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Silent into Nature: Factors Enabling Improvement in a Mindful Walking Retreat in Nature of People with Psychological Symptoms

Rhoda Schuling, Nina van Herpen, Reinier de Nooij, Wouter T De Groot, Anne E. M. Speckens

Ecopsychology April 11, 2018 DOI: 10.1089/eco.2017.0045 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population Participants with a depression background
Intervention mindful walking retreat
Topics Meditation
Keywords Negotiation Silence Wilderness Psychotherapist Applied psychology Aesthetics
Citations 15
Key findings Encountering nature, negotiating obstacles, the walk's duration, and walking in silence were identified as factors enabling positive effects of a mindful walking retreat.

Abstract

Complementary to a quantitative effect study, this paper reports on the factors enabling the effect of a mindful walking retreat following a largely unpaved route along a lowland river and estuary in the Netherlands, on which people make their own choices to find their way. Most participants had a depression background. Interviews, triangulated with diary and questionnaire data, were subjected to iterative coding. Several factors were identified as conducive to positive effect, such as encountering nature, negotiating obstacles, duration of the walk, and walking in silence. The results are helpful for the design of effective walking retreats and also underpin the option to develop mindful walking retreats as a regular element in the mindfulness portfolio. Key Words: Walking—Mindfulness—Depression—Nature—Wilderness experience.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

Citations in the library

Cited by 5

Cites 3

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