Nature as Healer: Modern Therapies and Celtic Roots

In a world dominated by concrete and silicon, the need for mental well-being has never been more urgent, yet many of the interventions chosen push the unwell back into the grips of what put them there in the first place.  More chemicals.  More apps.  More sitting in a room thinking about stuff.  While these tools have their place, the natural world offers its own brand of medicine to heal and fortify the mind.  And it works, a fact attested to not only in the scientific literature but in the traditions of nature-based cultures.  This article explores four evidence-based therapeutic practices that integrate the land into modern healing and their parallels in Celtic pagan culture.

1. Forest Bathing: The Sensuous Worship of the Forest

Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, involves immersing oneself in the ambiance of the forest. The practice is about being present, engaging the senses, and allowing oneself to dissolve into the earth and leaves.  The practice echoes the meditative techniques found worldwide, such as among Thai forest monks, Aboriginal Australians, and Taoists.  Simply being outside and witnessing the splendor of the world, the mind returns to balance.

Evidence-Based Benefits: The effectiveness of the practice rests upon three facts.  First, forests are serene, aesthetically pleasing environments that soothe the mind.  Second, trees and plants emit compounds known as phytoncides.  Inhaled while strolling through the woods, these natural oils reduce stress, lower cortisol levels, and boost immunity.  Third, the sensuousness of the practice allows bathers to let go of their anxieties and enjoy the splendor of the present instead.  The effectiveness is also born out in research which has consistently linked forest bathing to reduced stress hormone levels and improved mood.¹

Celtic Connection: The Celts held trees as among the most blessed of nature's forms.  Their temples were usually located in groves, which served as their cathedrals of the earth, the forest their walls, the ten-thousand stars their roof, and a singular ancient tree as the centerpiece.  Nemeta, Celtic for sacred spaces, are found throughout Europe, such as in Chartres, France, Anglesey, Wales, and Nemetobriga, Spain and lack the built-up architecture found in Roman or Egyptian temples.  Given that trees do not stick around for thousands of years for archaeologists to discover them, the strongest evidence of the presence of groves is in the minimal presence of buildings.  Numerous ancient reports also substantiate the claim that trees played a major role in Celtic religious life.

Clearer evidence of groves used in pagan sites can be found in the Germanic tribes of the Viking Age.  Uppsala in Sweden, for example, was an important religious site before its destruction by a Christian king in the 11th century.  Adam of Beman, an important historian and ethnographer of the period, visited the complex prior to its destruction, and he states that at its center was a gold-covered temple, beside which stood a towering evergreen tree where the priests offered prayers and sacrifices.  Further afield was a sacred grove, in which hung the corpses of ritually slain horses, dogs, and humans.  In the eyes of devotees, every tree there was divine.  

In addition to Uppsala, there were other famous groves throughout the region, such as Thor’s Oak (famously felled by Saint Boniface) and Veleda’s Grove in Germany.  The Germanic tribes differed in many ways from their Celtic neighbors, but the similarities in their temple architecture and landscapes show one point of agreement: nature is divine.

The specifics of Druid practice are lost to history, but given their esteem of trees and how common forest-bathing-like practices are in nature-focused religions, it is no stretch to think that the Celts practiced something similar.  Perhaps for them, forest bathing was not an exercise to relieve stress and boost immunity, but a doorway to the divine itself and its treasures of wisdom, might, and magic.

2. Horticultural Therapy: Growing Well-being with the Earth

Horticultural therapy uses gardening and plant-based activities to heal the spirit. Witnessing a rose’s first flower, contemplating the similarities between spring and the inner world, and spending prolonged periods absorbed in the senses, patients slough off their troubles and find their spirits restored.  It’s also more than just pruning plants and shoveling dirt.  Trained professionals guide participants, often in a group, through activities that mix action, community, and contemplation.

Evidence-Based Benefits: Research indicates that horticultural therapy can significantly alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.²  It also fosters social skills and the ability to connect with others³ and enhances emotional well-being.⁴  

Although why nurturing plants is so effective remains poorly understood, scientists do know that it releases serotonin and dopamine, both of which elevate moods.  Oxytocin, or the love hormone, is also likely released.  This hormone helps humans feel more connected and cared for.  In combination, the relaxed, caring state evoked by horticulture is then leveraged by therapists to heal patients.

Celtic Connection: The Celts sustained themselves through pastoralism and farming, with the emphasis depending on the region. The staples of the Celtic diet were large meat portions, usually pork, beef, or lamb, and cereals, such as barley, wheat, oats, and rye.

The Celts also grew fruits and vegetables.  Apple and pear orchards were common in their settlements, and they also grew a range of vegetables, such as onions, garlic, cabbages, carrots, and parsnips. Leafy greens and herbs were cultivated for both culinary and medicinal uses.

Unlike most modern economies today, where only 2% of the workforce works in agriculture, in the Bronze and Iron Ages, nearly every tribe member, whether king or lowly farmer, was intertwined with the world of plant cultivation.  Nobles managed estates and supervised field labor.  Most everyone grew something in small plots to supplement their diet.  The earth was more than under their fingernails; it was in their bones.

Horticultural therapy is a contemporary reflection of the Celtic bond with the earth - a bond now sundered by industrialization and urbanization.  The intimacy the Celts had with their land through a life of agriculture and pastoralism is inaccessible, but Celtic pagans can at least join the chasm of the natural and the human world through taking care of plants.  In the process, they can quiet their minds and heal their souls.

3. Adventure Therapy: The Thrill of the Wild

Adventure therapy combines outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking with psychological treatment. Immersed in nature and forced to confront its beauty and brutality, participants are pressed to develop resilience, confidence, and composure.  As with other therapies, trained guides lead the practices and intersperse the action with reflection and discussion.

Evidence-Based Benefits: Adventure therapy has proven effective in treating various mental health problems, including trauma and depression.⁵ Other benefits, unique to adventure therapy, include improved problem-solving abilities and ability to cope with difficulty.⁶  

The effectiveness of the practice is grounded in several principles. First, stress builds resilience.  Second, participants are thrown into situations where they confront issues experientially.  The hands-on approach allows patients to develop skills and mindsets which can then be readily applied to daily life.  Also, many programs incorporate cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) into the curriculum, training students to better frame difficulty and manage stress.

Celtic Connection: For the Celts, adventure was not something done on the weekend for fun; it was a means of survival and training to harden their spirits, build camaraderie, and sharpen their skills.  I am not talking about war or cattle raids but hunting and foraging.

Hunting is adventure par excellence.  Spending hours or days immersed in the forest, senses attuned, silent, and with the threat of death from a bad fall or a bear attack, hunting made men.  The act also had religious undertones, re-enacting ancient stories such as Fionn and his band living in the wilds of Leinster or Arthur’s hunt of the wild boar Twrch Trwyth.  The motif of the sacred hunt was a ritual by which bygone heroes proved their worth and prepared themselves for war and leadership.

Foraging, although less glamorous, was an important source of food and medicine for the Celts.  Since it involved long periods in the wilderness, foragers faced the same threats and reaped the same benefits as hunters, save for having to put down a baying animal with nothing to lose.  

Adventure was an integral part of Celtic daily living and, especially for men, seen as necessary for perfecting the virtues of courage, strength, and fellowship.  Adventure therapy develops this tradition further, informed by the techniques of modern psychology.

4. Animal-Assisted Therapy: Befriending the Wild

Animal-assisted therapy involves interactions with animals to improve mental health. Often featuring domestic animals like horses, dogs, or cats, patients play with, care for, and develop a relationship with these creatures.  The guiding therapist often incorporates other therapy modalities with the interactions for maximum effect.

Evidence-Based Benefits: Interacting with animals has been shown to reduce stress levels,⁷ feelings of loneliness,⁸ and depression.⁹ It’s also unique in that it has proven effective for a wide range of populations, including children, autistic patients, the elderly, and office workers.

This practice works in ways similar to plant nurturing.  Caring for another living being releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and stress reduction.  The unconditioned joy and care that animals respond with makes it even more powerful than an inert plant.  Animals also live in the present and are unable to go down abstract rabbit holes or memory lane.  This quality encourages patients to let their thinking go and become more present.  

Celtic Connection: Ancient Europeans could treat animals with shocking barbarism, but they also revered and loved their four-legged compatriots.  Among the most moving testaments of this love are the epitaphs left on ancient Greek and Roman tombs to their pets.  My favorite is an anonymous Roman’s parting message to his dog: “I am in tears while carrying you to your last resting place, as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago.”¹⁰

Since the Celts did not carve epitaphs into stone, nothing survives of the period. However, given the importance of dogs in Celtic life and the numerous endearing statues, like the deer-hound statue at Lydney or the bronze lap dog from Cumbria, many Celts certainly uttered such words when burying their own dogs.

Animals were central in Celtic life.  Dogs aided in hunting, protecting livestock, and cheering their owners.  Cats hunted pests and made for loving companions.  Horses, taken almost exclusively from the wild, served as mounts or transports.  Oxen plowed their fields.  Cattle provided milk, leather, and meat.  All of these animals, save for cats, featured in sacred iconography and myths, reinforcing their role not only as providers of goods and services but also as holy objects in their own right.  The Celts were born, lived, and died intertwined with the animal world.  

Animal-assisted therapy mirrors this ancient relationship and highlights the profound bond between humans and animals that reaches back to our ancient hunter-gatherer origins.  It flips the script on animals, turning them from resources to be exploited into sources of healing and dignity.  Nothing could be more Celtic.

Integrating Ancient Wisdom into Modern Healing

The connection between these therapeutic practices and Celtic paganism is not just a matter of historical interest; it’s a reminder of the timeless wisdom inherent in our relationship with nature. The Celts understood this and integrated reverence for the natural world into their daily lives and religious practices.

Today, as we navigate the complexities of modern life, these nature-based therapies offer a pathway back to this ancient understanding. They remind us that the natural world is not only an environment we inhabit but a source of healing, wisdom, and well-being. By embracing these practices, we’re not just engaging in personal or clinical healing; we’re reviving a connection with the earth that has sustained humans for millennia.

References

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