Nature therapy combined with music

I am here to share my experiential discovery of the journey of engaging with how powerful the effect of nature combined with music can be on one's mental, emotional and physical health. I used to think that I was an introvert who loved spending most of my day on my own and indoors with myself - reading, thinking, or ruminating about people. Everyone I knew then, including my family, used to call me a bookworm. 

It never dawned on me that it might not have been about me or who I am, but my circumstances or the way I chose to live my life until I was diagnosed with a very serious lung condition. In reality, I realised that it takes one becoming physically unwell and falling into emotional desolation before we can look around and connect with nature. When my GP told me that I had a serious health condition which was not curable and would get worse during my lifetime. A chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis came very fast and furious with a prescription for a medical inhale to take on a regular basis, and that was all they could do to help me.

My journey to recovery

My journey to recovery had a life-changing outcome, as I am now COPD-free and feel much happier emotionally and mentally.

Following my diagnosis, I decided to attend to my own health needs by changing my priorities in life, which became my main long-term goal in the subsequent years. I  believe that one of the best things about living in London is it has an abundance of parks and green spaces with plenty of walking tracks and beautiful big ancient trees to look at. 

The amazing and most motivational aspect of nature therapy led me to make the visit on a daily basis without failure for the purpose of developing a pattern. I then discovered the joy of music. The music of all kinds -but with jazz, blues and rhythm - listening to BB King, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Etta Jones, and Louis Armstrong, I began to notice the seasons changing. In the spring, the earth was waking, flowers blossoming, and leaves turning green from brown, and I could notice every shade of it, and every single tree had different colours of leaves and shapes and shades.

The birds emigrating and migrating again was the most stunning cycle of life that comes with summer, warming up the temperature - when you slowly but surely become lighter and lighter, and your body almost goes through cleansing and rejuvenating with sweating. The most powerful of them is autumn, when the leaves slowly become brown, and tree leaves fall on the ground like snowflakes dropping from the sky, taking my breath away when seeing them again and again.

The healing effect of music 

The very deeply connecting effect of the rhythm of music and engaging with the power of nature can easily transcend one to another world. The mind plunges into the sense of 'here and now' and can let it all unfold without any limits or judgment. Neurological researchers have found that listening to music triggers the release of several neurochemicals that play a role in brain function and mental health:

Music literally changes the brain. Dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure and “reward” centres stress hormones like cortisol, serotonin and other hormones related to immunity, oxytocin, a chemical that fosters the ability to connect to others

Although more research needs to be done to understand precisely how music can be used therapeutically to treat mental ill health, some studies suggest that music therapy can improve the quality of life and social connectedness for people with schizophrenia. There’s lots of evidence that listening to music can help calm you in situations where you might feel anxious. Even people facing critical illness can feel less anxiety after music therapy.  One study indicated that the body releases less cortisol, a stress hormone when people listen to music. 

One recent study that measured several indicators of stress (not just cortisol) concluded that while listening to music before a stressful event doesn’t reduce anxiety, listening to relaxing music after a stressful event can help your nervous system recover faster. A 2017 research review concluded that listening to music, particularly classical combined with jazz, had a positive effect on depression symptoms, especially when several listening sessions were tested and verified.

My personal relationship with nature

Nature has played a fundamental role throughout my life. As a child, I grew up playing and learning in nature. As an adult, I have learned to value my environment and build a deep connection to the natural world to heal myself and recover from a major illness.

For the last seven years, I have frequently run, walked, and gardened in the local park as well as my own garden. These experiences have provided me with joy and a space in which I can reflect, process, and gain strength regularly. I have concerns about society’s increasing disconnection from the natural world and the resulting problems this creates, including mental and physical ill health, as well as the climate and environmental challenges our planet is experiencing.

The types of nature therapy

Nature therapy does not need to involve structures or schedules, but you can choose to have a coaching or therapeutic session with your therapist outdoors. In addition to or separate from your conventional therapeutic sessions, nature therapy can involve loosely structured activities, such as walking along the beach, going for a hike in a forested area or going for a walk in your local park. You can also choose to participate in more formal approaches, often with guidance from a therapist. Below are the types of natural therapy you can choose to do.

1. Park bathing

A bit more than just walking, where you can mindfully engage with your environment using your five senses as you ramble through the threes in the park. The benefits of park bathing are immense when it is done in a guided therapeutic way, and it creates a deeper connection with others.  Can improve social skills. 

2. Community gardening or farming

Gardening with friends or your neighbours or acquaintances can help you build relationships, grow your own and spend valuable time outdoors with people, leading to a deeper connection with others and improving your social skills.

3. Park prescriptions

Increasing numbers of healthcare providers and mental health professionals are starting to recommend that people spend a specific amount of time each week visiting a park or pursuing other outdoor activities as a treatment model. This model can be effective if used regularly, like taking medication.

4. Wilderness therapy

Wilderness therapy involves immersing oneself in nature by camping and hiking in the wilderness while taking part in survival skills training and exercises. With a therapist, people can look at some issues within themselves and work through to overcome them, and this can help build self-confidence, overcome negative beliefs, improve communication skills, and gain trust.”

5. Outdoor meditation and yoga

Meditation and yoga are recommended stress-relieving techniques. They are even more rewarding when done outdoors, particularly in a park or forest, where you feel familiar and can better connect to the nature around you.

What does the research say? 

Nature/ecotherapy is a recent field, and not much has been written about it. In practical terms, nature/ecotherapy, also known as walk therapy, begins when we take the therapy session out of its traditional context of a private room and into nature — whether it is a park, forest, or another wilderness area.

Currently, the existing evidence suggests a link between nature therapy and improved mental health: The same review found support for ecotherapy as a promising intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially in veterans and anyone who has suffered traumas in war zones and natural disasters like earthquakes and floodings.  A 2017 review emphasises the potential benefits of nature therapy for symptoms of PTSD, particularly for those who have difficulty following other treatment programs or find them unhelpful.

According to a 2018 review of studies,  children living in rural areas tended to have greater resilience to stress, higher levels of self-worth, and improved concentration and cognitive abilities. Spending time outdoors can also promote creativity and strengthen their sense of self. Research from 2010 suggests that when you’re exposed to stress, the sounds of nature may help your nervous system recover faster than sounds of traffic and other common city noises.

A 2020 review suggests gardening at home can promote emotional well-being. Research from 2019 also supports the benefits of gardening for patients at a psychiatric hospital. Many reported better moods, increased calm, feelings of belonging, and a deeper understanding of their mental health. 

How can therapy help achieve benefits from eco/nature therapy?

My therapeutic work with clients outdoors is very much led by the individual’s needs and takes into account their past and current relationship with nature. In outdoor nature therapy, clients have the power to take control of their space and their session as outdoor therapy, in its nature, diminishes the power dynamics between client and therapist.

In conventional therapy, working indoors, clients typically enter a space that is decorated, owned, or arranged by the therapist. This creates a supportive but uneven dynamic. Eco-psychotherapy is sometimes described as being more “egalitarian” in that both therapist and client enter a landscape that is independent of both parties and can create a novice space for both client and the therapist to wander through the unknown and unpick the layers of what is needed to know collaboratively.

In nature therapy with your therapist, you can enter into a world of senses, and perhaps it's a tussle or swing to remedy the balance of letting the outer world into the therapy room and the inner world of the therapy room out to play. The therapy room is, after all, a characteristic of the wider political, economic, social, and cultural world and can offer a safe space indoors or outdoors to hold and take you through your journey of change and become the person you want to become.