How Can Nature Help to Heal Trauma?

December 2022

By: Remi Mankes, Clinical Intern

How Can Nature Help to Heal Trauma?

People who have experienced trauma can find it difficult to connect with the natural world. But spending time in nature has been shown to help people heal from trauma. Nature is healing to the mind, body and spirit. Spending time outdoors can provide us with a sense of calm and clarity that we can carry back into our lives. It helps us feel safe, nurtured and connected to something bigger than ourselves.

Nature is a powerful healer and can serve as a distraction from rumination and worry; nature helps you let go of anxiety and fear. Research shows that spending time in nature can help to reduce stress, improve mood and boost our immune system. It can also help us to feel more connected with others and our environment. Nature has a unique capacity to restore balance. It provides us with opportunities for physical activity and mental engagement, which are essential for our well-being. A growing body of research shows that exposure to nature can help foster psychological resilience in response to trauma, illness and other life challenges.

How can you start to connect to nature? Grounding, which is also called ‘earthing,’means physically connecting to our Earth. Walking barefoot, for example. Grounding yourself helps you make contact with the electrons on Earth’s surface. Research suggests that grounding can improve sleep, reduce stress, diminish pain, reduce healing time and normalize day-night cortisol rhythm. Try earthing by doing anything that enables your body to deeply connect with the ground. This could mean standing barefoot or lying in the grass, swimming or taking a bath, gardening or using a grounding mat indoors. Take a moment today to connect with your outside environment.