Nature is where all healing deepens by Sarah Murray-Boyd

“We all know that nature is good for us.”

A fellow practitioner said this to me recently – half challenge, half dismissal. And I get it. Nature has become so universally acknowledged as beneficial that it risks being overlooked as therapeutic. It is reduced to a pleasant lifestyle add-on rather than the powerful, integrative modality that it is.

Time in nature, when approached consciously through nature and forest therapy practices, is not just a backdrop to healing. It is therapeutic in its own right. Slowing down, engaging the senses, and cultivating awareness with natural environments supports nervous system regulation, restores attention, and creates a felt sense of connection that is deeply nourishing and rejuvenating.

It is also an exceptionally powerful companion to other modalities.

We see this in walk-and-talk therapy, where being side by side outdoors reduces intensity and allows conversation to flow more naturally. In somatic therapies, grounding or breathwork practised in nature often deepens embodiment, with the texture of the earth providing an immediate anchor. Mindfulness, too, becomes more accessible when attention is gently held by sensory cues like wind or birdsong.

Nature complements more structured approaches, too. Cognitive behavioural therapy exercises, when taken outside, can feel less rigid or confronting, allowing new perspectives to emerge more easily. In physiotherapy or rehabilitation, outdoor movement can improve both engagement and outcomes, inviting more natural, varied, and instinctive patterns of motion.

It integrates just as seamlessly with holistic modalities, many of which are rooted in nature itself. In practices like aromatherapy, bush flower essences, or even crystal therapy, nature is not simply a setting it is the treatment. Engaging with these modalities outdoors can further deepen their impact, as the sensory and energetic qualities of the environment enhance connection, grounding, and receptivity.

In all of these examples, nature becomes not only the container for healing but the catalyst. It supports these modalities, and it helps prepare us to receive them. When the nervous system shifts into a regulated state, the impact of all these therapeutic interventions is amplified.

I’ve experienced this personally. My GP was unequivocal in my recent treatment plan for burnout: keep getting into nature. My psychologist, too, smiled when I described how working with nature leaves me feeling calm and quietly confident – even though I still have so much to learn – pointing out that my system is no longer in survival mode, but regulated and responsive.

Science is increasingly catching up to what many traditions have long understood. Research into nature and forest therapy shows measurable improvements in stress, mood, immune function, and cardiovascular health. Studies demonstrate reductions in anxiety and PTSD symptoms following time in forest environments.

A study of post-surgical patients even found those with a view of trees recovered faster, had shorter hospital stays, needed less pain medication, and experienced fewer complications than those facing a brick wall.

So yes—we may all “know” that nature is good for us. But when we move beyond knowing into intentional, embodied practice we begin to experience its full potential: as both a healing modality in itself, and as a powerful ally to every other form of care and treatment we choose.

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Want to experience nature therapy for yourself?

Join one of Sarah’s public walks in Canberra at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary. All dates online and bookings via What’s On at WildBark.

Or learn more about nature therapy and Sarah’s work – online, on Facebook and on Instagram