This post is also available in Dutch.
It is time to rethink our approach to mental health treatment. As depression rates rise globally, traditional treatments are showing their limits. Recent research suggests that climbing— when combined with psychological guidance—can be a powerful tool for mental health, where healing begins not on a couch, but on the climbing wall.
“It shouldn’t always be just about talking,” said a 69-year-old climbing therapy participant. And she may be right. Despite decades of effort, talk therapy has struggled to overcome the global burden of depression. Due to long waiting lists, high costs and dropout rates, only 1 in 6 people receive treatment. It’s clear that a new direction is needed—and movement might be the key.
We all know that exercising has a positive impact on mental health. But did you know that this effect is so strong that it can ease the symptoms of depression? However, not all kinds of exercise are created equal: While home workouts can offer some relief, just a few weeks of bouldering psychotherapy can significantly reduce symptoms and the effects can last for up to a year.
What exactly is Bouldering psychotherapy (BPT)?
BPT is a clever combination of bouldering, a form of ropeless indoor climbing, and psychoeducation. Each BPT session starts with a short mindfulness exercise, followed by an educational exploration of the day’s theme. While climbing, participants first engage in theme-related exercises. For example, during a session on social relations, they might be instructed to climb together with their fellow group members holding a rope to experience responsibility and dependence. Then, participants explore the routes in the gym freely, with the support of their group and climbing therapists. The session ends with a brief reflection to help participants apply what they’ve learned beyond the climbing wall.
Why does it work?
It’s action-based
Climbing uses a very hands-on approach to help rewiring negative patterns: being on the wall, especially with the right exercises, can easily trigger real emotions such as fear or anger, and make negative patterns of thinking and behavior more visible. The group therapists present help patients explore new techniques and alternative solutions to handle these, and patients can try them out immediately while climbing.
It is fun
“It’s like an adult playground,” said one participant. Because the difficulty level can be easily adjusted to individual fitness and comfort, climbing sessions often spark feelings of joy, pride, and accomplishment—emotions that play a key role in boosting self-esteem and confidence. Positive emotions like these are crucial for counteracting the low mood and feelings of worthlessness that often come with depression. And climbing seems to generate a lot of them—more, in fact, than other movement-based therapies like Nordic walking.
It is social
Climbing is naturally social – the vast majority of people report engaging with other climbers during sessions. In addition, BPT trains participants to work together, support each other, and provide feedback which has been shown to strengthen social skills. Moreover, participants not only gain a sense of achievement from their own progress but also from watching and encouraging others.
Action, joy, and connection are what’s often missing from traditional talk therapies. Maybe that is why the majority of people find rock climbing more beneficial than traditional therapy. With the rising popularity of indoor climbing, BPT appears to be an effective and attractive solution to both patients and clinicians. But what happens when you just go climbing? Keep an eye out for my next article on the mental health benefits of recreational indoor climbing!
Credits
Author: Virág Fodor
Buddy: Helena
Editor: Amir
Translator: Lucas
Editor translation: Wieger
Featured image by Pavel Danilyuk via pexel
