Cheryl Strayed

Landscape: Healing Power of Nature Nature as a therapeutic tool for healing is a concept that has been observed for centuries. Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the father of modern medicine, recognized the power of nature through his statement, “Nature cures- not the physician.” One particular book, Wild (2012) by Cheryl Strayed, however exemplifies the concept of healing through nature. In the summer of 1995, Cheryl Strayed, who had never been backpacking before, set out to hike 1,100 miles alone on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her hike becomes a journey through self-reflection and helps her emotionally heal from the trauma of her past. As Cheryl Strayed proves in her memoir, a radical immersion in nature is capable of healing even our deepest emotional

19th Century American writers, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, were famous for their portrayal of the wilderness as an unspoiled natural world leading men to spiritual truth and healing. In his novel Walden, Thoreau immersed himself in nature in an effort to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. The solitude he experienced, similar to Strayed, assisted his philosophical and emotional journey. At the end of Walden, Thoreau observes the seasons’ transition from winter to spring. The revitalization of the landscape from the changing seasons suggests the restoration of the human soul. After two years living in a cabin in the woods, Thoreau reentered society calmer and more self-aware, forgoing past emotional experiences. His transformative experience in a lot of ways mirrors Strayed’s who was also able to feel emotionally stronger as a result of the time spent in

However, within the past few decades science has begun further exploring this concept. Research has proven there is a direct link between spending time in nature and improvements in mental and physical health. A 2013 study (Biel and Hanes, 2013) found that spending even just 20 minutes in a natural environment significantly reduced cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress. Another mental health study, found elderly adults who engaged in outdoor activities were less prone to depression (Christensen, Holt, and Wilson, 2013). In terms of physical health, spending time outdoors has been proven to reduce blood pressure levels and lower heart rates (Richardson, 2013). The scientific research offers an explanation as to why Strayed, Thoreau, and Emerson had such positive mental health experiences after spending time in