The Healing Power of Nature - Norwegian Journal of Friluftsliv

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While excited about the growing body of research showing the positive impacts of nature, the research quality must be measured and methods and protocols must continually be examined to be sure the research is sound, reliable and valid. In our desire to embrace research showing health benefits from being in nature we may not dig as deeply into the authentication of the research as is needed. Research papers need to be scrutinized for the logic of their conclusions. We also need to identify research gaps and replicate research with larger populations, different populations, and using a variety of methods. As feasible, meta-analyses on outcomes need to be completed. While research, especially empirical research is useful in proving the efficacy of the healing power of nature, we should not become too wedded to empirical research only. For example, wilderness therapy providers believe that participants leave their programs “better” somehow, and they acknowledge that they haven’t a clear idea of what specifically works to benefit the participants. In trying to gain legitimacy, practitioners and researchers have tried to isolate what about these endeavors make them work and have mostly used a reductionist and mechanistic mindset in trying to determine the efficacy. In the US this mechanistic mindset has, in part, been driven by the medical research model and the need to prove mechanistically how programs work. There are pitfalls of only using mechanistic thinking and research in assessing outcomes. Sometimes it is the holistic system that creates the healing or change (Mitten, 2004). In these cases process research may be an appropriate option. A combination of theoretical (testing actual theories), conceptual (looking at the underlying theories and concepts guiding research or practice) and empirical research (quantifying direct or indirect observation of interactions, usually through experimentation) as well as practice-based and anecdotal 20
evidence is being reported in the literature. For example, outdoor related fields often are reporting conceptual beliefs supported by anecdotal evidence. While there is a need for other kinds of research evidence this anecdotal evidence is crucial in helping to form the basis for evolving research agendas. The volume of research has grown considerably in recent years. Because of the diverse fields, a wide array of research methodologies have been used as well as many different contexts, including clinical, general living (nature around living space), sitting or walking in nature at parks or other natural areas, playing, gardening, specific nature activities, outdoor pursuits, and wilderness trips (see Figure 2) and different settings have been researched including built environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, playgrounds (both with and without green space), and housing complexes (see Figure 3). Different population density settings have also been researched including urban, semi urban, rural, and wilderness environments (see Figure 3). 21
Page 1 and 2: The Healing Power of Nature: The ne
Page 3 and 4: educes crime, stimulates social int
Page 5 and 6: Preaching to the choir is an apt ex
Page 7 and 8: has been over looked and undervalue
Page 9 and 10: up their own inner healing resource
Page 11 and 12: was the witches' knowledge that in
Page 13 and 14: animals, and minerals in non materi
Page 15 and 16: continued as a whole to be more rem
Page 17 and 18: of work clinical. Both economic and
Page 19: Figure 1. Disciplines researching c
Page 23 and 24: Figure 3. Many different settings h
Page 25 and 26: combined with other measures seems
Page 27 and 28: Friluftsliv That there is a cultura
Page 29 and 30: Indigenous Consciousness Indigenous
Page 31 and 32: esearch showing our affinity to nat
Page 33 and 34: this belief for their work. In othe
Page 35 and 36: health of the planet earth. It is b
Page 37 and 38: that, finally, if he tries to ignor
Page 39 and 40: intelligence, ecopsycology, and muc
Page 41 and 42: (Olson, 1946). For Olsen the primar
Page 43 and 44: Connection to the whole: Ethic of c
Page 45 and 46: colleagues have made great strides
Page 47 and 48: Summary/conclusions Nature is essen
Page 49 and 50: the author is hopeful that as more
Page 51 and 52: 19. Gierlach-Spriggs, N., Kaufman,
Page 53 and 54: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p24
Page 55: Journal of Healthcare Design, Vol.

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