How Nature Therapy Can Support Emotional Well Being and Personal Growth
Nature therapy can provide a different setting for therapeutic work by incorporating the natural environment into the process. At Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, this approach is described as nature-based therapy, which is one of the therapeutic modalities offered as part of the practice's broader approach to healing, wellness, and personal growth.
The practice describes working with mindfulness, movement, animals, and nature as part of its therapeutic work. Nature-based approaches can therefore provide an opportunity to explore personal experiences in an environment outside a traditional office setting.
Nature is not presented as a replacement for therapy. Instead, it can become part of the therapeutic experience when it fits an individual's needs, preferences, and therapeutic goals.
What Is Nature Therapy?
Nature therapy is a broad term for therapeutic approaches that incorporate nature or natural surroundings into the therapeutic experience.
Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness uses the term nature-based therapy to describe this approach. The practice describes nature-based therapeutic modalities as a way of incorporating the natural environment into therapy while supporting healing, wellness, and personal growth.
The experience can vary from person to person. Nature may be part of the setting for therapeutic conversations, mindfulness, movement, reflection, or other forms of therapeutic exploration.
The important distinction is that nature is used within a therapeutic context. Simply spending time outdoors is not automatically therapy.
Understanding Nature-Based Therapy
Nature-based therapy can provide an alternative environment for therapeutic work. For some individuals, being outside may feel more comfortable or natural than sitting in a traditional therapy office.
The setting may also provide opportunities to pay attention to the surrounding environment and to notice personal reactions as they happen.
At Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, the therapeutic approach is individualized. This means that the setting and therapeutic methods can be considered in relation to the person's needs and goals rather than assuming that one approach is appropriate for everyone.
How Nature Can Become Part of the Therapeutic Process
The natural environment can become part of therapy in different ways.
A session may involve movement, mindful attention, conversation, or reflection within a natural setting. The experience can then become part of the therapeutic discussion.
For example, an individual may notice a particular thought, emotion, physical sensation, or response while spending time outdoors. Instead of overlooking that experience, therapy can provide space to explore it.
The purpose is not to assume what an individual is feeling. Rather, the therapist can help the person explore their own experience and determine what is meaningful to them. This makes the therapeutic relationship an important part of nature-based work.
Nature Therapy and Mindfulness
Mindfulness is relevant to the approach described by Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness. The practice incorporates mindfulness, movement, and interactions with animals and nature into its therapeutic work.
Nature can provide many opportunities for present-moment awareness.
An individual may notice sounds, movement, physical sensations, surroundings, or thoughts that arise while walking or spending time outdoors. These observations can become part of the therapeutic process.
Mindfulness does not require a person to eliminate difficult thoughts or emotions. Instead, it can involve paying attention to what is happening in the present moment.
Using the Natural Environment for Awareness
Natural surroundings can provide many sensory experiences. A person might notice changes in temperature, sounds, movement, or the environment around them.
Within therapy, these observations may provide opportunities to become more aware of personal responses.
For some individuals, this may make it easier to notice experiences that are difficult to recognize during everyday routines.
The focus remains on the individual's experience and therapeutic goals rather than assuming that nature will create the same response for everyone.
Nature Therapy and Emotional Awareness
Emotional awareness involves recognizing and exploring emotional experiences. The phrase emotional awareness therapy can be used broadly when discussing therapeutic work that focuses on understanding emotions.
However, emotional awareness therapy is not presented by Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness as a separate named service.
Instead, emotional awareness can be discussed as part of broader therapeutic work involving self-awareness, mindfulness, reflection, and personal growth.A nature-based setting may provide opportunities to notice emotional responses as they occur.
Recognizing Thoughts and Feelings
People do not always immediately recognize what they are feeling.
Sometimes an emotional response may first appear through physical sensations, thoughts, changes in attention, or reactions to a particular situation.
A therapeutic setting can provide an opportunity to slow down and explore those experiences.
When nature is part of that setting, an individual may be able to observe their reactions while also paying attention to their surroundings.
The goal is not to assign meaning to the reaction without discussion. Instead, the experience can be explored with therapeutic guidance.
Exploring Personal Patterns
Greater awareness can also provide an opportunity to examine personal patterns.
An individual may begin noticing how they respond to particular situations, relationships, thoughts, or emotions. These observations can become part of therapeutic conversations about personal experiences and goals.
Nature does not provide a predetermined answer. Rather, it can offer another environment in which a person can observe and explore their experiences.
How Nature Therapy Can Support Personal Growth
Personal growth can mean different things to different people.
For one person, it may involve developing greater self-awareness. For another, it may involve exploring personal challenges, relationships, boundaries, or emotional experiences.
Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness describes nature-based therapeutic modalities as supporting healing, wellness, and personal growth.Nature can become part of this process by providing an environment for reflection and experiential learning.
Creating Space for Reflection
Everyday routines can leave little time for intentional reflection.
A nature-based setting can provide a change in environment that allows a person to slow down and focus on the therapeutic experience.
Walking, sitting, observing, or simply being present in a natural environment can provide opportunities to reflect on personal experiences.
The therapeutic conversation remains central. The natural environment simply becomes another part of the setting in which that conversation occurs.
Developing Self-Awareness
Self-awareness can involve noticing thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and responses.
Experiential approaches may give individuals opportunities to observe themselves in situations rather than discussing every experience only in abstract terms.
This is particularly relevant to the broader approach at Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, where self-awareness and personal growth are part of the therapeutic focus.
What Is Green Space Therapy?
Green space therapy is a phrase sometimes used when discussing therapeutic or wellness activities involving natural environments such as parks, gardens, trails, or other green areas.
It is important, however, not to confuse this general phrase with the specific services offered by Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness.
The practice uses the term nature-based therapy rather than green space therapy as the name of its therapeutic modality.
For that reason, green space therapy can be discussed as a related concept, but it should not be described as a separate service offered by the practice.
This distinction also helps keep information about the practice accurate.
Nature Therapy and Equine-Assisted Therapy
Nature-based therapy can also be considered alongside equine-assisted therapy at Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness.
The practice offers equine-assisted therapy as an experiential therapeutic approach involving interaction with horses outdoors.
This approach provides another example of how nature and therapeutic work can intersect.
How Horses Can Become Part of Therapy
Equine-assisted therapy is different from simply spending recreational time with horses.
At Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, interaction with horses is incorporated into a therapeutic process. The practice describes this approach as providing opportunities for self-awareness and working through personal challenges in a non-judgmental environment.
Previous experience with horses is not required.The interaction itself can provide experiences that may then be explored therapeutically.For example, an individual may become aware of their reactions, communication patterns, boundaries, or emotions during an interaction. These experiences can become part of the therapeutic conversation.
What Might Nature-Based Therapy Look Like?
There is no single format for nature-based therapy.
The experience depends on the individual's therapeutic needs, goals, preferences, and the approach being used.
Nature may be incorporated through activities such as:
- Walking in a natural environment
- Spending time outdoors during a therapeutic session
- Practicing mindfulness
- Paying attention to the surrounding environment
- Exploring thoughts and emotional responses
- Reflecting on personal experiences
- Incorporating movement into the therapeutic process
These activities should not be viewed as guaranteed solutions for emotional or mental health concerns.
Instead, they are possible components of a broader therapeutic approach.The specific way nature is incorporated should be determined within the therapeutic relationship and according to the individual's circumstances.
Is Nature Therapy Right for Everyone?
Nature-based therapy is not necessarily appropriate for every person or every therapeutic situation.
Some individuals may prefer traditional office-based therapy. Others may feel more comfortable in an outdoor setting.
Personal preferences, accessibility, therapeutic goals, and the individual's circumstances can all influence which setting is appropriate.
Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness emphasizes an individualized approach to therapy. Different therapeutic modalities can be considered based on the person's needs rather than assuming that one method will work for everyone.
Therefore, nature therapy should not be presented as universally better than traditional therapy.
Instead, it can be considered one possible approach for individuals who are interested in incorporating nature into their therapeutic experience.
Nature-Based Therapy at Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness
Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness includes nature-based therapy among its therapeutic modalities.
The practice describes an approach that incorporates mindfulness, movement, animals, and nature. It also offers equine-assisted therapy, providing an experiential option involving interaction with horses outdoors.
These approaches fit within the practice's broader focus on healing, wellness, self-awareness, and personal growth.
The purpose is not simply to move therapy outdoors. Rather, the environment can become part of the therapeutic process when it is appropriate for the individual.
This distinction is important when considering nature therapy. The value of the approach comes from how the environment is incorporated into therapy and connected with the person's goals and experiences.
For individuals considering this type of therapy, discussing their needs and preferences with the therapist can help determine whether a nature-based approach is suitable.
Conclusion
Nature therapy is a broad term for therapeutic approaches that incorporate nature into the therapeutic experience. At Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, the specific terminology used is nature-based therapy.
The practice describes nature-based therapy as one of its therapeutic modalities and connects this approach with healing, wellness, mindfulness, movement, nature, and personal growth.
Nature-based therapy can also connect with the practice's equine-assisted therapy, where interaction with horses takes place outdoors as part of an experiential therapeutic process.
While terms such as green space therapy and emotional awareness therapy may be relevant when discussing the broader subject of nature and therapeutic awareness, they should not be presented as separate named services of Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness.
Ultimately, the appropriate therapeutic approach depends on the individual. Nature-based therapy may be considered when incorporating the natural environment aligns with a person's needs, preferences, and therapeutic goals.
If you would like to learn more about whether this approach may be appropriate for you, contact us today to discuss therapy options with Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness.
FAQs
1 What is nature therapy?
Nature therapy is a broad term for therapeutic approaches that incorporate nature or natural surroundings into the therapeutic process. Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness uses the term nature-based therapy for its approach involving the natural environment.
2 What is nature-based therapy?
Nature-based therapy incorporates nature into therapeutic work. At Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness, it is described as one of the therapeutic modalities used as part of the practice's broader approach to healing, wellness, and personal growth.
3 Is green space therapy offered by Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness?
Green space therapy is not identified as a separate named service on the practice's website. The practice uses the term nature-based therapy.
4 Does nature therapy involve mindfulness?
Mindfulness is part of the therapeutic approach described by Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness. Nature can provide an environment in which mindfulness and awareness can be incorporated into the therapeutic experience.
5 Does Lexie Glisson Therapy & Wellness offer equine-assisted therapy?
Yes. Equine-assisted therapy is offered as part of the practice's therapeutic services and involves interaction with horses outdoors.









