A PATH TO HEALING Treating combat veteran trauma in nature By Cindy Ross, Thru-Hiker, Mountaineers Books Author, and Director of River House PA
Cindy Ross is the author of nine books, including her first, A Woman’s Journey on the Appalachian Trail, which has been in print for nearly 40 years and has become a hiking classic. A former contributing editor for Backpacker Magazine, her column “Everyday Wisdom” was one of the publication’s most popular features. In April 2021, Mountaineers Books published her 9th book, Hiking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails, featuring stories of veterans who have struggled with PTSD and their journeys toward A portrait of Army Ranger Travis Johnston, illustrated by Cindy Ross's son, Bryce Glatfelter.
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alking on uneven ground while navigating the wild forces your mind to constantly assess and reassess your environment. You have to watch the ground, evaluate weather, and manage your body heat and nutrition. You need to be aware of your surroundings, scanning for anything out of the ordinary or unpredictable - anticipating surprises such as wild animal encounters, approaching storms, and so much more. You function in a super-charged state, even if it might not feel like it at the time. This hyper-engagement exercises the brain in stark contrast to a life spent indoors focused on screens and electronic devices. The latter seems to breed disorders like depression and anxiety, whereas hiking feeds both the body and the brain. For people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the benefits of time outside are even more profound. Post-traumatic stress disorder can result after a terrifying event. For civilians this most often happens after a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, a rape, or other violent personal assault. Many veterans return from combat having experienced more than one of these types of terrifying events. Symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts. These symptoms can interfere with your ability to work due to
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healing. This article includes excerpts from her most recent book in italics. memory problems, lack of concentration, panic attacks, and emotional outbursts. People with PTSD often have a difficult time assimilating into what many of us consider normal life. That’s because our brains run on electricity, with different wave patterns involved in different experiences and activities. Being in nature – whether walking in a park, paddling on a lake, or going on a longer hiking trip – helps shift the brain to a relaxed, focused electrical brainwave pattern. Studies show that spending time outdoors leads to a happier, more fulfilled life. These magical places significantly decrease your body’s concentration of cortisol and lower your pulse, blood pressure, and sympathetic nerve activity (the flight-or-fight response), all while increasing your parasympathetic nerve activity (the rest-and-digest response). Learning to switch into these relaxed patterns helps rewire the emotionally dysregulated PTSD brain into a calmer, more focused place – one capable of processing new learning and experiences. For some, the path to healing is a rather literal one.
An unexpected path My husband Todd and I both know how valuable long trails are, and what gifts can be had from walking their length. I have
