Fighting Depression with Boulders

By Laura Holdsworth

I wonder how many AAC(UK members boulder? And I wonder how many have considered the impact it has on their mental health as well as their physical health? The World Health Organisation reports that one in four of us will be affected by mental ill health at some point in our lives, so it seems like an issue worth paying some attention to.

Depression is something that many of us are familiar with and may even have experienced. Some of us may have had positive experiences with therapies that are known to help with depression, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, but unfortunately these treatments don’t help everyone. Research into other treatment options for depression continues, and now researchers are turning to bouldering as a potential therapeutic option.

Indoor Bouldering
Photo Ben Ponsford

Luttenberger and colleagues have been focusing on indoor bouldering, and in 2015 published an article about an 8-week therapeutic bouldering programme. What they found was that the programme helped improve participants’ depression, both during and after the course. As a climber myself, I know that it can feel great when I get to the top of a climb or work out a particularly difficult move, and I’m sure it’s a feeling other AAC(UK) members can relate to as well. This is believed to be the first study of its kind though, and it’s great to see the scientific community taking interest in the positive impact bouldering can have.

This is only the beginning though, and there are still many questions regarding what it is about bouldering that has a beneficial effect on depression. It’s been known for some time that physical activity is helpful for depression, and encouraging participation in different activities is already a common part of treating depression Bouldering perhaps provides something more. Luttenberger and colleagues suggest that the ability to master boulder problems in a relatively short amount of time could play a role; it certainly took me longer to be able to run 5km than it did to manage my first boulder problems. The social aspect of bouldering could also be important as participants encourage and support each other with each boulder problem. Another possibility is the similarities with mindfulness that bouldering creates. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment (not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, but focusing on the present moment without judging it). It encourages an awareness of your body, thoughts, senses and environment; the physical and mental aspects of bouldering appear to lend themselves well to encouraging mindfulness. With research demonstrating that green exercise (physical activity in/ around nature) has a positive impact on mental health (Barton & Pretty, 2010), there is a plethora of possibilities for the future of combining mental health treatment and the things we as AAC(UK) members are passionate about.

Hopefully, this intertwined field of psychology and climbing will continue to grow. For now though, perhaps we can be inspired to use our passion for outdoor pursuits to promote positive mental health.

Laura Holdsworth is a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, climber and aspiring mountaineer
htip://www.julespretty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/4.-Dose-of-Nature-EST-Barton-Pretty-May-2010.pdf
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-015-0585-8.

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