David Roland Author

20/03/2026

A river crossing to complete a two hour ride along sun-kissed country roads. A perfect metaphor for reentering daily life. 😊🚲

20/03/2026

I am the lead facilitator for the nature-based compassion groups in this clinical trial to help people recover from trauma related to natural disasters. I can tell you that the participants we've worked with so far are really enjoying these approaches. It's free to participate. It is open to residents in the Lismore, Ballina, Byron and Murwillumbah council areas.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AwKFsWUPJ/

13/02/2026

I’ve finished hiking the Bundian Way, the ancient songline from  the highest peak in the land, Mount Kosciuszko, to Fisheries Beach near Eden on the coast. After 33 days it felt momentous to arrive at the oceans edge and to camp in a place where the Old People gathered in great numbers for 1000’s of years. Quite a magical place and unspoilt. I am very relieved to have finished and now spending a few days resting and gaining more perspectives on the walk from others based here. I have kept a detailed journal along the way, taken photos and video and I look forward to sharing my experiences and reflections once I have integrated them all.

12/12/2025

Early trauma can toughen a child, but love and support can turn that toughness into resilience. Without it, the climb is steeper. How can we, as a society, help every child survive and thrive?

31 seconds · Clipped by Grief and Rebirth Podcast · Original video "How I Turned Devastation Into Power: Stories of Post-Traumatic Growth" by Grief and Rebi...

07/11/2025

Call out for participants to join the Healing Climate Related Trauma trial in the Northern Rivers, NSW. Now open.
https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2025/11/06/scu-in-need-of-participants-for-world-first-trial-to-treat-ptsd-caused-by-natural-disasters/

Email: heart@scu.edu.au

Southern Cross University is about to embark on a world-first trial to treat PTSD caused by natural

19/10/2025

The closing walk around the campfire at the Outdoor Health Forum, October 2025, held on Bundjalung country at Lennox Head, Australia. The weekend exceeded my expectations. Networking with committed nature workers from all corners of the continent who are employing innovative ways of improving well-being for many, and presenting on the origins, science and practice of forest bathing with an early morning forest bathing walk behind the beach, and making new like-minded friends. For upcoming events and membership, check out https://www.outdoorhealthforum.com.au/ for upcoming events and membership.

08/10/2025

I'm extremely pleased to let you know that the HEART Healing Climate Related Trauma trial is now open for business! If you are someone in the Northern Rivers region of NSW that experiences trauma from the natural disasters of recent years you could be eligible to participate in an arts-based compassion group program or a nature-based compassion program for no cost. The results of this clinical trial which will be closely evaluated could prove to be a model of other communities to implement. I will be leading the nature-based program. Expression of interest can be found here: https://heart.scu.edu.au/

03/07/2025

Join me Saturday 12 July for a face-to-face session on writing trauma. This trauma-informed workshop is designed for writers and memoirists who seek to explore and express personal or witnessed trauma with care, skill, and authenticity. Through guided writing exercises, reflective practices, and thoughtful discussion, participants will learn how to portray trauma, healing and post-traumatic growth, and maintain emotional well-being while writing difficult truths. Ideal for those ready to tell powerful, honest stories that tap into vulnerability and resilience.

Learn how trauma shapes memory, language and narrative, and how to write the arc of post-traumatic growth in memoir and story. Book your place .

12/10/2024

Of late, I've been watching hiking videos of people walking in places I haven't been to and Harmen Hoek's videos are special. For me, they become a meditation because he does what writers call 'show don't tell' and he doesn't overlay the videos with heavy handed music and highlights nature sounds as much as possible. This is from his recent trip to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and today I met a Canadian at a tree planting who told me about hiking in Canada outside of Vancover, including how to use bear spray! The photography in Harmen's videos is phenomenal.

Video sponsored by Garage Grown Gear. Check out my gear picks here: https://www.garagegrowngear.com/collections/harmens-ggg-picks.► Supported by Enlightened ...

10/10/2024

What I particularly like in this article is how the author identified a particular walk for its rich sensory possibilities and that she and her companion's attitude was to seek solitude and active connection with nature for its mental health and physical benefits. She's nicely identified many of the elements that are thought to contribute to these benefits.

Research suggests that our minds benefit from our encounters with aspects of nature – be it cold water and calming scents, or vivid colours and certain types of landscape – and Kielderhead ticks all the boxes

09/09/2024

Fascinating study of Turkish family caregivers of cancer patients and the part hope and age play in the potential for posttraumatic growth. The results suggest that caregivers who have greater hope, see suffering as transformative and are middle-aged to older show greater posttraumatic growth. The same effect was not found for younger caregivers. The researchers suggest that a mediating factor could be the Islamic belief that suffering can be part of God's plan. Whether one holds a religious concept of the purpose of suffering it remains the case that, "According to hope theory, when faced with adversities such as caring for a cancer patient, individuals can uncover their latent strengths, develop new skills and abilities, and utilize their existing resources in novel ways. Logotherapy posits that caregivers can reframe their experiences with cancer patients as opportunities for love, compassion, and personal growth, thereby creating a positive narrative around their patients’ suffering. This positive reframing may shape caregivers’ perspectives and enhance their levels of hope by focusing on the meaningful aspects of their caregiving role."

Cancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is a source of great difficulty, stress, and trauma not only for patients but also for their caregivers. The physical and emotional suffering that patients experience by patients can lead their caregivers to cope with constant....

13/08/2024

Green Room discussion before our event Animals: Us and Them at the Byron Writers Festival with Laura Jean MacKay, Peter Singer and James Bradley, with me, Chair. We'd already had email to and fro prior to the day but this was the first time we caught up in person. It's always delightful and a little surprising to meet writers in the flesh when you've only seen their profile pictures before. This session was recorded by the ABC and I hope they broadcast it because it was an illuminating and engaging discussion. Laura's embodiment of a mosquito and how she came to find the mosquito voice for 'Animals in That Country' was delightful.