{"id":12505,"date":"2017-05-09t13:54:05","date_gmt":"2017-05-09t13:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/mother-natures-therapeutic-touch-at-kalu-yala\/"},"modified":"2017-05-09t13:54:05","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09t13:54:05","slug":"mother-natures-therapeutic-touch-at-kalu-yala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/mother-natures-therapeutic-touch-at-kalu-yala\/","title":{"rendered":"mother nature’s therapeutic touch at kalu yala"},"content":{"rendered":"
by cassie majewski<\/strong><\/p>\n lush jungle valleys, tranquil rivers, and vibrant flowers stimulate your senses and soothe your spirit here. hoping to maximize the benefits of time spent in nature, a group of interns in panama are investigating the possibility of a new model for a holistic mental health approach.<\/p>\n the interns live at the eco-town and research institute of kalu yala, an isolated community located about 50 miles outside of panama city and accessible only by a dirt road for the last two miles out of the small town of san miguel.<\/p>\n for 10 weeks at a time, groups of anywhere from 50-100 interns from all over the globe travel to panama to work in one of 13 internship programs that include agriculture, farm-to-table culinary, design thinking, public health and wellness, recreation, and business.<\/p>\n \u201cwe\u2019re outside all the time, so environmentally and spiritually you\u2019re … touching nature,\u201d said samantha picar, 25, who traveled from australia for kalu yala\u2019s most recent semester. during her time, picar investigated the healing effects of a place such as kalu yala, working as a public health and wellness intern.<\/p>\n nature has a significant impact on the six dimensions of wellness, she said. the dimensions encompass social, occupational, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional \u2014 a model developed by dr. bill hettler, co-founder of the national health and wellness institute. \u201call those dimensions exist here,\u201d picar said. \u201cwe have to make people feel like they can access them all.\u201d<\/p>\n picar sees kalu yala as a blueprint for holistic wellness facilities in australia, mainly to deal with ptsd. \u201ceconomically there\u2019s a real push to solve that problem because its costing them so much money,\u201d picar noted. \u201cseeing something so holistic like this\u2026people should have the option to live like this at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n harper simpson, 21, came here as an intern in the sustainable agriculture program in the fall of 2016. during her 10 weeks at kalu yala, simpson became, and continues to be, intrigued by the psychological benefits of nature. this interest helped inspire her final project for kalu yala \u2014 a pathway through the agriculture farm with 14 different edible plants available to sample along the way \u2014 cranberry and lemon hibiscus, among others.<\/p>\n