Walk and Talk Therapy in Nature

(4 minute read)

Where’s your “go-to” happy place? Maybe it’s a place you routinely visit to feel comfort. Or perhaps it’s a peaceful place you visualize when you’re about to receive a shot at the doctor’s office. 

What sounds do you hear…birds singing, waves lapping, the breeze rustling through the leaves? What does your body feel…the sun warming your face, the unevenness of dirt beneath your feet? What do you smell…earth, warm pine? What do you see…ripples in the water, sunlight dancing between leaves, open sky? 

Nature + Walking = Chef’s Kiss

Is your “go-to” happy place in nature? If so, you’re not alone!

We’re wired to benefit from being in nature. Our eyes have evolved to see more shades of green than any other color. Our stress hormone levels decrease when we’re exposed to nature sounds. Our nervous systems benefit from our bare feet touching the earth, like when we walk on the sand. This is why the Japanese frequent “forest bathing” and why hospitals in the UK are planting trees outside their windows to promote healing. 

We’re also wired to move our bodies; we were not designed to be a “sitting-all day” species. We were hunters, gatherers, and foragers. Our legs, pelvis, feet, and brain—yes brain—were designed to walk; we are supposed to be  moving. Shane O’Mara, a neuroscientist at Trinity College who studies walking and the brain, notes that the brain evolved to support movement, and if we’re not moving then the brain won’t work as well as it’s supposed to. In his book, In Praise of Walking, he shares how walking can help you solve a problem, be more creative, improve your mood, and even heal brain injuries. 

The indoor, sedentary lifestyle can cost us our mental health

So what happens to a species that is designed to be in nature and moving spends 8 to 12+ hours a day sitting and staring at the glare of a screen…and most likely under the hum of fluorescent lights? Our bodies and brains are not getting what they need. On a mental health level, our neurotransmitters, receptors, and hormones are not in their balance, and we’re not activating our whole brain’s system. This can translate to us feeling more moody, more sluggish, more stuck, more blah.

What if we could offer our nervous systems what they naturally crave during therapy sessions? What if instead of meeting with a therapist through another video call or another hour of being seated, we could meet with a therapist while walking in nature? 

Walk and Talk Therapy and how it benefits our mental health

Walk and Talk Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that occurs while walking outdoors in public places with a licensed therapist. It involves you and your therapist walking shoulder to shoulder, outside, often in nature. Typically you are walking on a flatter surface, you can take a break and sit on a bench if needed, or you can walk for the entirety of the therapy session.

Walk and Talk Therapy has been around for a while but has more recently increased in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Clay Cockrell LCSW, a Manhattan-based therapist, has received a lot of positive attention for his walk and talks with clients through Central Park and primarily uses Walk and Talk Therapy. 

Walk and Talk Therapy in nature can help our mental health by:

• decreasing anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms
• relieving stress (decreases cortisol levels)
• boosting mood (increases endorphins)
• increasing mindfulness and staying present
• evoking a sense of awe
• reminding you you’re not alone 
• connecting with something bigger than yourself
• embodying forward movement and getting unstuck
• putting yourself in the way of beauty

Who can benefit from Walk and Talk Therapy?

Walk and Talk Therapy can be especially helpful for those of us who:

• spend the majority of the day sitting down
• struggle to open up when making direct eye contact
• spend the majority of the day being inside, looking at a computer or a phone screen
• struggle to sit still and are looking for a way to release energy
• open up more naturally while moving
• feel confined or routinely uncomfortable in the traditional therapist office setting, an enclosed room and sitting across from the therapist
• want to embody forward movement and getting “unstuck”

Confidentiality and Walk and Talk Therapy

If you’re interested in Walk and Talk Therapy, you and your therapist can have a conversation about the potential benefits and risks of this optional therapeutic modality and make sure it is the right fit for you. While Walk and Talk Therapy provides an abundance of benefits for your mental and physical health, you are out in the public and therefore this modality can make your sessions less confidential. Your therapist can go over concerns around privacy and address keeping confidentiality with you before starting Walk and Talk Therapy. 

Walk and Talk Therapy in the Hudson Valley, NY

One of the benefits of living in the Hudson Valley, is that we have easy access to stunning nature—woods, mountains, the river, blooming orchards, waterfalls, songs from robins and chickadees…I could go on! 

If you’re interested in Walk and Talk Therapy in the Hudson Valley, I offer Walk and Talk Therapy sessions at Long Dock Park in Beacon, NY. Long Dock Park has a flatter walking path that runs parallel to the Hudson River and is accessible by car, Metro North Train, and the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry. 

If you’re interested in a Walk and Talk therapy session, reach out to me through my website to schedule a free consultation call. Let’s see if Walk and Talk Therapy could be a good fit for you!