For years, hospitals and doctors’ offices were cold and sterile, with the belief that keeping us safe from germs and bacteria was the most important part of healing. Over time, research showed that people heal best in a warmer, more comfortable, and welcoming environment. In fact, adding rocks, plants, wood, water fountains, and even aquariums – basically anything from nature – helped people heal faster. Data showed that people heal more quickly when there are natural elements in their rooms.
If those with physical maladies heal faster in the presence of nature, then why not those healing from mental health or substance use issues? Additionally, instead of just putting some plants in their room, what if the entire facility were set in a natural setting? How much faster would people with mental health and substance use issues heal if their entire environment were a sanctuary away from the cold, hard, and sterile world?
Our Connection with Nature
Man has built large cities and incredible structures, as well as invented things like cars and planes that help us to travel all over the world. We live in man-made houses and eat foods that are processed so they will last longer and allow us more variety. Many of us have jobs involving people, in places that men built. Yet for all of our achievements and everything we do all day, nothing is quite like getting back to nature.
It is when we are outside with the sun on our shoulders, a breeze blowing through our hair, and the subtle sounds of bees buzzing around flowers or birds singing in the trees that we feel at one with something bigger than us. Nature is calming. The peacefulness even has a physical effect on us. In fact, a National Center of Biotechnology Institute (NCBI) study on the physiological benefits of nature found that even simply showing participants pictures of nature allowed their bodies and minds to relax.
Sterile Treatment
The cold, hard, sterile man-made environments that humans have created are not calming. Surfaces reflect and keep us locked in physically and emotionally. As a result, we struggle to be able to relax. Without the benefit of organic materials, like plants and flowers, it is almost as if we have put ourselves in boxes and limited our breathing, emotions, and feelings to these non-organic walls we have built.
Our emotions reflect our environment, so if we live in cold and sterile, then our emotions will mirror that. However, when we allow ourselves to breathe and enjoy a natural setting, our emotions become free-flowing and organic. Our ability to relax and express ourselves increases, as we don’t feel cooped up or confined. We see and experience the intricate inner workings of the natural world, and are awed at the mastery of it all and our place in it. Spending this kind of time in nature allows us to get in touch with who we really are.
Organic Healing
Just like in physiological medicine, treatment for substance use becomes more organic and meaningful when we heal within a natural setting. Being somewhere where we can breathe deeply and think clearly is particularly helpful, knowing that breathing and thinking are two of the things we need to do to heal. Connecting with our emotions becomes organic. Connecting with nature helps us to connect with ourselves.
Moving through Nature
Having someplace to be able to walk or hike in a natural setting combines the benefits of physical activity with the psychological and spiritual benefits of communing with nature. During this peaceful time, we can reflect deeply, without the physical and mental walls of a more sterile treatment environment.
Time in nature can be spent meditating, walking, or simply sitting and observing the beauty around us. We can slow down and become mindful of our surroundings, noticing the leaves, the butterflies, the color of the sky, the distant white clouds, the position of the sun, and the sounds. When we are healing, these tangible pieces of nature are like the tender touch of a loving caregiver. They reach out to us, speak to us, and help us to process the things in our minds.
Connection to Animals
Being around animals in treatment is another level of healing. Animals offer their trust, they don’t judge us, and they respond positively to kind words or gestures we may give them. We see in them a mirror of our childlike selves, innocent and seeking love. Animals can take us back to that place of trust and acceptance, reminding us that we can still experience that level of purity and sweetness, despite our individual stories. We watch them, we care for them, and we connect with them, all while they quietly help us to heal.
Finding Sanctuary in Ourselves
It is difficult to heal in a box. Consequently, it is difficult to heal in a cold, sterile environment. However, being in a natural environment greatly increases our capacity to heal and grow in our recoveries. As human beings, we have such a deep, innate connection to nature. There is a reason they call it Mother Nature. The nurturing and supportive embrace of the great outdoors creates a sanctuary for our healing.
Being able to move through nature, connect with animals, and enjoy an organic healing process only helps us to reach deeper within ourselves as we grow on our recovery journey.
Find your sanctuary at Rancho Milagro Recovery. We are a working ranch, complete with trails for walking and hiking. We have animals who have been rescued that can support and comfort you as you learn to rescue yourself. Call (951) 526-4582 today to find out more about your sanctuary of healing.