How early experiences of care and nature can support healing

Most of us carry two kinds of experience from childhood. One is marked by difficulty, criticism or fear. The other is quieter – small moments of ordinary kindness, safety and connection that somehow stayed with us. Both remain part of who we are, but the caring ones can become an inner resource. They support our feelings of safety and acceptance throughout our lives.

Lasting memories

I can still remember my grandfather in the garden with his shirtsleeves rolled up, his cap on his head, working in the sun and dust of a warm afternoon. There was something steady and familiar in his presence as he calmly tended the garden with affection. I also recall my grandmother; I can almost see her sitting beside me, smiling, with her glasses on her nose. Her calm tone of voice, her smile, and the spark of love in her eyes. These memories have shaped me into the person I am today. They were ordinary and simple moments, yet each one gave me a sense of freedom, safety and gentleness.

The garden itself held many small sources of comfort – checking whether the peaches had ripened, climbing for the cherries, washing vegetables at the well, the soft presence of the animals on the farm, and the simple pleasure of being outside among the trees. These sensory experiences formed part of an inner landscape of safety. Even the time spent talking with cousins and neighbours added to that quiet sense of belonging.

What research suggests

Research supports the lasting value of such peaceful experiences during our formative years.

Contact with nature is widely linked to lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression, with higher levels of residential green space associated with a reduced risk of both depression and anxiety (Wang et al., 2024). Spending time in nature can also improve mood and support emotional regulation (Bratman et al., 2019), and growing up with more green space has also been linked to a lower risk of psychiatric difficulties later in life (Engemann et al., 2019).

Early experiences of care from caregivers are equally important. Warm and attentive caregiving has been associated with more positive personality traits in young adults, including greater openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness (Wertz et al., 2025). Secure early relationships are also linked to better social skills and more positive social behaviour as children grow.

Together, these findings suggest that ordinary experiences of care and time spent in nature can help form an inner confidence that supports emotional steadiness and the capacity to feel empathy and care for others.

From early safety to the therapy room

These early experiences offer a living example of what safety can feel like. When a child is met with ordinary care, through the presence of a calm adult or through time in the natural world, something in the nervous system learns that it is possible to settle. That learning can remain available later in life as a quiet inner resource.

In the therapy room we are often trying to recreate conditions in which that sense of safety can be felt again. Not by repeating the past, but by offering a present relationship in which the client can be met with acceptance, attention and calm. When that happens, material that has remained buried outside awareness is more able to surface and be explored.

What happens in the therapy room

When a therapist is grounded and self-aware, a different kind of space can open. Clients often sense this steadiness. In an atmosphere of genuine listening, trust can begin to grow.

Carl Jung noted that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it tends to be lived out as fate (Jung, 1951/1968). In the safety of a trusting therapeutic relationship, feelings, memories and patterns that have remained hidden can begin to become known. This process is rarely purely intellectual. Once trust is established, the therapist’s willingness to stay present, together with the client’s capacity for honesty, allows this material to be met rather than avoided.

What emerges may be an old fear, an unprocessed feeling from childhood, or a clearer understanding of how the past has shaped relationships and self-worth. Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcome (Flückiger et al., 2018). Over time, this growing awareness can support greater flexibility and a renewed sense of possibility.

What you might take from this

In daily life, notice places that give you a sense of quiet or safety – a park, trees, or even a single plant – and return to them regularly. Spending time in natural environments, even briefly, can support emotional regulation and reduce stress. Simple acts of care, such as tending plants, walking among trees, or appreciating the small ecosystem of a garden, can gently strengthen an inner sense of safety.

In therapy, it is important to share as honestly as you can. Even small details give the therapist useful information about your inner world. You do not need to know exactly what to expect. Remaining open and curious is enough to begin. Notice when self-judgement appears – these moments often point to deeper material that can be explored once trust is established.

The relationship itself is part of the work. Being present and real with the therapist helps create the conditions in which hidden feelings and memories can surface.

A ground for hope

Therapy at its best often returns us to simple things: presence, patience, and the experience of being met without judgment. Just as early moments of ordinary care and time among trees can quietly nourish us, the therapeutic relationship can become another place where safety is felt and something new is allowed to grow. Even if early experiences of safety were limited, new experiences of being heard and accepted remain possible.

References

Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J., ... & Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5(7), eaax0903. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0903

Engemann, K., Pedersen, C. B., Arge, L., Tsirogiannis, C., Mortensen, P. B., & Svenning, J.-C. (2019). Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(11), 5188–5193. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807504116

Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172

Jung, C. G. (1968). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.; Collected Works Vol. 9, Part II). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1951)

Wang, J., Ma, Y., Tang, L., Li, D., Xie, J., Hu, Y., & Tian, Y. (2024). Long-term exposure to residential greenness and decreased risk of depression and anxiety. Nature Mental Health, 2, 525–534. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-024-00227-z

Wertz, J., et al. (2025). Nurturing now, thriving later: The lasting power of affectionate mothering. Research reported by the American Psychological Association.