Numerous researches (such as that carried out by Tender to Nave Italia Onlus on Adventure Therapy) have highlighted how it is more bearable to face difficult and difficult emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, frustration, depression, when in contact with nature. spending time in nature has intrinsic therapeutic benefits: getting away from everyday stress, immersed in wild beauty, breathing pure air and listening to new noises. Contact with nature not only has positive implications on the psychological health of those who practice it, but it is a therapy particularly suitable for those suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, depression, obesity or heart disease.
Adventure therapy is identified with a variety of other terms, especially Nature Therapy, including wilderness therapy, but also therapeutic camping, or simply outdoor activities that allow for better cognitive function and development.
How is adventure therapy practiced?
The activities that can be practiced as Adventure Therapy are many such as bathing in the forest, walking in the woods, camping, hiking in the mountains, rock climbing: the common factor is to allow participants to take calculated risks and explore personal problems. in a safe environment in close contact with nature.
After the therapy session, time is devoted to reflection: what has been done, the fears they have faced, the connections they have established or the difficulties they have encountered with other participants and what they have learned about themselves.
The distinctive elements that characterize Adventure Therapy with respect to the multiple modalities of psychotherapeutic treatment are experiential learning, immersion and interaction with nature, the group context.
Why not try getting up early in the morning to make up for some time to devote to this practice? It could be a great strategy.
in a wood or in a forest it generates a series of positive effects on various physiological parameters, benefits both on a physical and psychological level that the subjects, alone but above all in a group, derive from the direct proximity to nature, leading to reactions such as:
- the lowering of blood sugar levels, which is therefore useful to counteract the onset and fight diabetes
- against hypertension: it helps to decrease blood pressure
- contributes to muscle relaxation
- invigorates the immune system
- purifying action with consequent elimination of toxins from the body
- a rebalancing of moods and a reduction in the risk of getting depressed
- a lowering of anxiety and anger states;
- an increase in concentration
- a concrete improvement of oxygenation
- an improvement in cognitive function
- increasing self-esteem
- an increase in the nervous activity of the parasympathetic system (relaxation and joy)
The first thing to do to be able to take a bath in the forest in complete safety is to identify the right place: it is not necessary to have a centuries-old forest or a nature reserve close to home, the neighborhood park or the nearby countryside will suffice. Like a real medical prescription, nature therapy includes heterogeneous activities, as long as nature is the beneficial component. You can then practice bird watching, shelling by the sea, mushroom picking. Here's how to practice nature therapy:
- Forget technology at home: cell phone, camera, headphones and music in your ears.
- Walk slowly. The body must be free to move with short and slow steps, without a goal, letting the body itself indicate the right way.
- Let the five senses be the only protagonists.
- To breath deeply
- Hug tree trunks, dip your hands in a stream, sit on the ground.
Walking in nature also helps breathing. Seven specific remedies for better breathing are also helpful.
