The Benefits of Forest Therapy

By Miriam Biran

Introduction

Shinrin-Yoku, or Forest Therapy is a powerful blend of guided mindfulness (by which I mean taking focus off mind activity and tuning into the senses); a sense of connectedness (to the human and non-human world); the benefits provided by the inhalation of phytoncides (natural oils with antibacterial and antifungal properties given off by plants to protect them from disease, but which also have a positive effect on human health); and exposure to negative air ions.

All of these elements have proven benefits to physical and mental health which I shall detail later.

In addition, trees, as well as giving off a comparatively large volume of phytoncides, have a strong physical presence which humans can inherently relate to, making a wooded/forested environment one which offers a powerful visual, perhaps even spiritual (in the broadest sense), connection to the non-human world.

I will now outline 5 key benefits provided by a Forest Therapy session.

Benefit 1: Restoring connections

People are animals, but as a species we have lost our connection to nature. Our ancestors were largely mobile, tribal and lived/hunted/farmed outdoors, where they were naturally in tune with the environment around them because they depended on it for survival. We are now largely sedentary, isolated from true connections to other humans, let alone the non-human world, and spend the majority of our time indoors. We have forgotten that we still need that outside environment to survive as a species.

The result is devastating both on human physical and mental well-being but also on the planet. If we don’t consider ourselves to be part of nature, if we see it as something ‘out there’ separate to us, then it becomes optional whether or not we care about or value it enough not to damage or destroy it. ‘It’ is the planet we live on and all the interconnected life forms that inhabit it. In other words ‘it’ is us and ‘it’ is our home. Its survival and our survival are completely interdependent.

The 20th century biologist E.O. Wilson argued that all humans have this sense of something called ‘biophilia’ – an innate love for the landscapes in which humans have lived for most of our existence and for the natural web of life surrounding it that makes our existence possible – the interconnectedness of all living things – human and non-human. Almost all animals become distressed when they are removed from their natural habitat. Why would humans be any different?

There are various ways that some strive to protect this precious world. For example, conservation organisations and passionate individuals raise awareness and encourage campaigning to change policies and practices that serve to further harm the environment. Individuals and companies try to ‘do their bit’ towards greening their lifestyles or activities to lessen their negative impact and footprint.

Yet to my mind, there are few activities more likely to change people at their core than first hand experiences that bring them into touch with a more primaeval part of ourselves. A part of ourselves that can only be rediscovered through spending quality time within our natural habitat.

Forest Therapy offers a perfect opportunity for people to reconnect (or even connect for the first time) to their inner and outer landscapes to the benefit of both. If someone can experience the deep inner peace that can be found through Forest Therapy they become far less likely to harm themselves, others and the space we all occupy.

‘To take care of the environment, take care of the environmentalist’.

By inviting attendees to share their experiences during the Forest Therapy session, the Forest Therapy guide is facilitating human connection to one another – again something beneficial to human health but often missing from modern life where so much of our interaction takes place through digital technology and virtual meeting spaces.

Experiences in nature can produce powerful yet nameless and intangible effects within us. The Japanese word ‘Yugen’ describes the indescribable - the feeling or essence of something which has been experienced but for which there are no words - the power is lost when it is labelled or articulated.

Forest Therapy offers an opportunity to experience this essence of nature by inviting participants to focus on all of the senses and be present with their response(s) to it without the need to label it.

Benefit 2: The value of the Forest Therapy guide

There is a particular value to having someone to guide participants through this connection process, even for those who, like me, are used to spending time in nature and who are aware of the benefits that provides. There is also a value in taking dedicated time out to do this.

From personal experience I know that I can (and do) spend mindful time in nature, but it is a very different experience to attending a Forest Therapy session where I can almost hand over responsibility for time keeping and thinking to the guide, and simply enjoy the invitations offered which seem to me more powerful and easier to take up when they come from a 3rd party. 

This value in being guided and led has been echoed by others albeit in a slightly different context. In Johann Hari’s book ‘Lost Connections’ a woman suffering from anxiety and depression who, through social prescribing, was directed to a community gardening project, comments that attending the gardening group ‘…isn’t something that just happens…’, ‘…it has to be managed and supported.’ While she could have gone for a walk in the woods and felt better she notes she would never have done it alone and particularly not while depressed and unable to find the motivation to do so.

This reflection for me sums up perfectly how I feel about the difference in knowing I can go out and enjoy the benefits of nature but that there is a particular enhanced value to the experience when it is through a guided Forest Therapy session.

Benefit 3: Redressing the imbalance between the left and right sides of the brain

‘The intuitive mind is a sacred gift. The rational mind a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant but has forgotten the gift’ (Einstein).

The left and right sides of the brain are specialists in different functions. Simplistically the left side is concerned with detail, method, narrow view, getting a task done. The right side takes in the wider picture, is creative, and more sensory. Both need to work harmoniously.

Western culture puts more value and focus on the workings of the left side of the brain than the right, leading to an unbalanced way of viewing and experiencing the world - inward looking, seeing things as black and white, needing certainty, rewards in the outcome - in ‘getting the job done’. 

To activate the right hemisphere people need to experience things in a less detached, more embodied way, tuning back into the senses, seeing the bigger picture and accepting uncertainty. 

Forest Therapy, with its focus on process over outcome, on tuning into the senses, feeling oneself as part of a bigger whole and allowing things to be as they are in the moment, offers opportunities to redress the balance.

Benefit 4: Biological effects on disease

Research over the last few decades has demonstrated the positive benefit to physical and mental health from having direct contact with nature or by being exposed to natural stimuli, even if just images of nature.

This is now well recognised in mainstream health services in the East and is becoming more widely accepted in the West with the introduction of green social prescribing for certain health conditions in place of or alongside traditional medicine.

An over-production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are one main contributor to poor physical health, to more severe disease outcomes, to inflammation and to reduced immunity so any activity which can reduce the production and impact of these hormones is beneficial to our health. 

Spending time in nature through a Forest Therapy session directly benefits human health through the reduction of these damaging stress hormones and through the activation and increase of white blood cells called Natural Killer (NK) cells which aid immunity.

These cells benefit both through the inhalation of phytoncides and through exposure to negative air ions, created in the natural environment by sunlight, radiation and moving air and water, and which are abundant in forests. These negative ions combat the damaging effects of circulating positive ions which cause an imbalance in the air in the body and can lead to cellular damage.

After 2 hours of Forest Therapy the increase in NK cells can still be noted 7-30 days later.

As with many practices which incorporate an element of mindfulness, in Forest Therapy the reduction of stress hormones may be further enhanced by invitations to slow down, reduce mind activity and a focus on sensory awareness as well as reconnecting us to other people and the non-human world as outlined above.

While reducing the ‘fight or flight’ response of the sympathetic nervous system (the response that allows humans to act when there is immediate danger), Forest Therapy also stimulates the ‘rest and digest’ response of the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the mind and body to ‘calm down’. 

There is also good evidence to show that spending time in a forest or woodland environment can potentially have a preventative effect on the following non-communicable/lifestyle diseases/conditions:

·        Type 2 diabetes

·        Hypertension

·        Heart disease

·        Cancer

·        Respiratory diseases

·        Depression and anxiety

This is probably largely due to the mechanisms outlined above.

Benefit 5: Time for tea!

 A typical Forest Therapy session will end with tea and biscuits or another snack. This gentle and sociable ending allows participants to make the transition back into the ‘normal’ world.

The tea used can be made from foraged plants such as nettles, dandelion, rosemary and mint. While care needs to be taken to be familiar with the potential side effects or interactions that can occur when using plants to make tea, many of these tea plants have beneficial effects to human health.

Mint, for example, is a particularly good source of vitamin A, critical for eye health, lowering the risk of cataracts, as well as potentially lowering the risk of breast cancer. It is also a potent source of antioxidants which help protect the body from oxidative stress, a type of damage to cells caused by free radicals. Mint may also alleviate some digestive disorders such as IBS and indigestion, may contribute to healthy brain function, and support a healthy immune system.

Dandelion is another excellent source of Vitamin A, but also has anti-inflammatory properties since it contains taraxasterol which is an antioxidant. As a good source of potassium dandelion tea can also help the kidneys to filter out toxins.

Stinging nettle leaves and root provide a wide variety of nutrients, including vitamins A, C, K and B; minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, as well as being a source of amino acids and carotenoids. Nettles are another antioxidant, and can reduce symptoms of allergies, relieve joint pain and support adrenal function.

The health benefits of Rosemary include improved heart health, relief of painful muscles and joints and contributions to cognitive function. It may potentially slow the growth of cancer cells, lower the risk of asthma and reduce anxiety and stress. It also has antimicrobial properties which have a positive effect on the immune system.

Summary

To sum up, spending time outdoors in nature is not just a ‘nice to do’.

 It has huge, scientifically proven benefits to our physical and mental health and I feel only through true sustained re-connection to nature will human beings remember that we are part of it and how we choose to interact with it will determine our future as a species.

While Forest Therapy isn’t the only way to access these natural health benefits, it is the perfect balance of spending time in a phytoncide and negative ion rich environment coupled with a guided experience of slowing down and tuning into the senses and a sharing of that experience with others, all of which offer a powerful opportunity to reconnect on every level.