What Is Walk and Talk Therapy?

Walk and talk therapy involves conducting traditional psychotherapy sessions outdoors while walking. Instead of sitting across from your therapist in an office, you move side-by-side in a natural setting—often a shaded path or park. The conversation remains focused, therapeutic goals stay intact, and boundaries are maintained.

This modality appeals to clients who feel overwhelmed by sitting still, struggle with overstimulation, or simply process more effectively through movement. It also resonates with those who want to integrate nature, embodiment, and motion into their mental health work.

The Science Behind Why It Works

Movement is not just helpful—it’s therapeutic. Here’s how walking enhances the benefits of therapy:

• Reduces stress hormones: Even moderate aerobic activity like walking lowers cortisol and boosts mood-stabilizing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin (Schuch et al., 2013).
• Enhances cognitive flexibility: Walking improves working memory, focus, and mental clarity, especially for individuals with ADHD (Pontifex et al., 2013).
• Boosts emotional regulation: Nature exposure during walks has been shown to reduce anxiety and lower physiological stress responses (Hunter et al., 2019).

When movement is combined with verbal processing, the effects can be deeply grounding and clarifying.

Bilateral Stimulation: Why Walking Helps Process Emotion

A key reason walk and talk therapy is effective is that walking creates bilateral stimulation. As you alternate steps—left foot, right foot—your brain is rhythmically engaging both hemispheres. This left-right pattern is known to support emotional integration, cognitive clarity, and even trauma resolution.

This process is similar to what happens in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy, which uses guided eye movements to stimulate both sides of the brain. But here’s an important distinction:

Your eyes don’t move bilaterally while walking. They typically remain stabilized and forward-focused for balance. This means the bilateral stimulation during walk and talk therapy happens through the body, not the eyes.

While not as targeted as EMDR, this physical bilateral stimulation still promotes nervous system regulation and integrative processing. Research suggests it may mimic some aspects of REM sleep, where emotional memories are naturally consolidated (Stickgold, 2002).

In essence:

• EMDR = bilateral eye movement + structured trauma work
• Walk and talk = bilateral body movement + organic emotional processing

Clients often report feeling emotionally "lighter" or mentally "clearer" after walking sessions, and neuroscience backs that experience.

Who Benefits Most from Walk and Talk Therapy?

Walk and talk therapy is particularly effective for:

• Clients with ADHD or executive functioning challenges: Movement enhances focus, helps regulate energy, and allows for more fluid conversation (Gapin & Etnier, 2010).
• Clients with anxiety or high stress: The physical act of walking reduces sympathetic nervous system arousal and supports emotional regulation.
• Clients processing trauma or grief: Symbolically and physiologically, walking forward helps clients "move through" pain in a tangible way.
• Teens and kids: Children and adolescents often struggle with the intensity of sitting face-to-face in therapy. Walking side-by-side helps reduce pressure, release energy, and make the experience more approachable. Movement-based therapy is associated with improved behavioral and emotional outcomes in youth (Medina et al., 2021).
• High-functioning professionals: Clients who spend most of their day behind screens or at desks find walk and talk therapy refreshing and invigorating.

When Walk and Talk Might Not Be Ideal

This approach may not work for everyone. It's not recommended for:

• Clients with physical limitations or accessibility concerns
• Individuals needing high containment for trauma work
• Environments where privacy can’t be reasonably protected

As a therapist, I help assess whether this format is a safe and effective fit.

Walk and Talk Therapy at Crescent Counseling & Coaching

At Crescent Counseling & Coaching, I offer walk and talk sessions as part of my integrative, personalized approach. South Florida’s calming climate and scenic walkways make it easy to take therapy outside. Whether you're working through anxiety, burnout, relationship stress, or emotional overwhelm, walk and talk therapy may be exactly the shift you need.

Clients often say they feel more relaxed, present, and empowered when walking. And for kids and teens, it can make therapy feel less like a clinical appointment and more like a meaningful conversation.

Final Thoughts

Healing doesn’t have to be confined to a couch. Sometimes, the most powerful therapeutic breakthroughs happen with each step forward.

If you’re curious about walk and talk therapy or wondering whether it might work for you or your child, reach out today. Let’s take the first step together.

References

• Schuch, F. B., et al. (2013). Physical activity and depression: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 47(3), 312–322.
• Maxfield, L., Melnyk, W. T., & Hayman, G. C. (2008). A working memory explanation for the effects of eye movements in EMDR. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 2(4), 247–261.
• Stickgold, R. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(1), 61–75.
• Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 722.
• Pontifex, M. B., et al. (2013). Exercise improves behavioral, neurocognitive, and scholastic performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The Journal of Pediatrics, 162(3), 543–551.
• Gapin, J. I., & Etnier, J. L. (2010). The relationship between physical activity and executive function performance in children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 15(7), 593–603.
• Medina, A., et al. (2021). The impact of movement-based therapy on behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 26(4), 261–269.