Can Nature Heal? Yes, Here’s How to Use the Healing Power of Nature
“Healing power of nature.” What is it? Is it an esoteric and magical claim derived from spirituality? Or is it a claim supported by actual neuroscience and psychology?
A short answer is yes, healing by nature is possible. A recent 2025 study that evaluated the impact of nature-based interventions on people with PTSD found that these interventions had positive impacts on the well-being of participants [1].
Nature won’t magically erase grief, anxiety, burnout, or emotional pain. But it can change how the body and mind handle stress. In this article, we explain how going outside reduces stress and how to use the healing power of nature if you don’t know where to start.
Can Nature Heal?
Yes, nature can support healing, especially when stress, emotional exhaustion, grief, burnout, or overstimulation make daily life feel mentally heavy. One study in Nature found that only 2 hours a week in a natural environment significantly boosts emotional well-being [2].
An important note: Nature is not a replacement for therapy or medical care, but it can become an important part of emotional recovery. For people who have had emotionally hard experiences like parentification trauma in adults, nature can feel especially relieving because it offers a non-judgmental space where there is finally nothing to manage.
Humans have known that nature has a relieving effect intuitively for generations. Long before wellness trends existed, people rested near rivers, walked through forests, worked with soil, and followed natural rhythms of light and seasons.
Children also naturally use nature for emotional regulation. They climb trees, collect rocks, and dig in dirt as a part of the game. This game is essential for mental well-being, according to Brene Brown [3], whose research proved that people need to do one aimless thing a day to encourage play and creativity.
How Does Being in Nature Reduce Stress?
Just nature itself doesn’t heal trauma; it’s the way people interact with it. The main process in the healing power of nature is that it reduces stress. Below, we describe the mechanisms by which nature actually impacts mental well-being.
- Nature combats physical symptoms of stress.
Unlike urban settings, forests, meadows, parks, etc., have been proven to reduce physical symptoms of stress [4]. Firstly, it calms the heartbeat. Secondly, it regulates blood pressure levels.
When heartbeat and blood pressure are more regulated, the human mind perceives it as a sign of safety and reduces cortisol. This hormone is secreted when the body feels in danger, including during psychological trauma.
- Nature lowers overstimulation.
Today is the time when people are in the most distracting, overwhelming world. We carry notifications and a screen whenever we go. Natural environments are very effective in regulating overstimulation because they offer softer stimulation. Being outside is also connected to better memory and focus.
- Nature maintains a state of “soft fascination.”
“Soft fascination” is a popular term for when a person can pay attention to something without using up their mental capacities. Wilderness, with its fresh air, sunlight, trees, and views, naturally maintains this, which is known to replenish mental resources effectively.
This is why many people with mental health conditions and previous traumas are recommended to go outdoors. By doing so, they build up strength and energy to address their trauma.
- Nature promotes emotional regulation.
Difficult emotions can feel like they are stuck in your mind, not in green environments or when you move your body, though. A person who engages in physical movement in open spaces releases hormones that reduce anxiety and sadness and increase happiness and motivation.
- Nature creates perspective
Looking at wide landscapes, forests, rivers, or even the sky can make problems feel less psychologically suffocating. A person who can observe might feel smaller, but in a good sense. This feeling can be described as being a part of something bigger and belonging to something more powerful.
How to Use the Healing Power of Nature
Healing through nature is possible if it’s a supporting element on your bigger path to healing. It’s also possible (and more realistic) if you take healing by nature with small steps at a time.
Our recommendations below can help you start using the healing power of nature step-by-step. This advice is for those who aren’t sure how nature can help them or who feel like they won’t handle walks alone because they’ll be understimulated.
Start Out With Fresh Air
For multiple reasons, leaving home can feel like an impossible chore. It’s completely normal. In order to heal using nature, you can start with a simple thing like getting fresh air whenever you can, for example:
- opening windows regularly
- standing outside for a few minutes
- drinking coffee on a balcony
- sticking your head out of the window
- gettings plants
One reason walks may not catch on is that the radical jump from “I never go outside” directly into unrealistic routines like daily hour-long walks. Smaller habits help the body slowly become comfortable with being outdoors again.
The important part is consistency, not intensity. The outdoor environment becomes easier to enjoy when the body stops associating it only with obligation. It should also be enjoyable and manageable.
Take Role-Playing Walks
Walking can really feel “boring” because the brain has become dependent on constant stimulation. Walking without music, podcasts, or scrolling can initially feel mentally uncomfortable, which is okay because it’s a natural consequence of long-term exposure to overstimulation.
Role-playing walks can make outdoor time much more engaging without turning it into productivity. For example, while walking, imagine yourself as:
- Street photographer searching for details
- Filmmaker scouting locations
- Undercover agent observing the environment
- Architecture critic
- Tourists visiting your own neighborhood
This gives the brain a sense of purpose and curiosity while keeping attention connected to the environment. Role-playing also makes walks feel playful again, and playfulness itself is essential for nervous systems that spend most of their lives in stress.
Act Like Everything Is the Most Beautiful Thing You’ve Seen
This may sound ridiculous at first, but intentionally acting amazed by ordinary things can genuinely change how the brain experiences walks and outdoor time. The human brain is very receptive to “fake it until you make it.”
Try exaggerating wonder on purpose. Look at sunlight hitting buildings as if you have never seen it before. Admire trees like they are rare art installations.
This is not about forced positivity or pretending life is perfect. It is more about retraining your attitude. When people are stressed, the nervous system scans mostly for danger, neglecting small moments of beauty.
In reality, beauty and things to be grateful for surround us. The brain of someone who experienced trauma just chooses to focus on what’s more critical at the moment: scanning and preparing for danger.
Drive Around With a Bike
With a bike, people naturally travel farther than they would on foot. A short ride can turn into discovering quiet streets, rivers, parks, cafés, neighborhoods, trails, or views you wouldn’t normally notice.
Cycling also tends to feel less “heavy” than formal exercise. Instead of focusing on trying to keep yourself busy, biking feels playful and freeing. At the same time, physical activity strongly supports stress regulation.
Do Daily Tasks, but Outside
The final step of using the healing power of nature is spending as much time in nature as possible by doing part of your work outside.
A lot of people think nature healing only “counts” if they completely disconnect from work or spend hours outdoors. But in reality, moving ordinary daily activities outside can change stress levels even more than a complete plug-off for days.
Instead of treating nature like a separate self-care project, try blending it into routines that already exist. Answer simple emails from a park bench. Drink coffee near an open window. Eat lunch outdoors instead of at your desk.
This works because consistency is much more impactful than perfection. The harsh discipline can harm mental well-being and motivation, while obsession can slowly deteriorate physical well-being. Consistent, not perfect, walking while taking a phone call or listening to an audiobook will make the most difference.
Sources
- The effectiveness of nature-based interventions in combating PTSD: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Journal of Environmental Psychology. June 2025.
- Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports. June 2019.
- The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. August 2010.
- Levels of Nature and Stress Response. Behavioral Sciences. May 2018.
Excellent information! 💯