Rock Climbing is Therapeutic?
You’re darn right it is! How do I know? Because I am a rock climber. I have been actively climbing rocks and rock-like features since 1999.
I consider myself a lifetime beneficiary of the therapeutic properties of rock climbing. Through the sport of rock-climbing, I have developed self-confidence, mindfulness, resilience, and an ability to conquer many of my fears on the wall and off. All of which are tools that I use daily, to ensure a lifetime of positive growth, stability, and intrapersonal success.
The sport of rock climbing had already been a popular sport for many years, but the showcase of rock climbing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics catapulted the sport to new levels of popularity that were previously unimaginable. As the worldwide audience watched, eyes wide, mouths open in disbelief, the first group of Olympic rock climbers took to the walls to perform the sport of rock climbing with focus, precision, determination, and fearless abandon. They did this all while displaying incredible physical prowess at heights upwards of 50+ feet while simultaneously facing the knowledge that a fall of significant distance could happen at any moment.
What must the non-rock climbers have been thinking as they witnessed these athletes in action?
Why does that climber look so calm, 50 feet above the ground, in only a harness and a thin rope?
What are they thinking of up there?
How are they not out of breath already?
Are they even scared?
And possibly, This is amazing! How do I get into this sport?
Great questions! Let’s unpack each one!
If rock climbing can shape athletes that are not only physically strong but mentally and emotionally resilient, what can this sport do for the rest of us? More precisely, what are the therapeutic benefits of rock climbing?
Many of you may already have personal knowledge of or experience with the sport of rock climbing. Maybe you have visited your local outdoor crag (slang for “climbing area”), taken the family to an indoor rock gym, or seen television shows or movies about the sport.
For those of you who may not be familiar, The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’s Expert Views on Therapeutic Climbing-A Multi-Perspective Qualitative Study (2021) defines rock-climbing as “bouldering horizontally without a rope up to a maximal height possible to jump on a mat or climbing using a rope and a harness belayed by a climbing partner” (Frühauf, Heußner, Niedermeier & Kopp 2021). The term “belay” refers to the person on the ground who is controlling and managing the rope in case the climber falls. It must be mentioned that rock climbing comes with various levels of risk and should be practiced with caution, awareness of the environment, and your physician should be consulted if you have/ had mild to serious health concerns. This sport allows you to choose your risk level.
From low-height bouldering over land or water to sport climbing with rope to greater heights, the choice to climb or not to climb is up to you.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what rock climbing is, let’s discuss how this sport can be therapeutically beneficial. Given the increased popularity and the rise in the sheer number of people engaging in the sport of rock climbing, researchers are becoming more eager to conduct studies to measure the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of participating in this activity.
Rock Climbing and Depression, Anxiety
The positive effects of exercise on moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression have been under clinical study for quite some time. Activities like running, walking, swimming, bicycling, weight training, yoga, and even Ti Chi, are proven to drop stress hormones and stimulate neurotransmitters like serotonin which facilitates feelings of happiness and mood stabilization (Tocino-Smith, Juliette, 2019).
In a 2020 study on psychotherapeutic rock climbing, Karg, Dorscht, Komhuber & Luttenberg mention that physical exercise is now under German guidelines for the treatment of depression and anxiety. The specific sport of rock climbing is already a part of the overall treatment plan in several of the country's mental health facilities.
Are they recommending replacing mental health therapy or psychopharmaceutical treatment of depression and anxiety with rock climbing? Certainly not, but they are making the case that pairing established psychotherapeutic methods with rock climbing can create deeper, longer-lasting moderation of the severity of the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Rock Climbing and Executive Functioning
Executive functioning is basically an amalgamation of tasks that the brain performs in order to act, think, plan, and solve problems.
There are little to no clinical studies measuring the positive effects of rock climbing on executive functioning skills, but speaking from experience, it is my opinion that a correlation does exist. As a rock climber of 23 years, I have noticed a significant change in various aspects of my executive functioning as a result of this sport; learning, processing, and utilization of information for example.
When approaching a route (the direct line of the holds on the climb) I study the sections of the climb, assess the risk, visualize my movements, and based on my comfort level, I may climb or choose something different. This process of data gathering, assessment, and visualization trains my brain to use foresight, store information, and recall that information even in moments of challenge on the wall.
I am able to defeat much of the fear and anxiety around the situation before I ever touch the route. I believe that over time I have developed a healthier response to fear, am more assured in my abilities to meet a challenge in a productive way, and have strengthened my planning and reasoning skills both on the climbing wall and in my everyday experience as a human being.
Rock Climbing and Self-Efficacy, Resiliency & Coping Skills
Kratzer, Luttenberger, Karg-Hefner, Weis & Dorscht (2021) define self-efficacy as “...people’s beliefs in their capabilities to perform difficult or novel tasks to attain desired outcomes.” Together they created a randomized controlled trial with 233 participants to measure for significant indicators of increased self-efficacy after a 10-week period. The participants were randomly assigned to a bouldering psychotherapy group (BPT) or to a cognitive behavioral therapy group (CBT).
Though both trials performed well, the results showed that the BPT group reported clinically relevant gains in building their perception of self-efficacy when compared to the CBT group. High levels of self-efficacy promote psychological resiliency. It positively affects our ability to access coping skills and to use them persistently, especially in challenging or threatening situations. Rock-climbing is a wonderful way to build these intrapersonal skills.
Whether you are outside in nature or in a climate-controlled rock gym, this sport provides ample opportunity to challenge your mental and physical obstacles, face fears and worries, increase positive responses to difficult life situations, and foster self-empowerment with each personal success. If you can defeat your fear of heights, push through the discomfort of trying new things, or fight through social anxiety to climb with a new group of people, just imagine what kind of successes you could create in your life outside of rock climbing!
Rock Climbing and Social Skills
“Rock climbing’s therapeutic benefits can be achieved more substantially by climbing with others and climbing regularly” (Chin, 2022). I agree with Jane Chin of janechin.com and I also understand that meeting new individuals can be challenging for some. I hear you!
The great thing about rock climbing is that even though you might start out climbing by yourself, inevitably, other climbers will want to engage with you by asking about gear, or the route you’re on, or they might even cheer you on when you are going for the top of your climb. Slowly, new people will matriculate into your climbing and/or personal life and over time, you might meet a few special people who will become your regular climbing partners. Then the real communication skills come into play.
Climbing is all about communication! Both bouldering and sport climbing use communication constantly for safety purposes, route planning, helping each other through challenges on the wall, and for emotional and mental support. Communicating with our climbing partners is essential. Our climbing partners are there to keep us safe, and visa versa.
In bouldering, our partners make sure that we hit the padded mat in case of a fall. In sport climbing, our partners are literally our lifeline as they belay the rope and stop our acceleration in a fall. It is imperative that we use strong communication skills in order to let our partners know what we need, how we are feeling, and what level of support feels best, on the wall and off.
Rock climbing can provide a way to practice speaking up for yourself, communicating needs and feelings, and exercising positive supportive language for yourself and others.
Rock Climbing and Mindfulness
In his book Mindfulness for Beginners; Reclaiming the present moment–and your life, John Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (pg. 1). Kabat-Zinn believes that if a human being is able to practice in-the-moment awareness, they are able to access their full potential and transform the quality of their life experience. Mindfulness is developed through intentional practice and engages various techniques to help hold the individual in the “here and now”.
In her 2021 study Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and rock-climbing: a controlled study, Katherine A. Wheatley relates that mindfulness-based techniques are being intentionally incorporated into the training programs for rock climbers, both professional and non-professional. She sets out to prove that mindfulness-based practices “improve climbing ability by increasing focus, motivation, overcoming fears”, increasing body awareness, strengthening breath control, and improving visualization. One of her theories states that much like the famed “runner’s high,” mindfulness in rock climbing promotes a flow-like state; “a state of mind believed to occur during optimal human experience” (Wheatley, 2021).
Mindfulness, like self-efficacy, resiliency, executive functioning, and social skills is a translatable element. Mindfulness can be used on the wall, on the basketball court, in the classroom, in traffic after the board meeting, or in the therapy session. Mindfulness-based practices can be strengthened by the sport of rock climbing and habitualized in our daily lives.
We all know that mental health providers are in high demand and in short supply. Being placed on a nine- to twelve-month waiting list can feel frustrating and discouraging. I hear you, so let me propose an alternative while you wait to be placed with your new therapist.
If it feels right to you, why not consider rock climbing a few times a week? Think of it as a complementary therapeutic method. It is an additional mode of exercise that is shown to increase self-esteem, build coping skills, decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, stimulate positive internal messages, and strengthen habits of mindfulness.
If rock climbing just isn’t for you, that’s okay. As my colleague, Ben Kinsey previously pointed out in his blog post titled Exercise and ADHD, “Exercise is good for everyone…No matter what, or how much you are doing, you will very likely benefit from it.” The choice is always up to you!
References:
Frühauf, A., Heußner, J., Niedermeier, M., & Kopp, M. (2021). Expert Views on Therapeutic Climbing—A Multi-Perspective, Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3535. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073535
janechin.com - Climbing as Therapy: What Research Shows. (n.d.). Www.janechin.net. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.janechin.net/climbing/climbing-as-therapy-what-research-shows
Kabat-Zinn, John, Mindfulness for Beginners; reclaiming the present moment-and your life, Sounds True, Inc: Boulder, CO, 2012.
Karg, N., Dorscht, L., Kornhuber, J., & Luttenberger, K. (2020). Bouldering psychotherapy is more effective in the treatment of depression than physical exercise alone: results of a multicentre randomized controlled intervention study. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02518-y
Kratzer, A., Luttenberger, K., Karg-Hefner, N., Weiss, M., & Dorscht, L. (2021). Bouldering psychotherapy is effective in enhancing perceived self-efficacy in people with depression: results from a multicenter randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00627-1
Msc, J. T.-S. (2019, April 8). 10 Neurological Benefits of Exercise.PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/exercise-neurological-benefits
Olympic Rock Climbing, Everything You Need To Know. (2021, July 30). Climbing. https://www.climbing.com/competition/olympics/a-guide-to-the-olympic-climbing-format
Wheatley, K. A. (2021). Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and rock-climbing: a controlled study. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01593-y
Wheatley, Katherine A., Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and rock-climbing: a controlled study
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WRITTEN BY SHAWNA WEST, LPC, NCC, ASDI (SHE/HER/HERS)
Shawna West (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counseling (LPC), a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Certified Autism-Informed Professional (ASDI), and is working towards her Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT™) credential and her Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist (CCAT) credential. Shawna received her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University (CACREP Accredited Program) and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Texas in Comparative Literature and Women and Gender Studies.
