Frequently Asked Questions

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Forest therapy (aka Forest Bathing) is a guided practice of slowing down in a forest or natural setting—long enough for your nervous system to notice it is safe, long enough for your senses to “wake up,” long enough for the day’s urgency to loosen its grip. It is not about mileage. It is about relationship.

In forest therapy, the forest is not scenery. It is a living community we enter with curiosity and respect, and—if we are willing—reciprocal learning becomes possible. In the words I use when I guide: we slow down, engage all our senses, and open ourselves to experiential learning with and through nature.

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The science is still evolving, and not every study is designed the same way. But overall, evidence suggests forest therapy/forest bathing can support stress reduction and physiological relaxation—including changes like lower cortisol and improved autonomic nervous system balance in forest environments compared with urban settings. 

There is also peer-reviewed literature describing effects associated with shinrin-yoku such as reductions in blood pressure/heart rate and stress hormones, and changes in immune markers (e.g., natural killer cell activity) in certain study contexts—findings that are promising, while still dependent on study design, population, and exposure “dose.” 

Hiking is often goal-driven: the summit, the steps, the pace, the app that proves you did it.  

Forest therapy is different in three ways: 

• Intention: the “point” is presence, not performance..
• Pace: we move slowly, with frequent pauses, so the senses can lead.  
• Structure: a guided sequence of invitations helps participants drop beneath thinking and into direct experience (even if they’ve “been outdoors” their whole life). 

Forest therapy can be restorative precisely because it asks nothing of you except to arrive.

If you’re practicing on your own, you mainly need: curiosity, willingness to slow down, and consent-based attention (listening to your body, not forcing an experience).

If you’re guiding others professionally, training matters—because holding space is a skill, and safety is non-negotiable. For example, ANFT guide certification involves a remote training component plus an in-person immersion and practicum requirements, and it also requires wilderness first aid preparation.

I pursued this work formally—earning my ACC coaching credential and completing nature and forest therapy guide certification, including an in-person immersion—because clients deserve both heart and rigor.

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Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese term often translated as “forest bathing.” It does not mean bathing in water; it means bathing in the atmosphere of the forest—light, scent, texture, birdsong, wind, and the subtle intelligence of your own attention.  Many people come to shinrin-yoku because their connection—to nature, to one another, to a sense of purpose—has been stretched thin by the pace of modern life. Forest bathing is one way back.

If you are waiting for a gold star, you may be bringing performance into the one place it doesn’t belong. 

You’re “doing it right” when:

• You notice more than you did five minutes ago (sound, color, temperature, scent). 
• Your breath slows—maybe only a little. 
• You feel relationship instead of rush: with the place, with your body, with the moment.  

Forest therapy isn’t a test. It’s a practice of returning.

These modalities can overlap, but their center of gravity differs:

• THERAPY often focuses on healing, diagnosis/treatment (when applicable), and working with mental health concerns and patterns.
• COACHING  is typically future-oriented, partnership-based, and client-led—designed to build clarity, capacity, and forward movement.  
• MENTORING commonly includes guidance based on the mentor’s experience and advice in a specific field.  
• CONSULTING usually involves expert recommendations and solutions delivered to a client or organization.

In my work, coaching is not “me having the answers.” It is creating the conditions where your answers can speak.