Why are Natural Environments Special?
| Leonard Holmes, Ph.D. http://mentalhealth.about.com |
| What is it about nature? I'm composing this
article on a palmtop computer as I look out over Barlow's Pond near Williamsburg,
Virginia. It is early January, but the temperature is mild. There is a stiff
breeze, but the sun is warm as it shines on my face and also reflects off the water. A
great blue heron just flew by with a squawk, and some ringed-neck ducks play in the water
at the other side of the pond.
Certainly I could be inside at my desktop computer, but instead I squint at a monochrome screen and pound away on a small keyboard just to be outdoors. The outdoors seems to "recharge our batteries", especially in the winter. Why would this be?
There are several possible reasons for this. It has been clearly proven that many of us react to the short days of winter with a clinical or subclinical Seasonal Depression. Extra light is one of the proven treatments for this problem, and spending time outdoors is one way to get this.
There has even been speculation that the radiation in sunlight is healing to people. Norman Shealy, M.D. is the founder of the American Holistic Medical Association and the inventor of the TENS unit (a device which eases pain by using small bursts of electric current). Shealy believes that time outdoors restores youthful levels of some important body hormones, such as DHEA. One of his theories suggests that this is because human DNA vibrates at the same frequency as solar radiation. We know that too much sunlight can damage skin, but we also need sunlight. While the "DNA vibration" theory sounds far-fetched to me, the idea of treating a winter depression with fluorescent lights would have sounded kooky not too long ago.
I work with patients who have chronic pain. One technique that I use with them is self-hypnosis training. Before I do a trance induction with them I ask them to write a paragraph describing a place that they find relaxing. I tell them that this can be an outdoor place like the ocean or the mountains, or it can be an indoor place like their grandmother's house in the country. We then use the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of this place as imagery for the trance induction. I'd guess that 80-90% of the people I work with choose an outdoor place.
I don't know if human DNA really vibrates at the frequency of sunlight or not. It does seem that we feel at home in nature. Nature seems to relax us and energize us. CDs and tapes of nature sounds are popular as mood enhancers and aids to relaxation. Do these natural sounds inherently relax us? They seem to, although I'm not aware of any good research on the subject.
If we find ourselves relaxed and energized in the natural world we are likely to feel similar feelings when exposed to stimuli which remind us of these settings. If, on the other hand, we are tense and fearful in natural settings, then the same stimuli will likely trigger those feelings. This is known as classical conditioning or state-dependent learning. A CD with ocean sounds will trigger a different reaction in someone who recently had a relaxing vacation at the beach than it will in someone who recently almost drowned in the ocean.
If you believe in the theory of evolution, then it makes sense that these natural settings would be relaxing. Humans lived in these settings for thousands of years before we created "indoors." If you believe in creation then it makes sense that we'd feel at home in the world that God created. If you believe in both, like I do, then it makes even more sense. What do you think? I'm sure there are other reasons for our love of nature. Please share your thoughts on the Forum Self-Help & Psychology Magazine includes three "virtual meditation" slide-shows. If you are trapped indoors, visit these natural places now:
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| Leonard Holmes, Ph.D. http://mentalhealth.about.com |
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