Mother Nature: Co-therapist

outlooks
Written By Abigail Dees and Pili Saravia

To be human is to be a part of nature; days spent separated from the outdoors by lecture hall walls or under the glow of manufactured light distances us. Yet, when stirred by the longing to reconnect with the natural world, we rediscover home. Only a couple steps to reach the shoulder-dropping, mind-clearing and purifying bliss. 

Research shows that spending time in nature can reduce anxiety, depression and blood pressure, while improving mood, productivity and focus. In a Journal of Environmental Psychology study, students who looked at a flowering green roof for 40 seconds midway through the task made significantly fewer mistakes than students who looked at a concrete roof. 

Amber Jekot, an Austin-based therapist spoke with Drift to discuss the centrality of nature in the quest for human prosperity, shedding light on a new type of nature-based healing called eco-therapy. 

Taking on many different forms, eco-therapy “sees the natural world as a co-therapist in the process and another source of healing, other than just the therapist,” Jekot said. 

Chemical engineering freshman Jason Wang used to go mountain biking as a stress outlet. 

“It’s nice because I go outside to get away,” Wang said. “(I like) the environment and ambiance because you’re so connected to everything there at that moment. It’s a good way to disconnect because I can’t really think of anything else when I’m bombing it,

Since starting school, Wang has replaced biking with a mindful and rejuvenating sunset scene on top of parking garages around campus. 

“In this moment in silence, surrendering to the array of warm colors helps me forget about the stresses of a student,” Wang said. 

After doing further research, Jekot found the sensory and tactile experiences in nature increase alpha waves, which are responsible for calming the nervous system and reducing stress. These connections with nature are necessary for students like Wang to strengthen connection to peace and break from other stressful factors weighing people down.

 As eco-therapy makes its way into homes in the US, Jekot traces its origins far back.

 “I would say indigenous wisdom is the purest form of eco-therapy because it was a part of everyday life and everyday rituals,” Jekot said. “Civilization and colonization really ripped people away from that experience — eco-therapy is not actually new.” 

Jekot was raised on a farm in East Texas and recognized the correlation between healing and nature, but said it wasn’t until her time in graduate school where she was introduced to the concept of eco-therapy.  

“I was in graduate school for social work, and I was also living and working on a farm at the same time,” Jekot said. “I just realized that after I would do my practicum – it (would be like) my internship at a treatment center for kids who had experienced trauma – I would go home and work in the fields and out in nature.”

After more research in this field, Jekot went on to graduate from Baylor University with a master’s of Divinity and a specialization in ecotherapy as well as horticultural therapy.

Photo by Walker Watson
Abigail Dees and Pili Saravia
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