Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This qualitative study combines methods from grounded theory and ethnography, exploring members' experience of a mental health day service walking group, with regards psychological benefits of the physical activity, the outdoor environment and the social setting. Data were collected via participant observation, interviews and a group discussion, and analysed using a grounded theory approach. An overall model, the Healing Balm Effect, brings together seven categories, which describe healing properties of the experience. The categories are: Closer to What is More Natural; Feeling Safe; Being Part; Striving; Getting Away; Being Me; Finding Meaning. Clinical relevance and methodological issues are discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Penny Priest (2006) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: