It may have always been so, hard to say, but it seems that in today's world many people suffer from different kinds of emotional pain and stress. Is this something that is a byproduct of the modern world? Does the way we live our lives today cause us to have more complex emotional issues? Or maybe this has always been the case, but only in the abundance of free time and the safety of living in the modern world are we capable of dealing with such issues as psychological pain. In a state of constant struggle for physical survival, there is little room for psychological issues.

One thing that is certainly causing modern man a lot of stress is the taxing urban environment. Living in a city means we are constantly exposed to different kinds of stimuli that put an enormous strain on our general feeling of well being and our ability to relax. The noises of traffic, the sounds of TVs, of air conditioning and other urban machinery, as well as the voices of so many people simply living their lives in near proximity, can be so overwhelming that they are hardly ever heard consciously, yet still they have a strong influence on our emotional and mental state. Add to this the pollution, poor water quality, processed food, poor nutrition and lack of physical exercise that most of us experience in our lives, and it is easy to see why so many of us tend to be a bit neurotic. Constant activity makes it hard for us to find time to simply be with ourselves and look deeply into our mental and emotional patterns.

In the past, life was simpler and most people were exposed mainly to nature sounds and views most or all of the time. A simple, active and natural life allowed many people to delve into their psyche and face their emotional pain, as well as come face to face with their true nature. This gave birth to Spirituality in its many forms. In the Western hemisphere, medicine men still look to nature to find answers to all their questions. In India as well, the foundation of spirituality came from tuning in to nature and discovering its secrets. The original Indian spiritual knowledge as is found in the most ancient Indian holy script, the Rig Veda, came from a direct experience of nature. The unnamed people who channeled the hymns in this ancient manuscript were called Rishis, which means Listeners, since everything they passed on to humanity was learned by listening to nature.

The civilized world may have changed drastically since then, but the natural world is much the same, and today, just like five thousand years ago, is the best environment for exploring the depths of our souls. Whether it is deep emotional scars from childhood abuse, or just the accumulated dust gathered from years of stressful modern living, spending time in nature can help the process of healing. There are many ways to deal with emotional pain. Since the days of Freud, many techniques have developed to address the growing need for Psychological healing. Whichever method you find is most suitable for your healing, undergoing therapy in a natural surrounding will support your process. Of course, its important to take care that you are feeling comfortable where you are. Sometimes extreme exposure to nature can be a stressful thing in itself if you are not used to it. This is something that can have its own benefits, but if your main focus is emotional healing, it is good to feel at ease where you are. It is enough to go to sleep after a therapy session with only the sounds of wind in the trees or gentle waves meeting the beach to help you better integrate your healing. So if you are considering going through any kind of emotional therapy, try finding a place in which to do so that is as close to nature as possible.