Nature Heals

The Wilderness Camps provide a transformative space for displaced youths, aged 16-18, who are struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, and PTSD. These three-day overnight camps in the serene desert offer a safe and healing environment for teens to reconnect with nature and begin their journey to recovery.

The camps are offered free of charge, ensuring accessibility for those who need it most. With overwhelming demand for these eco-therapy sessions, the program is expanding and providing much-needed support during difficult times.

On July 27th, 2024, a Hezbollah rocket exploded in a sports field in Majdal Shams, an Israeli Druze community, killing 12 children and leaving the community shattered. The tragedy deeply impacted both the families of the victims and the entire region, casting a shadow of grief over the tight-knit Druze community. The victims were innocent children who had been part of a vibrant, hopeful future. The survivors were traumatized beyond their physical wounds, damaging their emotional and mental well-being. This attack was a devastating reminder of the toll this conflict is taking on civilians, especially the youngest and most vulnerable.

In response, SPNI stepped in with a unique therapeutic journey designed specifically to help these Israeli Druze children cope with their grief. By bringing them into the quiet, healing environment of nature, SPNI created a space for emotional expression and healing that was unlike traditional therapy. Through activities like group discussions, phototherapy, hiking, art, and stargazing, the children were encouraged to open up about their experiences, to process their trauma in a supportive and safe environment, and to connect with each other through shared pain. These moments in nature provided the space to reflect, grieve, and slowly find hope.

The Majdal Shams Journey to Healing proved that nature can be a powerful ally in trauma recovery. It showed that, even in the darkest of times, a safe space in nature can offer emotional respite and the opportunity to rebuild hope. Through this journey, SPNI highlighted the importance of addressing the mental and emotional needs of victims of terror, especially children, who carry the weight of violence and loss long after the attack is over. While the scars of trauma never fully fade, the Nature Heals programs ensure that those impacted are not left to face their pain alone. Instead, they are guided toward a future where resilience, hope, and the healing power of nature light the way forward.

Read more…

As a result of the tragic October 7th attacks, the hostage crisis and the ongoing war, at least one in three Israelis are suffering from PTSD symptoms. The tightly knit community of Israel is intricately connected, and with over 1,200 deaths, sexual violence, and additional indescribable atrocities, everyone has been detrimentally affected in some capacity. The trauma has become contagious, passed through constant over exposure to the barbaric and deeply disturbing Hamas videos, news reports and social media. There is a clear need to provide therapeutic rehabilitation to large numbers of Israelis.

Director of Mental Health Services for Israel’s Health Ministry, Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, has called for innovative solutions and non-pharmacological methodologies to help support potentially millions of people. The science is clear: for individuals suffering from trauma, anxiety, stress, or depression, exposure to nature and natural environments has therapeutic and healing effects. SPNI has therefore stepped up with a solution: Nature Heals.