Nature-Based Therapy: Exploring the Processes That Foster Change
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Cognition
3.2. Negative Mood
3.3. Positive Mood
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Group 1 Nature Therapy | Group 2 Mindfulness Only | Group 3 Nature Only | Group 4 Control Condition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Mindfulness in nature | Mindfulness indoors | Educational hike in nature | Educational setting indoors |
| Location | Walking trail | Library | Walking trail | Indoor classroom |
| Manipulation | Four outdoor “stops” with mindfulness focusing on a different sense at each stop; gentle walking between each stop | Four indoor (no exposure to windows) “stops” with mindfulness focusing on different senses at each stop; gentle walking between each stop | Four outdoor “stops” with information about environmental science being read at each stop; gentle walking between each stop | While seated in a windowless classroom, participants received information about environmental science |
| Condition | Script Excerpts |
|---|---|
| Nature Therapy | Here is our second stop. Get into a comfortable standing position. In this area, we are going to focus on the sounds of the stream. (Pause) Listen very carefully to the sounds of nature. (Pause) Maybe you can hear gurgling of the water. (Pause) Maybe you can hear the rushing sound as the water moves along the rocks. (Pause) Focus carefully on the sounds. (Pause) As you are trying to focus, your mind may wander. That is ok. Bring your mind back to focusing on the sounds. We are now going to spend one quiet minute focusing on the sounds of this area. (Pause) Now that our minute is complete, bring your awareness back to all of your senses. Take a few deep breaths. (Pause) |
| Mindfulness Only | Here is our second stop. Get into a comfortable standing position. In this area, we are going to focus on the sounds of the area. (Pause) Listen very carefully to the sounds of the indoors. (Pause) Maybe you can hear the heating and cooling system. (Pause) Maybe you can hear the creaks and movement of the building. (Pause) Focus carefully on the sounds. (Pause) As you are trying to focus, your mind may wander. That is ok. Bring your mind back to focusing on the sounds. We are now going to spend one quiet minute focusing on the sounds of this area. (Pause) Now that our minute is complete, bring your awareness back to all of your senses. Take a few deep breaths. (Pause) |
| Nature Only & Control Condition | [Here at this stop (omitted in the Control Condition script)], I will talk about the science behind streams. A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are usually called rivers, while smaller, less voluminous and more intermittent streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks, etc. The flow of a stream is controlled by three inputs—surface runoffs (from precipitation or meltwater), daylighted subterranean water, and surfaced groundwater (spring water). The surface and subterranean water are highly variable between periods of rainfall. Groundwater, on the other hand, has a relatively constant input and is controlled more by long-term patterns of precipitation. The stream encompasses surface, subsurface and groundwater fluxes that respond to geological, geomorphological, hydrological and biotic controls. Streams are important as conduits in the water cycle, instruments in groundwater recharge, and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The biological habitat in the immediate vicinity of a stream is called a riparian zone. Given the status of the ongoing Holocene extinction, streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity. The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology and is a core element of environmental geography. |
| Nature Therapy (n = 60) | Mindfulness (n = 57) | Nature (n = 60) | Control (n = 11) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (Mean, SD) | 19.48 (1.14) | 19.09 (1.14) | 19.13 (1.11) | 19.45 (0.93) | 0.19 |
| Gender (% Female) | 62% | 58% | 48% | 55% | 0.24 |
| Race (% White) | 93% | 90% | 93% | 100% | 0.63 |
| Digit Span Change (Mean, SD) | 22.77 (36.55) | 16.66 (36.64) | 43.22 (89.64) | 26.35 (35.30) | 0.10 |
| Positive Mood Change (Mean, SD) | 4.31 (13.85) | −1.59 (12.88) | 1.10 (11.48) | −6.14 (8.21) | 0.02 |
| Negative Mood Change (Mean, SD) | −15.90 (16.62) | −5.99 (17.84) | −16.73 (16.97) | 4.34 (12.94) | <0.001 |
| Cognition | Negative Mood | Positive Mood | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Mean (SD) | p Value | Test | Mean (SD) | p Value | Test | Mean (SD) | p Value | |
| Nature Therapy | Pre | 5.23 (0.26) | *** | Pre | 18.73 (0.55) | *** | Pre | 23.65 (0.51) | ** |
| Post | 6.26 (0.27) | Post | 15.68 (0.59) | Post | 25.14 (0.52) | ||||
| Mindfulness | Pre | 5.05 (0.26) | ** | Pre | 17.84 (0.56) | ** | Pre | 25.14 (0.52) | ns |
| Post | 5.67 (0.27) | Post | 16.68 (0.61) | Post | 25.54 (0.51) | ||||
| Nature | Pre | 4.55 (0.26) | *** | Pre | 18.17 (0.55) | *** | Pre | 23.98 (0.51) | ns |
| Post | 5.70 (0.26) | Post | 15.13 (0.59) | Post | 24.07 (0.50) | ||||
| Control | Pre | 5.18 (0.60) | ** | Pre | 17.55 (1.28) | ns | Pre | 24.27 (1.19) | * |
| Post | 6.36 (0.61) | Post | 18.00 (1.38) | Post | 22.73 (1.17) | ||||
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Rhodes, J.D.; Boylan, H.M. Nature-Based Therapy: Exploring the Processes That Foster Change. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 574. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040574
Rhodes JD, Boylan HM. Nature-Based Therapy: Exploring the Processes That Foster Change. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(4):574. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040574
Chicago/Turabian StyleRhodes, Jessica D., and Helen M. Boylan. 2026. "Nature-Based Therapy: Exploring the Processes That Foster Change" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 4: 574. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040574
APA StyleRhodes, J. D., & Boylan, H. M. (2026). Nature-Based Therapy: Exploring the Processes That Foster Change. Behavioral Sciences, 16(4), 574. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040574

