Ecopsychology: Joining Ecology and Psychology

copsychology: Joining Ecology and Psychology
by Chuck Hall

Last weekend I got a chance to drive through the rural countryside where I grew up. Much of the land has been clear-cut for rural subdivisions and shopping centers. The loss of the forests and fields where I grew up hit me hard. It was like losing an old friend. When you grow up in a rural environment, the nature that surrounds you becomes a part of you. It changes the way you think and feel about yourself.

In March I will be presenting research at the University of South Carolina on the topic of Ecopsychology. Ecopsychology ties ecology and psychology together. The basic theory behind the field of study is that the environment around us impacts our mental health. I first got interested in the subject when I read that people who live in urban settings are twice as prone to depression as those who live in rural settings. Ecopsychology show us that nature has the power to heal us mentally as well as physically.

In researching the many beneficial effects of nature, I discovered that therapists throughout the world have used the healing power of nature to enhance therapy for their clients. Facilitated wilderness trips have been used to successfully treat everything from depression to addiction. Experiencing nature has been demonstrated to lead to enhanced relaxation and better functioning of the immune system. Nature experiences have also been demonstrated to enhance self-awareness and self-actualization. Many people have deep spiritual experiences in the woods.

The benefits of nature are not limited to those who live in a rural setting. Studies have found that patients in hospitals who have a view of a garden heal much faster than people who don’t have such a view. People who decorate their homes with living houseplants are less depressed than people who don’t. Those who have the space for a backyard garden can also reap health benefits from tending their fruits, vegetables and flowers. Home gardens have been linked to greater levels of overall relaxation and reduced stress.

If you don’t have a backyard and don’t have the room for houseplants, you can still reap the benefits of nature. Dr. James Gramann of Texas A & M University, in a 1999 study, demonstrated that simply listening to the sounds of nature (recordings of birds singing, waterfalls, etc.) might significantly reduce stress.

The human race lived for thousands of years in nature. The urbanization of humankind is a fairly recent development. By experiencing nature as often as possible in our lives we are placing ourselves back into our natural world. Losing our wild places can sometimes be as traumatic as losing a family member. Considering the many benefits of nature, when we fail to take care of the environment, we are failing to take care of ourselves.