“We are beginning to learn that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and that being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and even heal what’s broken,” Nichols writes in Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do, published in July. “We have a ‘blue mind’ — and it’s perfectly tailored to make us happy in all sorts of ways that go way beyond relaxing in the surf, listening to the murmur of a stream, or floating quietly in a pool.”
Many of us living in the Beach Cities of the South Bay take for granted how close we are to the ocean. We hustle and bustle right by it without taking the time to really connect to it. But there is something magical, powerful and healing about the ocean. Science is backing that up. That calmness and clarity that you feel when you spend time by the ocean is not imagined. It’s real. Our brains are changed for the better when we spend time by the water.
While I do appreciate my office and spend many sessions inside it, I love having the opportunity to take my clients to the ocean for sessions. My office is across the street from it which makes it easy. It started as Walk & Talk sessions and while I do think walking can be powerful therapeutically, even sitting by the ocean is a powerful experience and one that I am grateful to be able to share with my clients.
Here’s an article with more about the science of how the ocean heals: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/02/25/mental-benefits-water_n_5791024.html
Check it out or better yet, get outside and see for yourself.