walk and talk | Going Outside to Heal Inside

The groundbreaking benefits behind your barefoot summer

Ah, summer—the season of barbecues, long weekends and holidays. A time of year when many of us just like to kick off our shoes and relax a little more.

This is where earthing comes in. Earthing is the practice of spending time in direct contact with the Earth, and research shows that it has a broad range of physical and mental health benefits.

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve your health and wellbeing this summer, give earthing a try!

What is earthing?
Earthing, or grounding, is the simple act of making contact with the earth. It’s as easy as taking your shoes and socks off and walking outside barefoot.

Earthing has been around for centuries, but was only recently studied and given a name by Clint Ober, an electrical engineer who became invested in the topic after he was diagnosed with major health issues.

Since then, earthing has been shown to have a number of benefits not just for physical but for mental health too. It helps to relieve stress and anxiety, improve sleep, reduce inflammation and pain, and even boost energy levels.

There are a few ways to earth yourself, depending on where you are. If you’re at home, you can go outside and walk around in your back garden or nearby park. If you’re at work, you can take a quick break to go outside and perhaps lay down on the grass. And if you’re on holiday or travelling, you can find hill, dune or beach to walk barefoot on.

The science behind earthing
Earthing is the practise of being in direct contact with the earth’s surface. This can be done by walking outside barefoot, sitting or lying on the ground, or swimming in natural bodies of water.

There is a lot of science that supports earthing and its many benefits. When you’re connected to the earth, your body is able to absorb all of the beneficial electrons that are swirling around us. These electrons have been shown to promote physical and mental wellbeing. It changes the contrary positive charge we absorb from our electrical living. Swapping it for the earth’s natural charge which enriches and enliven our biology.

One study found that grounding for just fifteen minutes was able to decrease cortisol levels (the stress hormone) by 31%. It also resulted in a decrease in anxiety and negative thoughts. So if you’re looking for a way to distress this summer, earthing might be the answer for you!

What are the benefits of earthing?
There are countless benefits to earthing, both physically and mentally.

Physically, earthing helps to release tension in the body, improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and boost your immune system. It can also help to reduce pain and speed up the healing process.

Mentally, earthing can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help to improve focus and concentration, and increase feelings of calm and well-being.

Earthing during the summer
When it comes to summer, nothing feels better than kicking off your shoes

and feeling the grass, sand, or even tiles beneath your feet. For earthing enthusiasts, this is the best time of year because you can enjoy all the benefits of being grounded outdoors!

There are a few things you can do to make grounding more enjoyable and relaxing. First, find a spot outside that has a nice view. This will help you relax and enjoy the experience. Secondly, make sure to wear light and comfortable clothing so you can move around easily. Lastly, take time to really focus on the sensations you feel when you’re grounding. Notice the textures, temperatures, and smells around you. This will help you connect more with your surroundings and reap the full benefits of earthing.

What to expect when you start earthing
When you start earthing, you might experience a sense of calm and grounding. This is because, when you connect with the earth, you’re absorbing negative ions, which can help to improve your mood and mental wellbeing. Some people also report improved sleep and reduced anxiety when they start earthing, as well as a general sense of good health.

From reducing anxiety to boosting energy levels, earthing or grounding can help you feel your best during the summer months. By kicking off your shoes and connecting with the earth, you can enjoy all the benefits of earthing in just a few minutes. So why not give it a try?

…and not just in the Summer!

EMDR’s roots are originally based in Nature. First what is EMDR? It stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing and by reputation known as a proven, effective therapy for trauma. Originating in the late 80’s by Francine Shapiro PhD, who observed the simple fact that she always felt better after a walk .. but.. as a scientist she took it to another level, dissecting the observation to find out exactly why!

On examination she realised that key to that, feeling-better-feeling lay in the eyes, in particular their movements. It was observed when the eye movement was reenacted clinically that there was a decrease in the experience of negative emotions. To be exact, there was a reduction in the anxiety or feeling felt around a situation. Not eliminating but desensitising the feeling – especially in relation to trauma – helping distance, fade and in time have less effect on the recipient’s life. When she experimented specific movements in the eyes Dr Shapiro found that their movements alone did not fully reduce the trauma or upset. With trial and ultimately success she added a cognitive component, resulting in the well regarded standard we now know as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. EMDR is about stopping the power of the trigger with the consequent effect that occurs for many, getting lost in the trauma or upset. It’s about being able to move on.

As a Nature Therapist – indeed as anyone who goes for a walk in nature, be it a park or somewhere more rural, the simple feel good factor is something we know instinctively. But the modern world has stresses and strains and the people therein have histories that need a bit more than a simple walk to clear your head.

Going for a walk of course helps not just our health but also our mental wellbeing, however working with anxiety and specific traumas needs a little deeper work just as it does in a clinical setting. The main component with Natural EMDR is that you are layering all that there is outside into a session. This increases the effectiveness of Walk and Talk therapy as well as further empowering the client to be able to use their own walks in nature to support the reduction in the presenting trauma and or anxiety.

The Science
We know from understanding ancestral health that the body has a natural inclination to heal itself, like a wound forming a scab. Nature Sense Therapists have an understanding how our brain works and know that traumatic memories can get stuck in the limbic system – our reptilian brain. Not so much a healing centre but a reactive one, hence keeping your memory in a distressed state. When our sensory memory is engaged in a bilateral stimulation (as with Natural EMDR) our memory moves from flight or fight arousal to another part of the brain that’s able to deal with it. The emotional distress is moved to a place where control and ease in managing the emotion passes without triggering the past anxiety.

How it works with Nature Sense
We take the modern understanding and proven effectiveness of bilateral stimulation -outside, we take it home. Through walking, climbing, running – any movement, watching the birds, the clouds even. We have the modern understanding about eye movement and the how this actually works on issues aligned with the millennia of knowledge before the analysis proved it. Natural EMDR is also combined with further modern clinical acknowledgments of pre modern era wisdom such as forest bathing, breathing, image work. Integrating actual body movement along with parasympathetic breathing you have an effective foundation for desensitising and helping people to move on effectively, but as nature intended.

With Nature Sense we go back to the origin of EMDR, indeed long before. Stepping back into Nature to help you through your anxiety, through it’s origin – through movement outside. It’s gentler, it’s more congruent – it’s change is profound.

To understand more or book an appointment contact – Fiona, Nature sense Director here.

To train as a Natural EMDR therapist you must be a qualified therapist and have done the foundational Nature Sense training here.

Tag: walk and talk

Barefoot Bathing and Earthing

The groundbreaking benefits behind your barefoot summer

The original Natural EMDR