Why is this?
Psychotherapist Lara Just explains how social barriers can be conquered with walking therapy. “Social cues and eye contact while sitting down can be complicated but if we’re meandering… we’ll often find a flowing, natural rhythm that can be much easier to deal with when you’re talking about difficult emotions.”
Julian Stanford echoes this view when describing his own experiences of regular walks with friends. “There is something about talking while you are actively doing something that makes the process easier. Especially, I would suggest, for men. I always find talk less inhibited shoulder-to-shoulder rather than face-to-face: like on a car journey, watching cricket, fishing or even on a ski lift. There is closeness without the constant face-watching that many men find tough to endure.”
Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara outlines the science behind this phenomenon. “The world is dangerous when you’re moving in it – there are moving objects and there’s the danger of falling or getting lost – so you have to be alert,” “This means when you stand up and move around lots of things are going on in the brain that weren’t previously. Your visual acuity goes up, your hearing is slightly sharpened, and your senses overall are a little more alert.” He explains how “Ideas that would have been just below the level of consciousness when you’re seated can bubble into consciousness because more of the brain is active. Walking is fundamentally a social activity. When you think about how humans conquered the planet, we did this in groups and in tribes. We had to be acutely attuned to each other – we had to listen to each other.”
In practice
Therapy:
Anxiety therapist Jennifer Roblin preaches the benefits of walk and talk therapy.
Roblin describes how it “offers all the same advantages of traditional talking therapy alongside the additional healing power of nature and exercise. Therefore, it provides a unique and effective way to support people in improving their mental well-being.”
The key benefits are the removal of eye contact, the introduction of exercise and nature, the flexibility and novelty of a different form of therapy, and perhaps most importantly an improved level of connection and trust with the therapist. All of these factors contribute to a practice that many people find hugely beneficial.
Industry:
All the benefits highlighted by walking and talking, and the way therapy has chosen to utilise this, can be related to our working lives too. The science behind the breakthrough of conversations on the go has also been utilised by businesses resulting in the introduction of ‘walking meetings’.
The addition of some physical activity to our daily routine is great for both our bodies and minds, especially in the office environment in which so many of us live.
Similarly to the way that walking therapy generates more connection and trust between the therapist and client, it does this between management in a working environment. When walking together, levels of hierarchy are shattered and provide for a completely different meeting environment, promoting a more honest and relaxed approach.
The way Walk92 is utilising this phenomenon
All of the above shows that walking shoulder to shoulder can open the door to the honest, meaningful conversations that matter most. Walk92 is an initiative aiming to collectivise this power across vast swathes of the UK. The Walk of Clubs will highlight how simply moving side by side can strengthen connections, boost wellbeing, and create space for the conversations we too often put off, all aided by our shared love of the world’s most popular sport.