Nature therapy: How nature can help in crises

For Ms. L. (56), an experience in an outdoor session became the turning point in her therapy.

When she came to me, she hadn’t worked for six months. Due to restructuring in her department, she ended up in a safety net with other colleagues who had become “superfluous,” all of whom were anxiously facing an uncertain future. Ms. L. was also still in shock. “They just want to get rid of me – after 20 years in which I have achieved so much in the company! I feel so useless.” In addition to her fears for the future and the crisis of professional meaning, there was loneliness. Ms. L. had no one with whom she could discuss her concerns.

Without the support of work and completely on her own, the client had literally fallen into disarray: she was constantly thinking about her professional future, hardly left the house anymore, didn’t attend urgent doctor’s appointments, stopped going to the hairdresser and had gained 15 kg in weight. “First I have to get my professional life in order,” she answered when I asked her why she was neglecting herself so much. She was under a lot of pressure to make a decision. Should she accept the severance payment? Or accept that she was assigned a new task? Although Ms. L. had a vague business idea for self-employment, she felt paralyzed by strong self-doubt every time she made a decision.

Like an insecure “good” girl

In one of our first sessions, Ms. L. found out that the dismissal had brought back an old pain: Even in her childhood, she had been left alone by her parents and often felt helpless and lonely. Her “solution” back then was to adapt and put her own wants and needs aside in order not to endanger her bond with her parents. Even today, she often seemed to me like an insecure, “good” girl. She had little confidence in herself, constantly doubted her decisions and was easily unsettled by the opinions of others.

The goals for psychotherapy were therefore to strengthen the feeling of self-efficacy, to establish a supportive structure in everyday life and to deal with one’s own wishes and needs. Ms. L. brought her love of nature and creative design with her as resources. I thought that both my appreciative relationship offer and the experience of “belonging” in nature could be helpful. In both cases, the client was able to experience the secure connection that she had been missing in the company, in her relationships and in her parents’ home. That’s why I went out into the countryside with Ms. L. during every therapy session and encouraged her to spend more time in nature in her everyday life.

Once, while taking a walk, we discovered that the severance payment could also provide financial security for a new start. Then she blurted out: “Then I can finally do what I want I want!” A significant sentence that should continue to accompany her in the coming weeks. Whatever wants I? who is I at all?

Natural materials as helpers in therapy

In order to incorporate the client’s resources, I suggested creative methods. Once in the forest she represented her situation with natural materials: a tree stump became the “strong foundation” of her competence, a piece of moss represented her financial cushion and a bottle served to “well water my future self”. The doubting part also got a face in the shape of a pine cone: the “inner realist” is allowed to examine, but not have sole power. On that day, the client appeared more confident, determined, and physically energetic.

But she wasn’t out of the woods yet. The farewell breakfast in the old company was imminent. Ms. L. looked forward to seeing her former colleagues again with shame and melancholy, but also with a little pride. She decided to use the severance payment as start-up capital for her self-employment. “Some people will certainly shake their heads at this,” she said anxiously at the beginning of the ninth session. It was a cold day and Ms. L. was still wearing her thin summer shoes and a jacket that couldn’t be zipped up because it was too tight for her.

On the way into the forest, I suggested turning to nature with a question: “What does it take now for a good farewell?” Ms. L. looked around and was soon drawn to the mighty beech trees that spread out protectively over a young tree. “I am well connected as a person, even if I no longer meet my colleagues in the house,” said Ms. L., commenting on her experience. “I don’t have to feel guilty because I made my decision for myself, not against others.” It still sounded a bit hesitant, as if she wasn’t sure whether she could believe her words.

The client lies on the forest floor and cries

At the border between forest and wet meadow we had to stalk through a bramble bush. I let Ms. L. go ahead so that she could experience self-efficacy. She hesitantly kicked the blackberry vines down onto the swampy ground and carefully removed the thorny vines from the sweater. She was almost through the bushes when she suddenly tripped over a vine and fell lengthways! The shoes, pants, jacket and sweater: everything wet and muddy. Ms. L. is lying on the floor and crying.

After I helped her up, she shouted desperately: “You can see how much I’ve lost control of myself. I’m so shaky in life!” My impression was that she didn’t just mean her poor equipment and self-neglect over the last few months. I replied: “That was another loop in the old film. But you can always decide again to take good care of yourself and thereby become more and more stable in life.” On the way back to the practice, Ms. L. seemed to develop a new determination. She decided not to worry about the farewell breakfast anymore, but to let it happen openly. She also now wants to put all her energy into building her independence.

The extent to which the fall had boosted her self-care became apparent at the next meeting: Ms. L. appeared wearing sturdy hiking boots and a new outdoor jacket in the right size. Since that event, I felt like she had really picked herself up inside.

The therapy session also shows that natural therapy is not a wellness program. An unpleasant experience in nature often provides exactly the experiences that a person needs for their development.