Exercise, Psychotherapy, and Bouldering: What Research Says About Mental Health Treatment
Mental health treatment continues to evolve as researchers explore new ways to reduce depression and improve psychological wellbeing. Traditionally, psychotherapy has been viewed as one of the primary treatment methods for depression and other mental health conditions. However, modern research increasingly shows that exercise may provide similarly effective results in many cases. Recent studies even suggest that bouldering improves your mental health by combining physical activity, problem solving, and therapeutic benefits into a single activity.
A recent scientific review comparing exercise and psychotherapy analyzed multiple studies to determine whether exercise can function as an equally effective treatment option for mental health concerns, particularly depression.
One area especially relevant to climbers and the bouldering community is the growing research surrounding bouldering psychotherapy — an approach that combines climbing with psychotherapeutic treatment.
Exercise as a Treatment for Depression
The review found strong evidence that exercise positively affects symptoms of depression. According to the paper, activities such as:
- walking
- jogging
- yoga
- strength training
were all associated with improved mental health outcomes.
Importantly, the analysis concluded that exercise can be as effective as psychotherapy for treating depression, particularly Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
The paper also notes that exercise appears beneficial across different levels of depressive severity and may be used either independently or alongside other treatments depending on the seriousness of the condition.
Why Exercise May Improve Mental Health
The article discusses several biological explanations for why exercise improves mental wellbeing.
Research cited in the review found that physical activity increases neurotrophic factors in the brain, particularly in cortical and hippocampal regions associated with cognitive and emotional function.
Exercise has also been linked to improvements in:
- cardiovascular health
- metabolic health
- cognitive functioning
- overall wellbeing
These findings are important because depression is often associated with physical health risks, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, stroke risk, and Type-2 diabetes.
The review suggests that exercise may therefore contribute to both physical and mental recovery simultaneously.
Bouldering improves your mental health more than an exercise program
One of the most relevant studies for climbers examined bouldering psychotherapy, which combines bouldering-style climbing with psychotherapeutic methods.
In the study discussed in the paper, researchers compared:
- a group participating in bouldering psychotherapy
- a group completing a supervised home-based exercise program
Both groups showed reductions in depressive symptoms. However, the bouldering psychotherapy group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in depression scores.