Background: Mental health can be divided into three groups: mental well-being, mental disorder, and mental illness, whereas the last one also includes neuropsychiatric illness. Nature has always been a central part for humanity, and it is well known that it’s a place that induces mental and physical health. Even though studies have shown that the city hustle is bad for brain activity and the mental health, humans mostly gather in the city. Being in the city leads to pondering and is not advantageous for the mental wellbeing. Aim: The aim is to study the experience of the impact of nature on the mental health. Method: A literature-based study was conducted on an analysis of qualitative research. Results: This study showed three main themes and six subthemes. The main themes were a strengthened self, changed feelings and to feel belonging. The subthemes were to handle life with nature as a resource, to be in the present, to feel freedom, to feel peaceful, to feel belonging to nature and to bring people together. Conclusion: Overall, nature has a positive impact on mental health, and it is a place where acceptance is central and gives a positive feeling.

Psykisk ohälsa är ett stort problem och dess negativa konsekvenser drabbar individer, närstående och hela samhällen. För att komma åt problemen är det viktigt att det finns flera framgångsrika rehabiliteringsinsatser. Forskning har visat att naturen kan användas för att rehabilitera människor mot psykisk ohälsa. Syftet med examensarbetet var att undersöka de yrkesverksammas upplevelser av naturbaserad rehabilitering för individer med psykisk ohälsa. Sex semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med sju yrkesverksamma inom olika naturbaserade rehabiliteringsinsatser. Insamlad empiri analyserades därefter med hjälp av en tematisk analys. För att förstå och tolka empirin användes teorier inom socialpsykologi och en teori som berör naturens påverkan på människan. Tre huvudteman identifierades genom resultatanalysen: (1) kunskap; (2) läkning genom natur och djur; och (3) relationer. Inom huvudtemat kunskap visade resultatet att de yrkesverksammas yrkeskunskap och yrkeserfarenhet hade flertalet positiva konsekvenser i deltagarnas rehabiliteringsprocess. I det andra huvudtemat framkom insatsernas för- och nackdelar. Fördelarna var många och betydligt fler än nackdelarna. Den positiva påverkan berörde deltagarnas fysiska, psykiska, kognitiva och sociala mående och fungerande. I det sista huvudtemat framkom det att relationer hade en viktig roll i rehabiliteringsprocessen. Detta handlade om att deltagarna kom in i en gemenskap och att de yrkesverksammas förhållningssätt gentemot deltagarna var betydelsefullt för deltagarnas rehabiliteringsprocess. Naturbaserad rehabilitering, och de yrkesverksamma, kan därmed sägas vara viktiga faktorer för individers tillfrisknande. / Mental disorders is a major problem and its negative consequences affect individuals, relatives and entire communities. To address the problems, it is important that there are several successful interventions. Research has shown that nature can be used to rehabilitate people against mental disorders. The purpose of the study was to investigate the professionals' experiences of nature-based rehabilitation for individuals with mental disorders. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven professionals' in various nature-based interventions. Collected empirical data were then analysed using thematic analysis. To understand and interpret the empirical data, theories in social psychology and one theory concerning the effects of nature were used. Three main themes were identified through the analysis of the results: (1) knowledge; (2) healing through nature and animals; and (3) relationships. Within the main theme knowledge, the results showed that the professionals' knowledge and experiences had a majority of positive consequences on the participants' rehabilitation process. In the second main theme, the advantages and disadvantages of the interventions emerged. The advantages were many and significantly more than the disadvantages. The positive impact affected the participants' physical, mental, cognitive, and social well-being and functioning. The last main theme emerged that relationships played an important role in the rehabilitation process. This centered about the fact that the participants entered a community and that the attitudes of the professionals towards the participants was important for the participants' rehabilitation process. Nature-based rehabilitation, and the professionals, can therefore be said to be important factors for individuals' recovery.