The Healing Powers of Nature

Abstract

In an increasingly distracted and technologically driven world, ecotherapy—a therapeutic approach integrating nature into mental health care—offers a holistic pathway for trauma recovery. Unlike traditional treatments, ecotherapy emphasizes the connection between body and environment, using practices such as forest bathing, mindful walking, and gardening to regulate the nervous system and foster embodied healing. Emerging research from Germany, the U.S., and Denmark indicates that ecotherapy can reduce symptoms of PTSD and C-PTSD, improve emotional regulation, and enhance attachment and attention restoration, particularly among trauma survivors and veterans. Despite challenges in standardization and defining complex trauma, ecotherapy shows promise as an adaptable, trauma-informed intervention that supports connection, safety, and psychological well-being through engagement with the natural world.