Climb to the Top of your Mental Health
By Guest Author Dr Jana Strahler (Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences; University of Giessen, Germany)
Linking risky sports with health: The effects of therapeutic climbing and bouldering on mental health
Exploring our environment does not start with walking, it starts with climbing, when we pull ourselves up at tables, at closets, at chairs, at our parents. The idea that climbing is not only one of the earliest ways to move but that it may also include health-promoting potential goes back to the late 19th century. Hermann Weber recommended climbing especially to people who are mentally stressed and mainly do office work, possibly leading to frequent symptoms such as overweight, sleep problems, irritability and depression [1]. He considered climbing the “most useful exercise” as it “increases the activity of all organs of the body and at the same time occupies the mind, and all this in pure air”. It’s not only about the physical effects, the application of climbing in the field of mental health seems to date back even further.
Since than, therapeutic climbing and bouldering, climbing without rope at jumping height, has mainly been applied in physiological rehabilitation. Patients suffering from orthopedic and neurological complaints or those with psychomotor and chronic disease benefit from participating in therapeutic climbing [2,3]. There are also first reports of the successful application of therapeutic climbing and bouldering in the treatment of depression [4], anxiety [5], and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [6]. Scientific evidence for the physiological and psychological effectiveness of therapeutic climbing, however, is still scarce [7-9].
What do we know so far?
One-time high rope garden exposition [4] increased self-efficacy and decreased state anxiety in patients in inpatient mental health setting;
One-time rope climbing as compared to relaxation intervention increased positive affect, emotion regulation, and decreased negative affect and depression in stationary psychiatric patients with severe affective disorder [10];
12 weeks bouldering intervention complemented by elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness practices increased self-efficacy and decreased depression in outpatients with depressive disorders [11]. The first study that compares bouldering psychotherapy to state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral group therapy and physical activation is under way [12];
6 weeks of indoor wall climbing combining rope climbing and bouldering increased self-efficacy in children with motoric deficits [13];
Personal and social competencies in children with cerebral palsy after 3 weeks of indoor-climbing training program remained unchanged [14];
Comparing 3 months climbing to fitness training revealed beneficial effects for state anxiety and mood, but there was no difference between the climbing and the fitness training group [15].
These studies identified potential shared mechanisms that encompass psycho-social-biological factors. Climbing strains the entire human system. It promotes muscular growth and improves coordinative abilities. Besides, overcoming physical and psychological limits and fears supports the development of a more realistic self-assessment and increases self-confidence. Social aspects, such as trust in the belay partner, sense of responsibility and cooperation, could also be trained through climbing [16-18].
Overall, climbing is assumed…
… to promote cognitive and socio-emotional abilities such as concentration and retentiveness or trust in therapists and belay partners;
… to be a practical tool for mastering challenges in life, make progress, strengthen resilience;
… and thus to be less susceptible to stress factors, and deal better with life crises.
Nadja’s Thoughts
I remember my first time indoor-climbing, I felt so good during and afterwards. The rush of adrenaline mixed with happy hormones. I felt a sense of focus, fulfilment, bliss and achievement. It felt like climbing to the top of everything and forgetting about the small insignificant things in life.
If you think about it, (indoor) climbing and bouldering ticks a few boxes for known resilience tools and strategies:
It is a form of movement which is proven to improve physical and mental health.
It counts as “me time” and practising a hobby which is good for your mental well-being.
When done in a group of friends and with a partner or family, it may strengthen your personal relationships and you are more likely to seek for and receive social support in time of need instead of negative coping strategies
How do you reach the top of your physical and mental health?
Reference and Literature
[1] Weber H (1893) THE HYGIENIC AND [THERAPEUTIC ASPECTS OF CLIMBING. The Lancet 142 (3661):1048-1050
[2] Schnitzler E (2009) Loslassen, um weiter zu kommen–Praxisbericht: Therapeutisches Klettern in der psychosomatischen Rehabilitation. Die Rehabilitation 48 (01):51-58
[3] Lazik D, Bernstädt W, Kittel R, Luther S (2008) Therapeutisches Klettern. Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart
[4] Luttenberger K, Stelzer E-M, Först S, Schopper M, Kornhuber J, Book S (2015) Indoor rock climbing (bouldering) as a new treatment for depression: study design of a waitlist-controlled randomized group pilot study and the first results. BMC psychiatry 15 (1):201
[5] Aras D, Ewert AW (2016) The effects of eight weeks sport rock climbing training on anxiety. Acta Medica Mediterranea 32 (1):223-230
[6] Veser S, Bady M, Wiesner M (2009) Therapeutisches Klettern bei Kindern mit ADHS–Konzentriert durch Klettern. ergopraxis 2 (04):18-21
[7] Grzybowski C, Eils E (2011) Therapeutisches Klettern–kaum erforscht und dennoch zunehmend eingesetzt. Sportverletzung· Sportschaden 25 (02):87-92
[8] Buechter RB, Fechtelpeter D (2011) Climbing for preventing and treating health problems: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. GMS German Medical Science 9
[9] Frühauf A, Sevecke K, Kopp M (2019) Ist-Stand der Fachliteratur zu Effekten des therapeutischen Kletterns auf die psychische Gesundheit–Fazit: viel zu tun. neuropsychiatrie 33 (1):1-7
[10] Kleinstäuber M, Reuter M, Doll N, Fallgatter AJ (2017) Rock climbing and acute emotion regulation in patients with major depressive disorder in the context of a psychological inpatient treatment: a controlled pilot trial. Psychology research and behavior management 10:277
[11] Wolf M, Mehl K (2011) Experiential learning in psychotherapy: Ropes course exposures as an adjunct to inpatient treatment. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy 18 (1):60-74
[12] Dorscht L, Karg N, Book S, Graessel E, Kornhuber J, Luttenberger K (2019) A German climbing study on depression: a bouldering psychotherapeutic group intervention in outpatients compared with state-of-the-art cognitive behavioural group therapy and physical activation–study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMC psychiatry 19 (1):154
[13] Mazzoni ER, Purves PL, Southward J, Rhodes RE, Temple VA (2009) Effect of indoor wall climbing on self-efficacy and self-perceptions of children with special needs. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly 26 (3):259-273
[14] Christensen MS, Jensen T, Voigt CB, Nielsen JB, Lorentzen J (2017) To be active through indoor-climbing: an exploratory feasibility study in a group of children with cerebral palsy and typically developing children. BMC neurology 17 (1):112
[15] Gallotta MC, Emerenziani GP, Monteiro MD, Iasevoli L, Iazzoni S, Baldari C, Guidetti L (2015) Psychophysical benefits of rock-climbing activity. Perceptual and motor skills 121 (3):675-689
[16] Leichtfried V (2015) Therapeutisches Klettern–eine Extremsportart geht neue Wege. In: Alpin-und Höhenmedizin. Springer, pp 107-117
[17] Lukowski T (2017) Klettern in der Therapie. Ernst Reinhardt Verlag, München
[18] Kowald A-C, Zajetz AK (2014) Therapeutisches Klettern: Anwendungsfelder in Psychotherapie und Pädagogik. Schattauer Verlag.