Self-healing

[Genevieve Simperingham]

In this interview Florence Williams shares some insights on the healing benefits of spending time in nature, the benefits to our children to grow up with that bonded relationship to the great outdoors and the healing benefits to parents to bring down stress levels and reduce overwhelm. Make sure you listen all the way to the end to listen to her talk about the benefits of even having house plants!

Florence describes that “he wilderness exhibits anti PTSD qualities, it’s like an antidote to PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD involve feeling really shut off from the world, closed off, socially isolated, some of the women veterans she spoke to hadn’t left their houses very much at all for a couple of years, they were replaying painful scenes, nightmares, very high anxiety, high levels of fear, and when I watched them in the wilderness all the opposite things happened, they were paying attention to what was going on around them because they had to, they were maybe in a rubber ducky going down a rapid having to negotiate rocks. Women talked about sleeping better than they had done in years while sleeping outside in nature. There’s something about really profound natural beauty that inspires awe. Lots of studies about awe and how experiencing awe takes us outside of ourselves and connects us with something larger.

She talks about solitary confinement prisoners watching nature videos and how it resulted in less violent outbursts.

For me, nature has always played a HUGE part in my journey of healing and maintaining balance. I grew up in the country and nature was definitely my main resilience factor, was where I gain those feelings of bonding and happiness and freedom. I NEED to get my bare feet on the ground every day and need to spend time outside.

How about you? How about your children?

[Author]

Posts