Walking Therapy In London, Camden
What Happens In Walking Therapy Rather than sitting in front of the therapist in a traditional space of the therapy room, the counselling space takes place with movement outdoors walking side by side. Being outside in nature can facilitate healing inside. The walk and talk therapy offers a physical space, head space, fresh air, mood enhancing exercise, and physical fitness (and we may feel more at ease, relaxed, where we are less static more able to be physically and emotionally, expressive. I will suggest a suitable place to meet and there are fixed, planned, yet flexible walking routes.
Perceived Benefits Of Walking Therapy
- Can give us a break away from our problems, troubles, offering perspective
- Helps us have an overall sense of well being, supporting our immunity
- Less intimidating for certain people compared to indoor seated therapy
- Promotes more equality in the therapeutic relationship, less confrontational, more supportive
- Can benefit people who are hyper aroused, those with ADHD, or feeling claustrophobic
- Can benefit parents with who can walk and talk with their buggies or people whose jobs give them little opportunity to experience nature
- The informality, more casual tone can also have a calming influence, can decrease hyperarousal states, assist calmness, helping us to feel engaged and supported
- The movement, rhythm and the act of walking, talking can shift thinking, stuckness in the client, facilitate psychological processing
- Strengthens our connection between body and mind
- Enables us to be more expressive with our body language
- Can improve strategic thinking and creative thought processes
- Being out in nature, open spaces can facilitate openness
- Can move us away from fight-fight-freeze to feeling more fluid
- Can enhance creativity and freedom to express ourselves differently that in the consulting room
- Walking side by side can facilitate collaborative working and experiencing someone alongside can enhance the therapeutic process
- Lack of direct eye contact can be more comfortable for some of us, enabling us to free associate and process our emotions more effectively
- Makes silences in the open more comfortable
- Stimulus of being outside in the here and now can enable us to listen to our intuition, be in the moment
- Being trustful within the containment of nature with its trees, flowers reflects beauty growth, cycle of life, death
- Engaging with our full range of senses - our sense of smell, touch, what we hear, see and our intuitive sense, being mindful
- Being out in all weathers witnessing the changing seasons can model change, transformation, moving forward
- Encourages deeper, reflective ways of thinking
- Can reduce stress, anxiety, coping with depression, improve anger issues
- Offers a holistic approach for self - discovery
Walking Therapy As A Containing, Secure Base Similar to in-person therapy in the consulting room, one aim of walking therapy is to continue to provide a secure base and containment
As an individual, private practitioner I am unable to offer an emergency service, even by phone or online. The therapy offered is not a crisis service. Therefore, please be aware the therapy is not appropriate for people in emergencies or at risk to themselves or others.
If you need urgent help
Please contact emergency services on 999, visit your nearest Accident & Emergency department, or call 111 or visit www.111.nhs.uk.
For a range of information on how to access mental health services for free on the NHS click here. You can also contact your GP surgery and ask for an emergency appointment, or go straight to A&E at a hospital.
If in crisis or need to talk to someone
You can speak to Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org (they are a 24 hour service)
For those of us who prefer text there is a 24/7 free confidential text service for anyone in crisis text SHOUT to 85258.
If feeling suicidal
If your life is in danger, or you have seriously harmed yourself, or feel like you are about to harm yourself, call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. Alongside speaking to Samaritans on 116 123 or visiting www.samaritans.org, you can contact Maytree respite centre at www.maytree.org.uk - 020 7263 7070.
For suicide prevention there is an app, which provides a pocket suicide prevention resource with full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis - Staying Alive.
