For someone who is not a fan of the outdoors or considers themselves skeptical of how walking through the forest could improve their health, they may be shocked to know the scientific data which proves them wrong!

A visit to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy’s (ANFT) website provides all the empirical data to explain the science of forest therapy.

Their website looks at the health benefits of forest therapy holistically and break down the areas in which forest therapy is therapeutic. Breaking down the healing benefits to :

• Immune System Health
• Stress Reduction
• Creativity
• Healing Powers of Trees
• Overall Wellness

Immune System Health

When the immune system is not busy fighting off the latest sickness your body has caught, it can be suffering from stress! The ANFT website describes how the white-celled defenders of the body can be inhibited by stress hormones.

The immune system is the body’s primary defenders against pathogens and without them, the body is easy prey for disease. Forest therapy provides an easy solution to keep up immune system health by its use of decreasing stress hormones. This lowering of stress hormones can be linked to the improved moods that participants feel during forest therapy.

Stress Reduction

For many, stress reduction may be the most important or only reason to participate in forest therapy. The question as to why to choose forest therapy over a simple walk in the woods though, can be answered in the science.

The stress hormone cortisol is one of many that the body releases when it is under stress. These hormones help keep us alive normally but if they are released too often, symptoms like heart conditions, high blood pressure, and other conditions can occur.

Forest therapy is unique because of its ability to increase,

“parasympathetic nervous system activity which prompts rest, conserves energy, and slows down the heart rate while increasing intestinal and gland activity.”

ANFT website

Creativity

There is something about being in nature that spurs creativity. The open air and sounds of the forest allow the mind to wander freely. During forest therapy sessions, one is encouraged to open up the mind and senses of the forest and spur creative thoughts and feelings through a deeper understanding of nature.

Healing Power of Trees

With a lowered stress rate being determinate of improved immune system health, one may wonder just how trees fit into their respective role. The answer may come from a chemical released by evergreen trees called phytoncide. Phytoncide has been linked to the improvement of immune systems. There have been studies to test the healing benefits of trees stemming back to the mid 19th century.

Overall Wellness

Anyone who has been trapped inside all day knows just how freeing it feels to finally get outside after a long day. Forest therapy capitalizes on that by providing a chance to fully immerse oneself in nature and hone their senses to become more in tuned.

Numerous psychological tests have found a positive correlation of mood improvement when the subjects have walked in the forest compared to in the city.

Forest therapy allows for the subject to improve their mind, body, and soul through the discipline of forest bathing and provides a much stress reduction in a hectic world.