Research & Resources
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HERE
Dr. Ruth Allen created this video to highlight her reasons for taking therapy outdoors. She explores the idea of privatization of suffering and the benefits of bringing suffering into nature and the community. Dr. Allen shows us how nature can help us heal.
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Playing with dogs helps people concentrate and relax, brain recordings show
Recent research using EEG headsets examined the impact of human-dog interactions, revealing increased alpha brain waves during relaxation activities and heightened beta waves during tasks requiring focus. Participants reported reduced stress, fatigue, and improved mood post-interaction, particularly during close physical contact with the dog. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of such interactions for enhancing emotional well-being and stress management.
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Therapists Trade the Couch for the Great Outdoors
Mental health practitioners are hiking, camping and braving the elements with their clients — all in an effort to help them connect with the Earth, and with themselves.
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Walking Psychotherapy As a Health Promotion Strategy to Improve Mental and Physical Health for Patients and Therapists: Clinical Open-Label Feasibility Trial
Persons with mental illness are more at risk for sedentary behavior and associated consequences. We assessed the feasibility of outdoor walking during psychotherapy sessions in an outpatient trauma therapy program to challenge sedentary behavior.
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Walk it off! The effectiveness of walk and talk coaching in nature for individuals with burnout- and stress-related complaints
In this study, we aimed to test the effectiveness of walk and talk coaching in a natural setting for individuals suffering from work-related stress and burnout. The results indicate that both reductions in symptoms of burnout and other negative outcomes as well as increases in work pleasure and other positive outcomes were more pronounced for the group that received walk and talk coaching.
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The effectiveness of narrative exposure therapy: a review, meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis
Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a short-term psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has been investigated in various contexts among traumatized refugees and other trauma survivors. Sustained treatment results have been reported
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Adult Clients' Experience of Walk-and-Talk Therapy
Many therapists have begun engaging clients in walk-and-talk therapy as they have discovered the overall health benefits of physical activity and exposure to nature and as they sought to engage clients in a more interactive and dynamic therapeutic experience.
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Why some practitioners of walk-and-talk therapy think it is especially helpful for teens
Amanda Stemen, who works as an outdoor and mindful movement therapist in Los Angeles, wrote “I’ve noticed a significant reduction in symptoms in terms of intensity and duration when comparing my outdoor clients versus in office/video conference clients. Teenagers seem to have an easier time opening up in a more organic way being outdoors and moving as well. ”