As a Denver Therapist who’s spent over two decades supporting clients through trauma, I’ve seen a growing number of people grappling with a very specific kind of distress — climate anxiety that’s deeply personal. In Colorado, it’s not just about rising temperatures or environmental changes. It’s about the avalanche you barely survived, the wildfire that forced you to flee, or the wildlife encounter that left you shaken.
These experiences don’t just fade with time — they often resurface with each changing season, leaving you feeling anxious, hyper-alert, or disconnected from the outdoor spaces you once loved.
The good news? You’re not alone, and healing is possible. EMDR therapy offers a powerful, research-backed way to process these trauma responses — helping you feel safer, calmer, and more at home in your body and in nature again. Let’s take a closer look at how outdoor trauma uniquely impacts Coloradans — and how therapy can help you begin to feel whole again.
The Unique Nature of Outdoor Trauma in Colorado
In Colorado, our deep connection to the outdoors can make certain traumatic experiences hit even harder. For many, climate-related anxiety isn’t just about future concerns — it’s shaped by very real events they’ve lived through in the mountains, forests, or backcountry trails. Research from the Colorado Health Institute indicates that nearly 2 million Coloradans believe climate change has affected themselves or their families, with one in three reporting negative impacts on their mental health.
This deep connection to the land means that trauma isn’t just a memory—it can live in the body and shape how you experience the outdoors every day. Whether it’s the shadow of an avalanche, the smoke from wildfires, or a close encounter with wildlife, these events can create ongoing anxiety and fear. But it’s important to remember that healing is possible. With the right support, including therapies designed to address trauma, you can reclaim your sense of safety and rediscover the joy and peace that nature has always offered.
Avalanche Survivors and Winter Sports Enthusiasts
If you’ve ever been caught in — or witnessed — an avalanche, you know how terrifyingly fast nature can turn. For skiers, snowboarders, and other winter adventurers, the changing snowpack and unpredictable conditions can stir up powerful anxiety. What once felt exhilarating might now bring flashbacks, panic, or a sense of dread. You’re not alone if it’s hard to return to the slopes without your body remembering what happened. Research from the National Library of Medicine highlights the significant mental health impacts that avalanches can have, particularly on survivors and those who engage in winter sports.
Wildfire Trauma and Those Who’ve Had to Evacuate
For many Coloradans, wildfires aren’t just news headlines — they’re lived experiences. Whether you’ve had to flee your home, lost property, or watched your favorite hiking trail go up in flames, each fire season can reopen wounds. The smell of smoke in the air or the sight of red skies can take you right back to those moments of fear and uncertainty.
Traumatic Wildlife Encounters
While encounters with mountain lions or bears are rare, they can leave a deep mark. A surprise face-to-face with a wild animal can shake your sense of safety — especially when climate shifts alter where and how these animals roam. It’s understandable if stepping back into nature feels more complicated than it used to.
If these experiences resonate, it’s important to know that the emotional responses you’re having are understandable. Recognizing the impact of outdoor trauma is a meaningful step toward healing and reconnecting with the natural world you care about.
How Climate Anxiety Shows Up — and How Therapy Can Help
Climate anxiety goes beyond simple worry—it’s a deep, physical response to real environmental threats. In Colorado, this anxiety can feel intense, especially when it comes from direct experiences with outdoor trauma. Here are a few ways it might be showing up in your daily life:
- Intense emotional reactions to weather or environmental news
Maybe you feel a wave of dread when the forecast calls for heavy snow or high fire danger. Even a news alert about a distant wildfire can bring back vivid memories or feelings of helplessness. These aren’t overreactions — they’re your nervous system remembering. A compassionate therapist can help you gently process these triggers and find emotional steadiness again.
- Grief over changing landscapes and ecosystems
If you’ve noticed a sense of loss when you return to a favorite trail and find it scorched, closed, or forever altered, you’re not alone. This kind of grief is real and often unspoken.
- Physical symptoms like insomnia, panic, or a racing heart
Sometimes the body speaks before the mind fully understands what’s wrong. You might find yourself restless at night, struggling to relax during hikes, or feeling your heart race when the skies turn smoky.
With a background in trauma-focused care and a deep respect for the emotional weight outdoor experiences can carry, I offer a space where you don’t have to minimize or explain away your pain. Together, we can work to untangle what your nervous system is holding — and help you feel more at peace, both inside and out.
EMDR: A Compassionate Path Through Environmental Trauma
EMDR Counseling (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) offers a powerful way to process traumatic outdoor experiences and ease climate anxiety. As a certified EMDR therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how this approach can help clients heal, regain their sense of safety, and reconnect with both nature and themselves after difficult events.
When trauma lives in the nervous system, it can feel like your body reacts before your mind even catches up — a whiff of smoke, the crunch of snow, or a sudden change in weather can bring everything rushing back. EMDR Therapy helps you gently reprocess those “stuck” memories so they no longer hold the same emotional charge.
Here’s how this powerful approach can support your healing:
Making Peace with Traumatic Memories
Experiences like an avalanche, wildfire evacuation, or close encounter with wildlife can leave lasting emotional imprints. EMDR doesn’t make you relive those moments — instead, it helps you gently access them in a safe, grounded way. By processing the memory with support, your brain can begin to reframe it, so it no longer carries the same emotional charge or sense of danger. Over time, the memory becomes just that — a memory — instead of something that continues to trigger fear or anxiety in your daily life.
Easing the Body’s Stress Response
Many people feel climate anxiety not just emotionally, but physically — racing heart, shallow breathing, or a tight chest. EMDR helps calm the nervous system and reduce these automatic responses, so you can feel safer in your body again.
Build Resilience for Future Uncertainty
It’s hard to feel grounded when the future feels uncertain. EMDR doesn’t offer false reassurance — instead, it helps you strengthen your internal capacity to face change with more calm, clarity, and confidence.
In our work together, there’s no pressure to “get over it.” We’ll move at your pace, with care, respect, and a belief in your ability to heal — even from experiences that feel too heavy to carry alone.
Climate Anxiety: When Professional Help Makes a Difference
It’s not always easy to know when to seek support—especially when your concerns about climate change or outdoor trauma feel so real and justified. But if these worries are starting to interfere with your daily life, it may be time to consider therapy as a way forward.
Here are a few questions to gently ask yourself:
- Do I avoid outdoor places I once loved because they now feel unsafe or triggering?
- Have I experienced panic, dread, or physical tension in response to environmental news or sudden weather changes?
- Do memories of past events—like an avalanche, wildfire, or evacuation—continue to feel vivid, distressing, or hard to shake?
- Am I finding it harder to relax, sleep, or focus because of ongoing climate-related stress?
- Do I feel increasingly isolated or misunderstood in how I’m experiencing these fears?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you’re not alone—and you’re not overreacting. These are valid signs of emotional overwhelm, and therapy can offer a safe space to process them. Working with a therapist who understands the unique impact of climate anxiety can help you feel more grounded, supported, and connected to both yourself and the world around you.
Creating a Personalized Healing Path
Healing from trauma tied to outdoor experiences — whether it was an avalanche, a sudden accident, or a terrifying wildlife encounter — takes more than time. It takes the right kind of support, attuned to your unique story and your deep connection to Colorado’s natural world. In my practice as a Denver Therapist, I create a space where your fears are met with compassion, not judgment — and where we move at a pace that feels right for you.
Together, we might explore:
- Processing traumatic outdoor memories using EMDR, so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity or interrupt your daily life with flashbacks, panic, or avoidance.
- Practicing grounding techniques that help regulate anxiety triggered by things like changing weather, environmental sounds, or terrain — so your nervous system feels safer, even in familiar outdoor spaces.
- Gently rebuilding your connection with nature, whether that means returning to a favorite trail or simply stepping outside without fear — on your terms, and in your time.
The goal isn’t to erase your experiences or ignore the reality of a changing climate — it’s to help you feel more at ease in your body and more connected to the life you want to live.
Finding Hope in Shared Experience
One of the most healing truths about climate anxiety is this: you are not alone. So many Coloradans carry similar feelings of fear, loss, and uncertainty about the changing world around us. In my work as a therapist, I’ve seen how powerful it can be to find connection — to realize that others are walking similar paths, facing similar struggles.
Through therapy, many clients discover that their anxiety doesn’t have to isolate them. Instead, it can become a doorway to meaningful connection and even action. When we process our personal traumas and fears, we gain clarity and calm — allowing us to respond from a place of strength rather than unresolved worry.
This kind of healing isn’t just about feeling better inside. It helps us make thoughtful, grounded choices about how we engage with and protect the natural places we love. Together, we can face these challenges — supporting each other, healing individually and collectively, and finding hope in shared experience.
Taking the First Step
If climate anxiety or trauma from outdoor experiences—like avalanches, accidents, or wildlife encounters—is weighing on your heart and mind, please know you don’t have to face it alone. As a therapist who specializes in trauma and EMDR Therapy, I’m here to offer a safe, understanding space where your feelings are honored and your healing journey is supported every step of the way.
Your bond with Colorado’s breathtaking natural world is precious—and even amid the challenges of a changing climate, it’s possible to preserve that connection. Together, we can gently work through past traumas and build the resilience you need to move forward with greater peace and confidence.
Whenever you’re ready, reach out to learn how EMDR can help you reclaim your sense of safety and hope in the outdoors—and in life. Contact me to learn more about how EMDR can help you address climate anxiety and outdoor-related trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a therapy for climate change anxiety?
Yes. Several therapies can help ease climate anxiety, but EMDR Therapy stands out for its ability to process deep distress related to climate change—whether it comes from direct outdoor traumas or ongoing worries about the environment. In my practice, I also blend cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness to tailor support for each person’s needs.
How do you deal with climate anxiety?
Dealing with climate anxiety starts with kindness to yourself—recognizing your feelings are valid and natural. Setting boundaries around climate news, connecting with supportive communities, and taking meaningful action can help. Working with a therapist experienced in this area, especially through EMDR, can calm intense fears while preserving your love for the environment.
Which mental health disorders could be worsened by climate change?
Climate change can worsen conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and sleep issues. For people with eco-anxiety or past outdoor traumas, like avalanche survivors or wildfire evacuees, environmental changes may trigger painful memories or increase stress. Recognizing these links helps guide compassionate, trauma-informed care.
What are coping strategies for climate change?
Coping well with climate change involves both personal and collective approaches. Individually, grounding exercises, spending time safely in nature, and therapy like EMDR can build resilience. Collectively, joining community groups or climate initiatives can transform anxiety into positive action. Balancing awareness with self-care creates sustainable strength.
