7 Common & Uncommon Benefits of Wilderness Therapy
Takeaway: Connecting with nature through wilderness therapy can have transformative effects. But how exactly can it help? And how do you know whether it’s the right fit for you? I break down all of that (and more) here.
Does the idea of “therapy” evoke images of sitting in an isolated generic office, trying to explain your unique, alive experience to a stuffy-seeming therapist in business attire? I imagine that seems completely disconnected from your life and any feelings of comfort, healing, or connection.
Therapy doesn’t have to be like that! Many people benefit from ecotherapy, which allows them to build relationships with themselves, the world, and their therapist by working in and with nature. Read on to learn more about the transformative effects of nature therapy and whether it’s a fit for you.
Understanding wilderness therapy
Wilderness therapy is an experiential approach to mental health treatment that utilizes outdoor activities and nature immersion to promote self discovery and healing. Participants engage in outdoor activities such as hiking, gardening, camping, rock climbing, and survival skills in natural settings, often guided by trained therapists.
Removing individuals from the distractions and stressors of modern life in favor of time in outdoor settings can build confidence, social skills, self-awareness, coping skills, and emotional regulation.
Those who overcome obstacles in recreational activities build mastery, supporting them in fostering resilience, introspection, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills while deepening their connection to themselves and the Earth.
Ecotherapy or adventure therapy can be a standalone treatment for mental health conditions. Wilderness therapy can also be an adjunctive or complementary form of treatment. Many people participate in wilderness programs that include group activities. However, there are just as many benefits of wilderness therapy work that is done one-on-one setting.
Who wilderness therapy can help
Wilderness therapy can be a fit for many people, particularly those who love to be outside and find themselves at their best there. We were not meant to spend our lives indoors, isolated in tiny rooms–reminiscent of all the boxes we are forced to try to fit ourselves into.
Many people believe that this limitation is a big part of why they struggle with counseling. Our healing cannot be contained in an office space or on a computer screen. We need to be able to take it with us and connect it to the larger world and our bigger picture experience. Our natural environment can hold space for that work.
Many people find adventure therapy and ecotherapy beneficial. There are some populations and situations for which experiential therapy and wilderness therapies are particularly helpful.
ADHD & Neurodivergent folks
Some adhd'ers and other neurodivergent individuals find that being able to move and explore natural environments or engage in outdoor recreational activities results in increased benefit from the therapeutic process
Sensory needs or sensory differences
Some folks find that they benefit more from the treatment process or are at their best in settings where they experience nourishing sensory input such as natural light, nature sounds, green, and more.
Alternatively, some folks who struggle with awareness of internal sensations/bodily cues (Interoception) or spatial awareness (Proprioception) find that the sensory information offered through engagement with natural surroundings or wilderness therapy techniques provide helpful starting blocks for re-developing a relationship with their bodies and increasing capacity for internal and external present-moment awareness.
Trauma survivors
Many individuals with post traumatic stress disorder or CPTSD aren’t ready to or don’t want to focus their therapy on talking about what has happened to them. Sometimes talking about what happened in traditional talk therapy just leaves us feeling like we're reliving it rather than processing and healing from it. Ecotherapy and adventure therapy are more suited to helping us access the wisdom, stories, and pain stored as body memories, which is particularly key in healing from trauma.
Marginalized populations
The vast majority of us from marginalized communities have had harmful and oppressive everiences within the mental health and substance abuse treatment field. The field mirrors the dominant culture that habitually harms is and is full of institutional bias. Traditional forms of therapy with mental health professionals are often not a fit for many of us. A model of therapy that looks and feels more removed from that dominant culture can be a transformative experience.
7 common (and unexpected) benefits of wilderness therapy
There are many health benefits to ecotherapy and adventure therapy, some of which might surprise you. Some things that I frequently see in my therapy work or have personally experienced in my own nature-based healing process are:
1. Improved ability to regulate the nervous system
Many trauma survivors, members of marginalized groups, and/or people who struggle with anxiety, biploar disorder, depression, OCD, and other mental health challenges find it difficult for their bodies to maintain levels of alertness/calmness that are appropriate to the situation.
They might find themselves on high-alert, unable to relax, even when they are in environments without active threats to their safety. They may also find themselves at the other end of the spectrum, dissociated and checked out when they want to be present to their life.
Through engaging with movement and with the many sensory experiences offered by the outdoors, wilderness therapy can help you build connections with your body that allow for better awareness and understanding of the level of activation or energetic arousal in your nervous system. From there, we can build skills and tools for actively engaging with and regulating your nervous system.
Having awareness of our nervous system states, understanding of triggers for nervous system activation, and skills for regulating our nervous systems can leave us feeling more empowered and like we have more control in life. However, this work is NOT about making nervous system activation go away, or to force ourselves to desensitize to triggers to pretend we are safe in very unsafe situations. The world is often very unsafe for so many of us!
The goals of liberatory and socially just trauma responsive therapy are to increase our capacity for regulation in environments where safety might actually exist, increase capacity for building small communities in which we experience more safety, and decrease exposure to environments where active threats to safety habitually occur. Until more of us have those things, there are too few of us who are resourced enough to participate in the positive changes that will make the world an actually safe place.
2. Decreased Social Anxiety
It may seem strange that you can become more comfortable engaging socially by going to therapy away from society, but it’s true! Wilderness therapy work helps you explore and deepen your connection to the rest of the world. Initially, this may look or feel like it is focused on your connection with very particular parts of the natural world, but there is more to it. We are all part of our ecosystem, for better or for worse, and connecting to this can expand your capacity to be around and connect with others.
3. Increased ability to have healthy, strong relationships
Many of my clients, particularly those working to heal from trauma, struggle from attachment wounding that impacts their present day relationships. They may find it hard to trust, be honest or vulnerable about hard things, navigate conflict in a healthy way, choose partners and friends who treat them well, ask for what they need, and more.
We all deserve to have deep and meaningful relationships in our everyday life. We all deserve to feel seen, heard, and understood. We all deserve to find people and places that feel like home.
Maybe you don’t have these kinds of relationships in your life–either because connecting with others is hard for you or because you do have people, but it seems impossible to talk about hard things and ask for help in any relationship. In these cases, nature not only allows a place to practice having these relationships, but it also provides the support that some people assume can only come from connections with other people.
Traditional talk therapy and other traditional forms of therapy focus more on short term treatment of behavioral issues and psychological issues that are often symptoms of the problem. Rarely do these approaches center the relationship or allow treatment to be client directed.
Wilderness therapy provides opportunities to intentionally practice communication skills and build self confidence. You will get to develop relationships that are healthy and meaningful with the support of a licensed therapist and the natural world. Both the relationship you and I create in the therapeutic process and the relationship you foster with nature will provide skills and guides for nourishing current relationships and building these kinds of relationships in your daily life
4. Connection with your ancestors and/or a deeper understanding of how systems of oppression have shaped our relationship to the land
Ecotherapy has its roots in indigenous practices. While many who engage with therapy or other healing practices in nature often ignore these roots, appropriating long-standing cultural practices, I strive to incorporate the history and present of cultures who have been doing this kind of work for centuries.
If you are in the process of understanding and exploring your connections to your ancestors, the land, and/or your relationship to the violence that has transformed our understanding of our ecosystems and stolen so many people’s connections to the land, we can engage in this work together. You won’t have to explain it to me.
5. Building a stronger support network
So many of us struggle to know what we need. We often also have difficulty knowing who to turn to for support. As we are building our community of supporters and learning to identify what we need and who to ask, nature can be part of that network.
When you hear the term “support network,” you likely envision a group of people that you can turn to for both emotional and practical support. Wilderness therapy can help you develop your relationship with nature and understand how it can be a reliable part of that support network.
Many of us know that taking a walk in a natural setting or going somewhere beautiful can sometimes be just what we need. Spending time in an outdoor setting such as a local park or open space that you regular visit can also support you in re-developing a sense of place and home.
6. More accessible opportunities to engage in mindfulness
These days, most of us have heard time and again about the benefits of mindfulness practices. We are told that people who engage in mindful meditation regularly have more energy, are happier, feel less stressed, have fewer health problems, and more.
This can be particularly frustrating to hear for those of us who know this would make a huge difference for us, but can’t quite manage to sit and relax our bodies, focus on our breathing, and gently bring our minds back when they wander away. It can also be enraging to hear while wishing we had time to sit peacefully rather than being in the midst of the grind while trying to survive under capitalism.
Maybe you’ve experienced trauma, and being present with your body can be incredibly triggering. Perhaps you feel your brain just isn’t made for being still and quiet! Maybe you notice that as soon as you're still you fall asleep from exhaustion, or even panic at the stillness.
Wilderness therapy offers the opportunity to be mindfully present with your sensory experiences–both as a person experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and physical feelings of nature as well as a person exploring the challenges of their life with the help of a counselor. Being present with sensory experiences is another way to access the benefits of mindfulness, and for many of us, it is more accessible and enjoyable!
Do you think paying attention to your breath would be less terrifying if you were noticing the cream soda like scent of a Ponderosa Pine? Maybe being in and noticing your body wouldn't be so dangerous if your focus was on cool water on your toes or a breeze across your face. Could the present moment be easier to be in while lightly brushing your fingers across soft moss and focusing on the way it feels against your fingertips?
7. A better sense of closure after complicated events or a powerful acknowledgment of life transitions
Wilderness therapy provides more options to honor and mark important events than traditional talk therapy. Some people can find it very helpful to do something to honor the importance of something they have been through or are embarking upon. These important or transitional events are often refered to as Rites of Passage.
One way to mark or honor these transitions is to create a ritual or ceremony. While a traditional office therapist can certainly talk over and plan rituals or other activities to mark important events, set intentions, or call on healing, the options for doing so in this setting are more limited.
In wilderness therapy, your therapist can be there facilitating, witnessing, or participating in a ritual. And nature provides many meaningful elements and lifeforms to work with; sand, water, trees, grass, feathers, rocks, flowers, and more.
Understanding whether wilderness therapy is right for you
If wilderness therapy seems worth exploring to you, I would be happy to talk to you to help you learn more and understand if it is a good fit. Schedule a free consult now! I care deeply about helping people find therapy that is a good fit, especially those for whom the process is challenging.
But, how can you tell if wilderness therapy will be a good fit for you? It can be hard to get started with therapy, and anxiety over this can make it challenging to get excited about any individual approach or therapist.
If you answer yes to any of the below, wilderness therapy may be a good choice for you.
Do worries or despair about the state of the world form a significant part of your worldview?
Do you have a negative reaction to the idea of sitting in a therapist's office?
Do you feel more alive in conversations when you are moving and/or outdoors?
Do you feel or want to feel a meaningful connection to the natural world?
Do you find it healing or calming to go hiking, visit natural areas, take a walk, or garden?
Does it feel safer for you to be with plants or animals than it does to be with people?
Choosing a therapist, and finding a therapy modality that is the right fit is a highly personal decision. There's no one right path and it's okay if you decide wilderness therapy is not a fit for you. You can still reach out about other approaches to therapy, or help identifying other mental health professionals who might be able to help. I am happy to lend a hand in this process as I am able.
FAQs about wilderness therapy
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We are not made to spend all of our time inside and/or isolated from the other species we share our planet with. Many studies have shown that spending time with nature has a positive impact on our mental health. Communities that are closer to and/or more connected with nature have longer average lifespans. Wilderness therapy is one way to harness the healing power of nature for our mental health.
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Healing is more complicated than a simple success parameter can measure. Further, nature is not black and white. Outside of particular activities (such as hunting and foraging), there is no clear “success” and “failure.” Success is different for every client, every organism, every ecosystem, and there are many constellations of success.
Although success in therapy is relative and therapists work with their clients to help develop their own treatment plan and them reach their specific goals, it is understandable to want to know if wilderness therapy works, why it is effective, and what the success rates are.
Most wilderness therapy research is focused on adventure therapy program s and wilderness therapy programs catered toward troubled adolescents with substuse abuse or mental health challenges and sometimes young adults with emotional and behavioral issues. For example, studies by Russel (2002-2005) showed improved mental health scores for participants in wilderness therapy programs both in the months following the wilderness program and still for years after. Additionally, young people who go through wilderness programs or an adventure therapy program show almost three times as much improvement than those who receive traditional treatment for substance abuse concerns or mental health issues.
It wasn't until more recently that research focused on ecotherapy or time in nature had been conducted and primarily included adult engagement. Very little, of this research is focused on the efficacy of ecotherapy, adventure therapy and experiential therapy specifically. Though there is some. Most research in this area primarily focuses on how time in nature and engagement with nature improves physical and mental health, mood, sense or purpose and belonging, heart health, and self esteem.
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The field of wilderness therapy has a sordid past. The term wilderness therapy often leaves most people remembering troubled teens being shipped off to wilderness rehab and boot camp programs against their will, often taken from their beds in the middle of the night.
Many of these programs are no longer in operation for good reason. I do not offer wilderness therapy programs like those that have given the field a bad reputation. I also do not refer people to wilderness therapy programs without first confirming the values and practices of the program do not mirror those of wilderness programs with boot camp models.
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There are risks anytime you leave a controlled environment. While this is therapeutically helpful to most people, as it more closely resembles the world in which we must apply our growth, there are environmental hazards to be considered–sunburn, bug bites, unpleasant weather, and even, depending on what environment we collaboratively choose, more dangerous animals or natural elements. Many clients find planning for and navigating environmental challenges to parallel how they approach challenges in their personal life, but not everyone wants to have to manage these things.
It can also be frustrating if a scheduled session coincides with weather that you do not want to be outside in—I will never make you “deal,” but shifting to online therapy can sometimes be a bummer. Additionally, as days grow shorter in the fall and winter, it can be harder to find a time that works when it is still light outside.
If you are interested in wilderness therapy but are concerned about any of these challenges, we can talk through some ways we could mitigate them. Reach out for a free consultation if you’d like to discuss whether ecotherapy is the right fit for you.
Discover the benefits of wilderness therapy firsthand.
Want to learn more? Schedule a free consult today! As a licensed professional counselor with a degree in wilderness therapy, I get excited about helping people connect with nature and experience the transformative effects of ecotherapy. During our consultation, I’d be happy to talk more with you about my therapy work, why I believe in it, and some examples of what it might look like if we were to work together.