Can nature help recover injuries? – DW – 15.05.2025

On a Saturday 10 years ago, Sarah made up of her house in Sydney to take part in a training course in the early morning. She stepped in the quiet streets and was happy with the turn that took her life in front of her.

Moments later, she woke up in the middle of the street in scorching pain, surrounded by passers -by and paramedics. A driver had dropped her bike.

She was brought into the emergency room, but later that day with a concussion, a shoulder injury and the conviction that she was doing well. Until she came home to her partner and two young daughters and tried to relax by picking up the book she had read.

“I can steer my eyes over the words, but I can't understand the sentences, so it feels as if I can't read,” she recalled.

In the coming days she had stubborn headaches and brain fog that made everyday life unusually challenging. She was written off sick from work and her diary, which had previously been handed over to work, family and social obligations, began to meet medical dates. She only really felt able to sit under a tree in her garden.

“I don't think they understood how much I was hurt. She received various medication and even had Botox injections in the head to relieve the pain. She was finally sent for a brain scan and a number of cognitive tests.

“The specialist for brain injuries was able to diagnose a mild traumatic brain injury, which was based in the way I reacted,” said that it was a relief to know what was wrong. They were told that she would ultimately make a complete recovery, although there was still “no obvious treatment”. “

Unexpected treatment

One thing that she had told to accept where she was and not to fight against it. But months after the accident she was still of work and the headache remained a characteristic of her daily life. That was until she and her children were invited to friends on a bush walk.

“It was the first day since the accident I had no headache on and it was exceptional,” said Allty. “It's something to be in the bush that was really good for me. I didn't know what it was, but I knew something had changed.”

So she started to look up slow, deliberate walks in her neighborhood and looked at gardens or the local river. And that also had an impact. “I would almost feel like a fog lifting, but also the pressure of all headaches, so I would feel more relaxed.”

Is there a science behind the advantages of nature?

The mental health advantages of the time in the forest are now well documented. A current meta study in the forest pool – This came from Japan in the 1980s and consciously sees practitioners the forests in which they spend time, show that practice can significantly reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Early research also indicates that time in nature for people who suffer from physical pain or injuries, as Sarah suffer, could be advantageous. A European study published last month showed that even a short exposure to nature helped some people to record pain.

And in Danish research published last year17 patients with brain injuries who have included time in nature in their rehabilitation, reported on a “feeling of increased activity” and found that being in nature “their self -efficacy, their feeling of autonomy, community spirit, cooperation and joy increased and led to a feeling of peace.”

How the brain reacts to nature

Holli-Anne Passmore, a professor who studies the relationship between nature and human well-being at the Department of Psychology at the Canadian University of Edmonton at the Concordia University of Edmonton, is advantageous for humans, since the brain can literally give a break from the fall of rapid life.

From an evolutionary point of view, there are two types of attention – or what is known in psychology as hard and soft fascination.

“A flashing neon sign that you cannot ignore reaches out and basically says 'look at me', while things in nature tend to attract attention, but not to reach them and shake them on their shoulders.”

Neuroimaging shows that this type of softer attention requires less mental resources, which gives the brain the opportunity to restore. And that, says Passmore, can have far -reaching effects.

“One of the things we know is that our brain and our body and how we relax, are so closely connected. If you are in nature, this aspect to give your brain a little break,” she said, adding that there is another dimension for recovery.

“Our emotions have an incredible impact on our physical well -being. If you are in a better emotional state, it does not matter what kind of injury a person has, your body will react.”

How much nature is enough to do something?

The Chimes with Sarah Ally's story. When she finally recovered, she made a podcast About what she had been through for others who could be in a similar situation. And over the years she has heard of many who shared her experiences.

Even now that it is better, she still makes sense to spend time in nature, often to go to the same place again and again and simply notice small changes in things such as light, leaves or animals at a certain time of day. And she sees the positive effects on her mood and well -being.

According to Passmore, this type of quality is about the amount of time spent with nature, the real advantages and its own large -scale studies underline the far -reaching potential advantages of deliberate observation.

“Pay attention to nature in your everyday life and notice how you have the feeling that you had incredibly large in different aspects of well -being, not only positive emotions, but also in terms of life with other people with life in general, awe, deep gratitude and deeply moving feelings.”

According to the announcement, a side effect of a journey with nature is the opportunity for a healthier relationship with it. “One of the reasons to tell my story,” she said that “people would be inspired to take care of our natural world.”

Published by: Jennifer Collins

This article was adapted from an episode of the Living Planet Podcast by DW. Here you can find the audio version here.