SUMMARY: A growing body of psychologists believes that many mental problems such as depression, stress and anxiety can be traced to society's alienation from nature. Their solution: go outside and enjoy the natural world.Traditional psychotherapists focus on a patient's interior. They prescribe pharmaceuticals or meditation or old-fashioned couch therapy. But practitioners of the new "eco-therapy" believe patient care must include time spent in the great outdoors. Eco-therapists, according to this article, believe that “evolution over millions of years” has hard-wired humans to interact with the environment -- air, water, plants, and "other" animals.
Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, people have been steadily removing themselves from the natural world. Our lives are now regulated by the factory clock, not the sun or moon. Technologies like iPhones and BlackBerrys are dominating our lives and keeping us from appreciating our natural surroundings. More than half of the world's population now lives in cities with many people barely ever getting a glimpse of green. And many people are agonizing over the destruction of much of what remains of the natural world. "We began to get the impression that we were somehow above and separate from nature," says Craig Chalquist, co-editor of the new book Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind.
Getting reconnected to nature shouldn’t be hard. Patient treatment often begins with starting a nature journal in which a record can be kept of how much time is spent outside. Many patients spend less than 15 to 30 minutes a day outside, not counting time spent walking to and from their cars. Eco-therapists tell their patients to slow down, go for a hike, garden or simply take a walk outside. Therapy sessions may also take place outside, in a park instead of an office.
A 2007 study in England found that a daily walk outdoors could be as effective as taking antidepressant drugs for mild or moderate depression. Regular exercise outside is also known to be a powerful mood enhancer, and a boost in vitamin D production from the sun may also help one‘s mood.
Ultimately, eco-therapy may also be a means of changing the human behavior that is causing stress over worsening environmental news. (The International Association for Ecotherapy currently has more than 100 official members.)
To read the entire article click on this TIME link.
For a related article, click on this November 10 Post.
COMMENT: Did you notice the evolutionist bias in the article? I believe the eco-therapists are on to something good even though, if they are evolutionists, their thinking may be a bit clouded by this bias.
Yes, being out in nature can have a tremendous effect on our sense of well-being. However, it is not clear how viewing nature from a Darwinist perspective can help one’s mental state. The fresh air and sunshine may be uplifting, but doesn’t evolution teach that once we die, we’re dead for good? Wouldn’t walking in a park and noticing the dead leaves and trees remind us of this grim outlook? And we'd better not walk near a graveyard! Also, if being outdoors makes us worry about environmental issues, how can that raise our spirits?
The real reason why being out in nature can be a powerful antidote for stress, depression or loneliness is that it brings us closer to our Creator. Sincere Christians appreciate the clouds, the sun and stars, the plants, and God’s animals (not “other” animals) as a reminder of God’s creative power and love as well as His ongoing care for us. The beauty that we observe in nature can give us a little bit of a taste of the beauty we look forward to observing in the heavenly world to come.
Non-believers may still unconsciously retain a sense of this connection between our created world and the Creator which they might well reawaken with a walk in the park. May they be open to discovering the true identity of our Creator God in the pages of the Bible. There they will learn all they need to know about how they too can receive the gifts of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life in heaven. No more stress and depression in that future world!
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
What is the Gaia Theory?
This theory, originated by James Lovelock in the 1960s, proposes that the Earth is a finely tuned super-organism consisting of the entire natural world. It was based on the observation that all of the Earth's processes appear to be working together to maintain optimum conditions for life. Lovelock stressed there is no conscious force involved as some people have misinterpreted his theory. Of course, he ignores the conscious force known as God.Source: Living with the Planet by Catherine von Ruhland
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