Nature Therapy: Why It Works When You Feel Stuck
There’s something powerful about stepping outside when your mind feels noisy. The nervous system settles, your breath deepens, and thoughts that felt tangled begin to soften. Nature therapy builds on that instinct, offering a way to reconnect with your body, shift perspective, and begin healing in a space that’s alive and spacious.
If you’ve been stuck in anxiety, grief, or chronic overthinking, nature-based therapy might offer a different kind of doorway.
What Is Nature Therapy?
Nature therapy takes place outside, on foot, by the water, or in other natural spaces, and integrates somatic awareness, mindfulness, and relational work. Instead of being limited to the four walls of a traditional therapy office, nature becomes part of the therapeutic process.
We might walk along a trail, pause by the ocean, or use movement and sensory input as a way to explore what’s happening inside. The external landscape supports internal shifts.
Why Nature Helps When You’re Stuck
Nature therapy is especially helpful for people who:
Tend to get caught in their heads
Feel overstimulated or disconnected from their bodies
Have already tried talk therapy, but want a more embodied experience
Here’s what makes it effective:
Movement supports regulation. Walking, biking, or gentle movement helps release tension and access a more integrated state.
Natural environments calm the nervous system. Research shows that nature lowers cortisol and increases parasympathetic activity.
It invites presence. Watching light on water, noticing a breeze, or hearing birdsong naturally grounds you in the present moment.
There’s more space. Clients often report that being outdoors makes it easier to talk about vulnerable or stuck topics.
You Don’t Have to Be “Outdoorsy”
Nature therapy isn’t about extreme hiking or performance. It’s about meeting yourself gently and fully, in a setting that supports that. You don’t need experience with mindfulness or nature work. Just a willingness to try something different.
Sessions are collaborative and paced around your comfort level. We might sit on a bench, walk quietly, or move in and out of more structured therapeutic dialogue.
Nature, Surf, and Somatic Support
In my practice, I also draw from surf-informed therapy and somatic regulation tools. While I don’t teach surfing, I often work with clients who already have a connection to the ocean and want to deepen that relationship through intentional emotional work.
Whether you’re navigating life transitions, burnout, grief, or anxiety, nature therapy offers a way to reset: gently, intentionally, and in connection with something larger than yourself.
Ready to Explore?
I offer nature-based sessions in and around Santa Monica and Westside LA, as well as traditional telehealth sessions across California. If you’re curious about this work, I’d love to talk.
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to learn more.