By Gabriella Kelly-Davies, PNN Columnist

A few months ago, I took part in a panel discussion with three other women who live with migraine or chronic headaches. One speaker, Australian journalist Sarah Allely, described how immersing herself in nature helped to relieve her debilitating headaches, anxiety and depression after a mild traumatic brain injury. It also drastically improved her focus and concentration.

Sarah’s brain injury occurred in 2015, when a passing car knocked her off her bicycle. Afterwards, a headache erupted in the base of her skull whenever she tried to read, write, watch television, or listen to music. She also struggled to concentrate and couldn’t work as a journalist for eight months.

Noisy environments such as bars, cafes and social gatherings that for years had energized Sarah, became unbearable. Despairing, she asked her medical team for advice. Her doctors admitted there wasn’t much they could do and suggested she learn to accept the situation. Sarah’s spirit sank as she contemplated a bleak future without all the things that had previously given her purpose and pleasure.

But that all changed when her friends invited her on a bush walk.

While trekking through the bush, Sarah’s headache lifted. So did her anxiety and depression. She wondered whether it was a fluke or if spending time in nature had reduced her symptoms.

During the following weeks, Sarah visited local bushland whenever possible. To her surprise, every time she did this, her headache, anxiety and depression eased. Intrigued, she wondered whether going to a local park or sitting in her garden would have a similar effect. She tried it. To her amazement, it worked!

A while later she stumbled across some magazine articles about research around the healing powers of nature. Curious about why her symptoms eased whenever she spent time in nature, Sarah decided to make an audio documentary. She wanted to understand the science behind her experience and the “optimum dose of nature” to relieve her physical and emotional pain.

During her research, Sarah came across several American scientists who were studying the science underpinning the healing effects of nature. Excited, she interviewed them, turning the conversations into six episodes of a podcast series she named Brain on Nature.

In the free podcast, Sarah shares her experiences discovering the healing powers of the natural world. Each episode follows her quest to discover why the natural environment changed her brain, helping her recover from a brain injury.

Seeking Connections With Nature

The scientists Sarah interviewed told her they were asking the same questions as her. Their studies found spending time in nature improved psychological and physical health, but they couldn’t pinpoint the precise reason for this response. Still, they were confident certain theories did help explain what was happening.

One of these theories is called biophilia, a belief that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature. But for many of us living in bustling urban settings, constant traffic noise, bright lights, sirens, flashing billboards and yelling are the norm, and connecting with nature is a dream rather than a reality.

Instead of relaxing or exercising in a natural environment, we multitask, work on computers, talk on mobile phones, scroll through social media and send text messages. Living this way increases our stress levels, and for people with chronic pain, this can mean more pain.

But there is good news. Several studies show that when people turn off their electronic devices and sit in a quiet garden or stroll in a park, they feel refreshed and relaxed.

Pain specialists know that when a person living with chronic pain is calm, the volume of pain signals racing through their nervous systems is less than when they are anxious, angry or upset. So it makes sense that pain could reduce after spending time in a relaxing environment such as a garden or park.

Another possible explanation for Sarah’s experiences comes from Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory. The Kaplans propose that exposure to nature is not only enjoyable but also relaxing and revitalizing. In Sarah’s case, whenever she spends time in the mountains on a weekend, she remains headache-free the following week. Her focus and concentration are also better. 

Fortunately, benefiting from the healing effects of nature is not about climbing Mount Everest or going on three-day treks in the forest. It can be a 10-minute walk in a local park or sitting in the garden smelling the flowers.

Once she understood the natural world was helping her injured brain to recover, Sarah felt compelled to share her learnings with others whose health might benefit from a dose of nature.  

“No one in the medical world suggested immersing myself in nature could reduce my symptoms,” she says. “But it works. I want others to know about it so they can try it for themselves.”

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have listened to Brain on Nature and Sarah says their response is overwhelmingly positive.

“Two years after launching Brain on Nature, I’m still getting emails every week from people who say their life changed after listening to the podcast,” Sarah says. “I’m delighted it continues to have a positive impact and my search for answers has helped so many people.”

Sarah accepts some people might be skeptical about her belief in the natural world’s healing effects, especially if they have lived with chronic pain for several years and nothing has helped. She understands this response, but encourages anyone in pain to try a dose of nature for themselves to see if it eases their pain or improves their mood.

“When your pain is bad or you’re feeling grumpy, anxious or depressed, take yourself for a walk in the garden or a park,” Sarah suggests. “Put your phone on flight mode and see how you feel when you come back. Do you feel different? I challenge you to say spending time in nature doesn’t make any difference. So far I haven’t met anyone who can say that.”

While immersing ourselves in nature might not be a cure for chronic pain, it’s a powerful option in our pain management toolbox. Since learning about this approach, I now turn off my phone whenever we go for our morning stroll. Instead of feeling harassed by too many phone calls and text messages during our walk, I now feel relaxed and centered. And when I’m calm, I have less pain. I hope you do too.

Gabriella Kelly-Davies lives with chronic migraine.  She recently authored “Breaking Through the Pain Barrier,” a biography of Australian pain specialist Dr. Michael Cousins. Gabriella is President of Life Stories Australia Association and founder of Share your life story.