ are offered individual ecotherapy sessions. It encourages people to let go of the egocentricity modern society forces us to adopt, repositioning our perspective of the world around us by going back to basics and connecting with the natural world.

‘We are twice as likely to be emotionally distressed if we are urban’

Psychologist Oliver James stated in The Guardian that “we are twice as likely to be emotionally distressed if we are urban rather than rural (and four times more likely to suffer schizophrenia). Part of the reason for this is estrangement caused by lack of exposure to natural sights, sounds and smells, to dislocation from the natural rhythms of the seasons, of night from day.”

Considering this, it makes perfect sense that counteracting the effects of our urban lives by spending time in a rural environment should help to improve mental health conditions. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that urban living is the sole cause of mental health issues, but it has recently been admitted by one leading psychologist that he is unable to find any genes that explain mental illness, leaving us to conclude that the primary causes of emotional distress are psychosocial.

‘Mind’ fully backs ecotherapy as an alternative treatment

According to The Guardian, another leading psychologist, Michael Cohen, proposes that “nature offers a different civilisation from that of human culture. Earth offers a wisdom, joy and beauty that excludes pollution, war and insanity.” From this perspective, it seems increasingly believable that ecotherapy – which at first can seem a little too bohemian to be true – does in fact have a positive effect on the human psyche.

Mind, the mental health charity, is fully backing the alternative therapy and wants everyone to have access to ecotherapy as a form of treatment. In fact, there are several organisations around the UK already providing ecotherapy, although it is yet to be recognised as a mental health treatment in its own right.

Ecotherapy at home

For those that aren’t able to be part of an organised programme, there are ways you can introduce ecotherapy into your own life, and it doesn’t have to be something that’s targeted towards improving a mental health condition. In fact, our overall wellbeing and outlook on life can be greatly influenced by spending more time surrounded by nature.

A simple country bike ride – either alone or with friends and family – can really lift the spirits, as can a walk in your local park. Volunteering at environmental projects adds an additional sense of feel-good achievement, and it’s a brilliant excuse to spend more time outdoors appreciating the world around you.

For those not yet ready to join an organisation or volunteering project, the garden or an allotment can offer the same benefits. Larger scale projects like garden ponds encourage the nurturing of an ecosystem from start to finish, with the end result being a natural habitat for all kinds of animals, birds and insects.

Be more aware of the present moment

The key takeaway from ecotherapy is to be more present in the moment, taking care to immerse oneself in the rural, rather than the urban. It seems that ecotherapy, despite the sceptics, is proving itself to be a very valuable form of treatment for mental health issues.

Reuben Dickison
I am a semi retired management consultant with a new found passion for sustainable living. I have a small homestead in rural New York and when I am not tending to the various goats, chicken and pigs, I write on ecological and natural health issues.