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At Healing in Nature, we’ve taken a structured, science-driven approach to assess the impact of our program on participants’ well-being and mental health. This summary outlines key findings from our latest program, to share what was done and what we discovered about the transformative potential of our nature-based therapeutic interventions.
Research Design
Fifteen male participants (average age: 30.1) participated in the HiN program. To comprehensively evaluate their psychological and physiological well-being, we collected data at multiple stages:
Before the Program:
Participants completed questionnaires at home a month before their trip to Montana.
Two weeks before departure, participants attended a screening session at Tel Aviv University, where they undertook psychological tasks, eye-tracking assessments, and additional self-report questionnaires.
Between the lab session and departure, participants also completed Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA)—real-time surveys that tracked emotions throughout the day, which provided dozens of real-time information on each participant.
During the Program:
Daily self-report questionnaires captured their mood, mental state, and feedback on program sessions.
Physiological data (heart rate, physical strain, and sleep quality) were recorded using specialized tracking rings.
After the Program:
One month after returning, participants repeated pre-program assessments to measure changes.
This report focuses on data from self-report measures and psychological tasks, excluding unprocessed data from eye-tracking and EMA assessments.
Key Findings
Mental Health and Well-Being
Participants reported statistically significant improvements in several key areas:
Reduced Symptoms: Trauma-related symptoms, including re-experiencing, avoidance, hypervigilance, and negative mood and cognition, showed notable reductions.
Negative Beliefs: Participants reported fewer negative beliefs about themselves, others, and the world.
Psychological Flexibility: A marked increase was observed, indicating greater adaptability in managing thoughts and emotions.
Self-Perception: Veterans described feeling more positive about themselves post-service.
While some areas, like social support and anxiety symptoms, remained unchanged, the significant improvements highlight the program’s role in promoting mental clarity and emotional balance.
Mood and Emotional States
During the program, participants overwhelmingly reported positive emotions:
Pleasure, joy, and calmness were the most common feelings, experienced roughly 80% of the time.
Sadness and stress saw slight but significant decreases during the program.
These findings suggest that despite the physical challenges of the program, participants maintained a predominantly positive mental state.
Physical Activity and Recovery
Physical Strain: Heart rate variability (HRV) during the program indicated higher physical activity levels, with travel days contributing to reduced sleep quality.
Post-Program Recovery: After returning, participants’ “readiness scores” (a measure of resilience and recovery) improved significantly, reflecting speedy recovery from the long journey to Montana and overall physical resilience.
What This Means
Our findings demonstrate the profound potential of HiN’s nature-based approach:
While participants engaged in physically demanding activities, their mental state remained calm and positive.
The program fostered noticeable reductions in trauma symptoms and encouraged emotional growth, helping participants reconnect with themselves in a meaningful way.
These results underscore the value of immersive, supportive environments like HiN for veterans seeking healing and restoration.
Limitations
To ensure transparency, we acknowledge two important limitations:
Participant Group: While participants were combat-exposed veterans, they were not clinically diagnosed with a mental health condition such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression, and most exhibited mild-to-moderate symptoms when arriving at the program.
Study Design: Without a control group or randomization, we cannot definitively attribute the observed changes solely to the program. Our findings serve as a proof of concept to the program’s potential, and future research with control groups will help establish causality.
Conclusion
The Healing in Nature program offers veterans a unique blend of physical activity, mental reflection, and a supportive community. Our research highlights its potential to reduce trauma symptoms, improve self-perception, and provide a path toward emotional recovery. As we refine our methods and expand our studies, we remain committed to advancing the well-being of those who have given so much in service.
By combining the healing power of nature with cutting-edge research, HiN continues to inspire hope and transformation in the lives of IDF veterans.
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