The Therapeutic Benefits of Outdoor Experiences in India

Soumya J Mitra; Vinathe Sharma-Brymer; Denise Mitten; Janet Ady

doi:10.3390/bs15091144

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The Therapeutic Benefits of Outdoor Experiences in India

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The Therapeutic Benefits of Outdoor Experiences in India

Soumya J Mitra, Vinathe Sharma-Brymer, Denise Mitten and Janet Ady

Behavioral Sciences, Vol.15(9), pp.1-14

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091144

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Abstract

Mental health services

Clinical and health psychology

Determinants of health

Expanding knowledge in psychology

Allied health therapies (excl. mental health services)

Outdoor experiences

Therapeutic outdoor practices

mental health

India

Decolonial ecopsychology

Drawing on in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, this study explores the therapeutic benefits of outdoor experiences through the lived experiences of 24 outdoor practitioners, including educators, environmentalists, therapists, and program leaders. Three core themes emerged: (a) nature as an emotional regulator and reflective space; (b) therapeutic benefits of human–nature relationships; and (c) decolonial, bioregional, and cultural healing. Although practitioners facilitated physical challenges and skill-building for their participants, they primarily described outdoor experiences as relational, somatic, and culturally rooted practices that foster emotional regulation, grief processing, identity integration, and social inclusion. Healing emerged through solitude, silence, ancestral connections, sacred landscapes, inclusive dynamics, and the restoration of cultural knowledge. This study’s results challenge Western-centric outdoor education models by foregrounding Indigenous and postcolonial perspectives embedded in Indian ecological traditions. The results contribute to global discussions on decolonizing outdoor fields and offer implications for culturally responsive, emotionally safe, and ecologically grounded practices.

Details

Title: The Therapeutic Benefits of Outdoor Experiences in India
Authors: Soumya J Mitra (Corresponding Author) - University of Utah
Vinathe Sharma-Brymer - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Denise Mitten - Prescott College
Janet Ady - Prescott College
Publication details: Behavioral Sciences, Vol.15(9), pp.1-14
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.3390/bs15091144
ISSN: 2076-328X
Copyright note: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author due to privacy and ethical restrictions.
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991154640002621
Output Type: Journal article

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