Nature therapy
Nature therapy is a name for practices that use time in natural surroundings, such as forests, parks and gardens, to help people relax and stay well. Japanese researchers Chorong Song, Harumi Ikei and Yoshifumi Miyazaki describe it as a health-promotion approach that aims at preventive health benefits through exposure to natural stimuli that bring about a state of physical relaxation.[1] Its best-known form is shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, a Japanese practice of immersing oneself in nature by using all five senses mindfully.[2]
Description
Forest bathing
The "bathing" is in the forest atmosphere: shinrin-yoku means taking in the atmosphere of the forest through all the senses.[1] It refers to restoring body and mind through a "five senses experience" of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste while in a forest.[3]
The emphasis is on slow, attentive presence. In Japanese research programs, participants have, for example, sat looking at a forest view and walked through the forest for about 15 minutes each, or spent several hours walking, sitting and lying on waterproof sheets on the forest floor.[1]
A guided session
At Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria's Melbourne Gardens, guided forest therapy sessions are run in small groups by a trained guide. Participants are encouraged to put aside technology and daily distractions. The session includes guided breathing, mindfulness and sensory-awareness exercises, time for quiet observation and reflection, and light movement suited to each person's ability, and ends with tea and suggestions for continuing the practice at home.[4]
Other settings
Nature therapy research in Japan covers not only forests but also urban green space, plants such as flowers and indoor foliage, and natural wood, so the field now has branches built around each of these: forests, urban green space, plants and wooden materials.[1]
How it is explained
Researchers have offered several explanations, which are theories rather than settled findings. Song and colleagues suggest that people's bodies are best suited to natural surroundings, since humans have spent almost all of their history living in them, and that the gap between this and modern city life contributes to stress.[1] Researchers have also drawn on several theories about why nature may restore people, including the Kaplans' attention restoration theory, Ulrich's stress reduction theory, and the biophilia hypothesis of Kellert and Wilson.[2]
Scope
What it includes
- Forest bathing: slow, mindful time in a forest using all the senses[2][3]
- Time in urban green space, and contact with plants and natural wood[1]
- Guided group sessions with breathing, mindfulness and sensory exercises[4]
What it is not
- It is not a medical treatment. Nature therapy is not presented as a treatment with specific effects, in the way a medicine is. Song and colleagues describe its aim as preventing illness and maintaining health through relaxation.[1]
- It is not yet well researched (see below).[2]
Research
The research is promising but limited, and knowing its weaknesses helps in judging claims made for forest bathing.[2][3]
- A 2017 review of 64 studies, focused on research from Japan and China, noted likely publication bias, very small samples (often fewer than 20 people, mainly healthy young male university students), difficulty separating the effect of the setting from the effect of walking or other activity, and a focus on short-term effects.[2]
- A 2019 systematic review of 28 studies rated 12 of them as low quality, found only one that used computer-generated random allocation, and called for better-designed research.[3]
- A 2025 narrative review reported that the studies it included found forest bathing lowered the stress hormone cortisol and improved negative mood, and that its effects varied with the type of forest, tree species, season and length of exposure.[5]
Traditions and lineage
The term shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) was created in 1982 by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.[3] Forest bathing emerged in Japan in the 1980s as part of preventive health care.[2] The first study of the physical effects of being in a forest was carried out in Japan in 1990, and as evidence built up, the idea of "forest therapy" was proposed.[1]
Most of the research, like the practice itself, comes from East Asia. Reviewers in 2017 found little research in Western populations, and called for long-term studies in Western countries and worldwide.[2]
Context
Within Spiritualism
Spiritfold has found no published source linking nature therapy with Spiritualism.
In Australian Spiritualism
Spiritfold has found no published source linking nature therapy with Spiritualism in Australia.
A Spiritualist perspective
Nature therapy is not part of Spiritualism, but it is the kind of practice many Spiritualists may value in their own lives. Quiet, unhurried time among trees or in a garden quietens the mind, and a teacher might well suggest it to a student who finds it hard to sit still in a development circle. A Spiritualist would also feel at home with the idea of paying full attention to the living world, and with the gratitude that often follows.
It should be offered for what it is: a way of relaxing and resting, not a treatment and not a spiritual technique with promised results. Anyone leading a group outdoors needs to think about each person's age, fitness and health, as the review above notes, and to keep the walk within their abilities. Encourage anyone with health concerns to keep seeing their doctor.
Nature therapy in Australia
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria runs guided forest therapy sessions at its Melbourne and Cranbourne gardens.[4]
Safety and good practice
Because nature therapy takes place outdoors and may involve walking, good practice means matching the activity to the people taking part. A 2025 review noted that when forest therapy involves hiking or climbing, the physical load on older adults and on women can be considerable, so extra safety management is needed to prevent injuries, and programs should be tailored to participants' age, sex and health conditions.[5]
Related modalities
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Song C, Ikei H, Miyazaki Y. "Physiological Effects of Nature Therapy: A Review of the Research in Japan". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016; 13(8): 781 (accessed 11 October 2026).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Hansen MM, Jones R, Tocchini K. "Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017; 14(8): 851 (accessed 11 October 2026).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Wen Y, Yan Q, Pan Y, Gu X, Liu Y. "Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review". Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2019; 24(1): 70 (accessed 11 October 2026).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Forest Therapy". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (accessed 11 October 2026).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chen H, Meng Z, Luo J. "Is forest bathing a panacea for mental health problems? A narrative review". Frontiers in Public Health, 2025; 13: 1454992 (accessed 11 October 2026).
Further reading
- Chen H, Meng Z, Luo J. "Is forest bathing a panacea for mental health problems? A narrative review". Frontiers in Public Health, 2025.
- Hansen MM, Jones R, Tocchini K. "Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017.
- Song C, Ikei H, Miyazaki Y. "Physiological Effects of Nature Therapy: A Review of the Research in Japan". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016.
- Wen Y, et al. "Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review". Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2019.