Nature Exposure for Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Trial

At the 2019 SHIFT Summit, a workshop on Military Readiness examined the therapeutic effects of nature on our wounded and non-wounded active duty service members, including how it could help reduce levels of stress, depression, and burnout and reduce the economic costs to the military healthcare system.

The workshop catalyzed a project to develop a study on hiking as a mental- and emotional-health intervention for veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. It was assumed that such a trial would provide the military with a novel mechanism for a prioritized issue that has broader implications for civilian populations that experience stress, including first responders, police officers and intensive care unit health care providers.

This webinar features a discussion on the study’s goals and challenges with its principles.