Finding Safety in the Wild
How Nature Can Create A Soothing Presence- No Matter What Happened To You.
The nervous system is the body’s communication network—the way our brain, spinal cord, and nerves talk to each other to keep us alive and safe. It regulates everything from heart rate and breath to our ability to rest, focus, and connect with others. That last sentence suggests that your system is in a regulated state of “flow” where all that aforementioned interconnection is operating in a healthy way. The reality is that being human actually means that our bodies are constantly affected by our environment and relationships which can cause our nervous systems to become overactive and taxed.
When we sense danger, the sympathetic nervous system jumps in: heart pounding, muscles tense, breath quickening, ready to fight, flee, or freeze. When we feel safe, the parasympathetic nervous system takes the lead, slowing the body down so we can digest, repair, and restore.
For people who have lived through trauma, the nervous system can get “stuck” in survival mode, always scanning for threat—even when the danger has long passed. This is why calm can feel foreign or unsafe. Healing often means helping the nervous system learn how to move between activation and rest again, building flexibility rather than staying locked in high alert. In psychotherapy healing is available in so many forms. For me personally, nature is very intertwined with my own sense of being alive, being on Earth and creating safety and calm as much as possible.
Nature supports this process perfectly: its movements, textures, and sounds give the body cues of safety, helping to re-teach the nervous system how to soften, breathe, and settle into presence. My background in writing and literature, especially during undergrad and grad school kept me happily consumed with the writing from Henry David Thoreau (and hundreds of others of course, but more on them later).
For Thoreau, nature was never just scenery—it was a mirror for the soul, a place of renewal, and a reminder that we are alive.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” (Walden, 1854). For those living with the echoes of trauma, this reminder matters deeply: peace does not have to just exist in some distant future or for other people, but can be touched in the simple presence of the earth around us. Thoreau saw the woods, meadows and shores of Cape Cod as places of restoration, where life could be lived “deliberately.” Using an ecotherapy lens, we find the same truth—that nature offers a steady companionship, reminding the nervous system that calm is possible, that safety can be relearned in the shade of trees, the rhythm of waves, or in the sunset. As long as humans are able to access some form of nature, the healing properties (even a touch of wind or whiff of a lawn being mowed) are endlessly available.
No matter what happened to you.
The Science: Nervous System Parts and Development
The nervous system is divided into two main branches:
Central Nervous System (CNS):
Made up of the brain and spinal cord, the CNS processes information and coordinates responses.
The brain itself develops in layers:
The brainstem (responsible for survival functions like heartbeat and breathing) is fully formed at birth.
The limbic system (emotions, memory, attachment) develops rapidly in the first few years of life.
The prefrontal cortex (reasoning, impulse control, empathy) develops slowly and continues to mature into the mid-20s.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS):
Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that connect the CNS to the body.
Includes the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which regulates things we don’t consciously control (heart rate, digestion, stress response).
Within the ANS:
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): Activates fight, flight, or freeze in response to danger.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): Brings the body back to balance—slowing heart rate, deepening breath, and restoring calm.
The Vagus Nerve plays a central role in this regulation, influencing both stress activation and recovery.
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, running from the brainstem down through the throat, lungs, heart, and into the gut. Its name comes from the Latin vagus, meaning “wandering.”
It’s a central player in the parasympathetic nervous system—the part of our body that regulates rest, digestion, and calm. When the vagus nerve is active, the heart rate slows, breathing deepens, digestion improves, and the body shifts out of “fight-or-flight” into safety.
In trauma survivors, the vagus nerve can become less flexible, leaving the system stuck in hypervigilance (anxiety, tension) or shutdown (numbness, fatigue).
Development Across Ages
Prenatal to Birth: The brainstem and basic survival reflexes are developed. Infants rely heavily on caregivers to regulate their nervous systems through touch, voice, and presence (co-regulation).
Ages 0–3: The limbic system is rapidly forming. Attachment experiences during this period strongly shape how the nervous system learns to respond to stress and soothe itself.
Ages 3–7: Emotional regulation improves as connections between the limbic system and prefrontal cortex grow. Safe caregiving and play help the nervous system practice moving between stress and calm.
Adolescence: The limbic system is highly active, but the prefrontal cortex (logic, planning, impulse control) is still under construction. This is why teens often feel emotions intensely and have more difficulty regulating.
Young Adulthood (into the 20s): The prefrontal cortex fully matures, creating greater capacity for self-regulation, empathy, and long-term planning.