Into the woods: Does nature nurture healing?The Green Road nature site is tucked away on bustling Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo courtesy of Uniformed Services University)Anne Frank wrote in her diary that nature provides “solace in all troubles.” Poet Lord Byron waxed about “a pleasure in the pathless woods.” President Calvin Coolidge said, “There is healing in the trees for tired minds and overburdened spirits. ... nature is your great restorer.”
Does nature really have healing powers? The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) is leading a team of researchers tackling this question. Their laboratory is the Green Road, a nature site tucked away on bustling Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Maryland. The base is home to the health sciences university as well as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“I’ve always relieved my stress by going outside to be in nature,” said Patricia Deuster, the CHAMP director who’s also a nationally ranked marathoner, skydiver, and former tennis pro. Deuster is lead investigator of the Green Road research team, which also includes the National Institutes of Health, the University of Arizona, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The project is the brainchild of Dr. Frederick Foote, a retired Navy neurologist and former adjunct professor at the health sciences university. He put together a team to apply for funding from a nonprofit organization to study the healing effects of nature in populations that may be vulnerable to behavioral health issues. Studies have suggested traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder are risk factors for suicide in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
“The goals of the Green Road project are to provide empirical evidence for the healing power of nature in wounded warriors and their caregivers,” Foote said. “We also hope to inspire health care and policy leaders to incorporate green healing spaces throughout the Military Health System and civilian health care systems.”
More than 100 projects nationwide applied for the grants in 2013. The Green Road was one of six that received funding. Then, work to create the space began. An existing exercise path at Walter Reed Bethesda was expanded and widened, and 2 acres in the woods were cleared and redesigned to retain natural woodlands while including walking paths, landscaping, commemorative and communal spaces, and bridges that traverse a creek.
The total cost of the project was about $2 million, Foote said, adding that no public funds were used.
“It’s an absolutely extraordinary environment,” Deuster said, “and just a beautiful, beautiful place.”
The Green Road was dedicated as a research site in September 2016, but Deuster and her team are awaiting final construction approvals before research begins. They’re recruiting 50 to 60 participants who will complete questionnaires and baseline physiological evaluations before receiving heart rate monitors and navigation systems.
The study participants will take two walks: one out the back door of Building 53 directly onto a path leading to the Green Road site, and one out the front door and around the traffic-heavy, noisy campus. Their physiological responses to both environments will be evaluated to produce quantitative data, or statistics. They’ll also be interviewed about emotions and feelings they experienced during the two walks, to generate qualitative data.
Deuster said the research will take about a year to complete.
“I spend time in nature every day,” she said. “I know how healing it is for me, how it makes me relax and forget about all the stressful stuff. It will be interesting to see whether the quantitative data support the qualitative, that being in nature can have a tremendous impact on health and well-being.”
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Soldier uses school project to combat suicideOhio Army National Guard Capt. Michael Barnes talks to a Soldier about the Ohio Vet 2 Vet Network, a website and mobile app with information and resources for military veterans and their families to combat the risk factors of suicide among veterans. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Carden) COLUMBUS, Ohio — During his career with the Ohio National Guard, Capt. Michael Barnes has had many opportunities to lead fellow Soldiers through a deployment as well as numerous training exercises. He’s also taken to heart the leadership philosophy of taking care of his Soldiers’ mental health and well-being.
As part of his coursework for a master’s degree in nursing, Ohio Army National Guard Capt. Michael Barnes has created the Ohio Vet 2 Vet Network, a website and mobile app with information and resources for military veterans and their families to combat the risk factors of suicide among veterans. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)“I helped my first suicidal Soldier in basic training back in 1993,” Barnes said. “When I was in my company command, I counseled at least a dozen Soldiers expressing suicidal ideations. It is then that I truly began to realize how bad the issue was and also how suited I was to help.”
Barnes is channeling his passion for helping veterans to get a master’s degree in nursing, which will allow him to specialize as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. As part of his coursework, Barnes has created a website and mobile app to, as his website states, “bring together a wealth of information and resources to combat the risk factors of suicide.”
“I’ve known veterans who have committed suicide and I’ve heard my military brothers and sisters say, ‘I wish that I could have done more.’ I have even said it myself. The problem is that we say it in the moment and then move on with our lives. I decided I was no longer going to move on with my life without doing something,” Barnes said.
With his Ohio Vet 2 Vet Network, Barnes’ goal is to create a nonprofit, build a network of peer-to-peer support groups and, eventually, establish transitional housing and a counseling center. For now, he’s gathered resource links related to topics that can be risk factors for suicide, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness and access to health care.
Barnes estimates he’s put in more than 150 hours of work into the project. His professor for the course at The Ohio State University, Judy Donegan, calls the project “remarkable” and plans to have him present it to health professionals during national conferences.
He’s done a remarkable job of bringing his own passion for his fellow veterans to life for those of us who are not military,” she said. “I want my students to do projects that have meaning, not just projects for a class that will go in a cupboard and sit there. My mantra is you can change the world one person at a time, and that is what Mike’s doing.”
According to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs study, an average of 20 U.S. military veterans take their own lives every day. Barnes will be marketing his app to military groups, social workers, and shelters and charities that assist veterans.
“In the military, you’re taught to be strong,” he said. “Veterans are hesitant to reach out and ask for help. I want to provide them with easy access to help when they’re ready to ask.”
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
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