Why I'm Bringing Walk-and-Talk Therapy to the Surrey Hills
There's something about a crisp, cold morning that makes the world feel full of possibility. The kind of morning where your breath hangs in the air, frost sparkles on the grass, and the low winter sun cuts through bare branches. It's on mornings like these - often during my own early walks with my dogs like today - that I find my mind settling, problems untangling, and fresh perspective emerging.
Good news is that there is now substantial evidence that what many of us intuitively know - that time in nature helps our mental health - is backed by robust research. And it is this evidence that has inspired me to develop something new for my practice: therapeutic wellness walks.
The Evidence: Why Walking in Nature Works
The research on nature-based interventions for mental health has grown substantially over the past decade, and the findings are compelling.
Stress Reduction and Cortisol
A landmark study by Park et al. (2010) found that forest walking significantly reduces cortisol levels (our primary stress hormone) compared to urban walking. Participants who walked in woodland settings showed lower blood pressure, reduced heart rate variability associated with stress, and decreased cortisol. The Japanese practice of 'shinrin-yoku' (forest bathing) has been studied extensively, with research consistently demonstrating measurable physiological benefits from time spent among trees.
Rumination and Mental Health
Bratman et al. (2015) published influential research in PNAS showing that a 90 minute nature walk decreased activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex - the brain region associated with repetitive negative thinking (rumination). Rumination is a key factor in depression and anxiety, and this study provided scientific evidence for what therapists had observed clinically: nature seems to help break unhelpful thought patterns.
Attention Restoration
Attention Restoration Theory, developed by Kaplan and Kaplan (1989), suggests that natural environments allow our directed attention to rest while engaging our 'soft fascination' - the gentle, effortless attention we give to leaves rustling, birds calling, or light filtering through trees. This explains why many people find nature walks mentally refreshing rather than depleting, even when covering significant distances.
The Therapeutic Relationship in Motion
There is also growing evidence that walk-and-talk therapy offers specific advantages over traditional consulting room work for some clients (Revell & McLeod, 2017). Walking side-by-side rather than face-to-face can reduce the intensity of eye contact, making it easier for some people to discuss difficult topics. The shared experience of the environment provides natural metaphors and moments for reflection. And the physical movement itself can help process emotions held in the body - something particularly relevant for those experiencing anxiety or trauma.
Bringing Wellness Walks to Dragonfly Psychotherapy
I'm excited to be developing wellness walks as a new offering, and I've found what I believe is the perfect setting: West Horsley Place (aka Button House from Ghosts). It was also visited by King Henry VIIIth.
This beautiful historic estate offers 400 tranquil acres of natural beauty with miles of footpaths. There is something grounding about walking through such an ancient landscape.
What I'm Planning
Group Wellness Walks with a Therapeutic Twist: Guided walks for small groups up to 8, with a therapeutic focus but without the intensity of formal therapy - think of these as supported time in nature with gentle prompts for reflection. Ideal for those who want the benefits of nature-based wellbeing without diving into deeper therapeutic work, who are curious about learning more about therapy or those who simply need a motivation to get outside. These would be free of charge during the trial period, and after that there will be a charge to keep it financially viable.
Seasonal Offerings: I'm also considering seasonal group walks - perhaps a winter walk focusing on rest and renewal, or spring walks exploring themes of growth and change. These would offer the benefits of shared experience and a gentle community.
Individual Therapeutic Walks: One-to-one sessions combining gentle walking with therapy. These could be held at a number of different sites to suit you. They will be particularly suited to clients who find the traditional consulting room environment challenging, those working through burnout and needing to reconnect with their bodies, or anyone who simply thinks and processes better while moving.
Frontline Wellness Walks: Separate to this, honouring my background in the NHS and my own burnout experience, I would love to run a monthly frontline wellness walk for NHS staff, emergency service workers and teachers if there is interest in it. I would be aiming to make this free of charge. These would offer peer support in a non-clinical setting, and confidentiality outside work hierarchies.
Practical Considerations
I'm mindful that outdoor therapy requires different considerations than consulting room work. Weather, of course, plays a role, and there's something clarifying about being out on a cold, bright day like today. Other days perhaps less so. Routes will be chosen for accessibility and privacy.
Is This for You?
Wellness walks won't suit everyone, and they're not intended to replace traditional therapy for those who benefit from that structure. But for many people - particularly those experiencing burnout, work-related stress, anxiety, or life transitions - the combination of therapeutic support, physical movement, and a natural environment offers something genuinely different.
If you're curious about whether wellness walks might work for you, I'd be happy to chat. Sometimes the best therapy room has no walls at all.
References
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169-182.
Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 18-26.
Revell, S., & McLeod, J. (2017). Therapists' experience of walk and talk therapy: A descriptive phenomenological study. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, 19(3), 267-289.