Therapy Goes Green
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Therapy Goes Green
What do you do when the stresses of daily life become too much? Perhaps you take a quick stroll in the park during lunch time, or you roll up your sleeves on the weekend and head for the garden.
Connecting with nature can improve your health and wellbeing, researchers recently reported in the renowned British Medical Journal (11.05), and therapists all over the world are quickly catching on. The buzzword is ecopsychology, a new trend that offers a green approach to traditional counseling.
According to the BMJ, wildlife such as squirrels and raccoons have been used successfully in therapies for children with emotional and behavioral problems, and people who participate in nature conservation projects report positive effects on their health, and an increased sense of wellbeing.
The therapies applied by ecopsychologists vary from practitioner to practitioner and range from horticultural or animal therapy to wilderness explorations and natural lifestyle counseling. Close interaction with nature, reports BMJ, can help us overcome social isolation and give us the feeling of being part of a greater system beyond individual relationships.
