Ecotherapy The Prescribed Walk in the Park http://www.ecotherapy.biz/node/1/atom/feed 2010-03-09T08:33:37-05:00 Ecotherapy http://www.ecotherapy.biz/content/ecotherapy 2008-11-07T10:33:57-05:00 2010-03-09T08:33:37-05:00 admin We use the term Ecotherapy to describe the benefits of doctors prescribing a Walk in the Park as a way of helping people with mental health problems, specifically stress and depression. Inherent within this is prescription are the benefits of exercise, however, the colours of nature and the need for full spectrum sunlight, are equally important for our psychological well-being. This in turn leads to the ecological and environmental issues associated with this form of natural therapy.

]]> We use the term Ecotherapy to describe the benefits of doctors prescribing a Walk in the Park as a way of helping people with mental health problems, specifically stress and depression. Inherent within this is prescription are the benefits of exercise, however, the colours of nature and the need for full spectrum sunlight, are equally important for our psychological well-being. This in turn leads to the ecological and environmental issues associated with this form of natural therapy.

We have included this map to highlight how little green there is on the planet, a colour we need to stay balanced and live in harmony with each other. We can also see the growing desert which is associated with damaging ultra violet light which is why we need to hide ourselves from it. However, we need this light within the colour spectrum to be able to function on an intellectual level, lack of UV can lead to a depressive condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. While this generally happens during short winter days, having to hide ourselves from the burning sun during the summer may result in a milder form during the summer months.

metabolism of the earth

Photo MODIS Land Group, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

MODIS will essentially monitor the "metabolism" of the Earth globally and regionally. This global snapshot shows where green foliage is being produced by land plants (green and dark green show greater productivity; yellow shows little or no production; red is a boundary zone), as the terrestrial biosphere "breathes in" carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. While this is seen mainly as a global issue, the affect it has on the ecology concerns you as a living organism, and how you relate to, or suffer from, the changes to your immediate environment.

Ecotherapy - The Prescribed Walk in the Park

As a colour counsellor and lifelong outdoor pursuit’s enthusiast, I read with interest the recent news that doctors were prescribing a walk in the park for depression. The idea that outdoor exercise is good for depression has been around for a long time but has only recently been confirmed by research. This prescription has become known as ‘ecotherapy’ and looks set to be the next growth industry; it is a combination of ecopsychology, which is about the influence of nature upon humans combined with psychotherapy. However, this is only one explanation as to why this prescription is so good for our psychological well-being, colour or light therapy is another. Read more..

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