Guided Relational Forest Therapy/Relational Forestbathing
(based on the practice of Shinrin-Yoku)
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"The forest is the therapist; the guide opens the doors" -M. Amos Clifford
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"We often forget that we ARE nature; nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we've lost our connection to ourselves" -Andy Goldsworthy
Forestbathing is:
- A guided sensory immersion in the ambience of the forest; re-establishing our connection and relationship with the more-than-human world
- Supporting the wellness and health of participants through a series of guided immersive invitations in forests and other natural settings (see health benefits and research below)
- Guided sensory invitations that establish contact with the present moment and surroundings
- Differs from a typical nature walk or hike, where we might learn about the flora & fauna of the land
- this type of learning, while beautiful, is a cognitive task; forestbathing is not a goal-oriented hike or naturalist/nature information tour; it is a slow-paced, sensing, sensory immersion focused on our relationship to and connection with nature
- Offered in small groups (minimum 2; max 8) and/or as an individual service to current SSY clients
- Approximately 2-2.5 hours; ends with tea ceremony (herbal tea only; caffeine free)
- Forest Therapy Guides acknowledge that the healing contract exists between the participant and the forest; guides are largely agenda-free and are there to provide invitations for the participant to connect/re-connection/remember their relationship with the more-than-human-world
- Not a replacement for medical or mental health supports; guides are not mental health therapists in this role
- Sessions are offered under my Certification as a Forest Therapy Guide: training is through The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT)
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Dates & Times:
Stay tuned for Spring & Summer Forestbathing!
Small groups (min 3-max 8)
Leelanau/NW Grand Traverse; location shared day before session
Possible Locations:
Varied; Leelanau County and NW Grand Traverse County
-15 trails tended by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park Service**Park Pass Required
-26 trails/nature areas tended by Leelanau Conservancy
-Various sites tended by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Stay tuned for Spring & Summer Forestbathing!
Small groups (min 3-max 8)
Leelanau/NW Grand Traverse; location shared day before session
Possible Locations:
Varied; Leelanau County and NW Grand Traverse County
-15 trails tended by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park Service**Park Pass Required
-26 trails/nature areas tended by Leelanau Conservancy
-Various sites tended by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Registration for Guided Forestbathing Session (2 steps):
Step 1:
**Register here!**
Step 2:
After registering, click **HERE** to complete your Health & Participation Form
*Completion of the form confirms your registration
Session details and location will be provided to the registered group 48 hours prior to session AND after registration form is completed. Registration closes 48 before walk start time or when session is full
Step 1:
**Register here!**
Step 2:
After registering, click **HERE** to complete your Health & Participation Form
*Completion of the form confirms your registration
Session details and location will be provided to the registered group 48 hours prior to session AND after registration form is completed. Registration closes 48 before walk start time or when session is full
Currently offered as donation-based sessions
Donations are split between the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary land tenders-the Anishinaabek (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) and the current tenders of the trail (National Park Services or regional Conservancies). No suggested amount; all donations welcomed and appreciated.
Forestbathing donations accepted via Venmo, check, or cash. If using Venmo, include your session date and the word "Forestbathing" in the note/comment section.
Donations are split between the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary land tenders-the Anishinaabek (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) and the current tenders of the trail (National Park Services or regional Conservancies). No suggested amount; all donations welcomed and appreciated.
Forestbathing donations accepted via Venmo, check, or cash. If using Venmo, include your session date and the word "Forestbathing" in the note/comment section.
More wonderings? Contact Kristen directly by clicking HERE!
"As the Forest heals the person, the person comes to be in relationship with the Forest and, rooted in that relationship, is likely to become a caretaker of forests and the land in general. This may also be described more simply as a process of remembering how to love. Perhaps more mystically, our Story is that the Forest enjoys, is encouraged by, and responds to the love it receives. At its deepest level, people and forests begin understanding their intimate connection to and sense of interbeing with each other." -ANFT Training Guide
Additional Forestbathing info: Research, books, and articles:
- Articles on Forestbathing:
- Books on Forestbathing:
- Website on Health Benefits:
- Research on Phytoncides and Health Benefits:
- Effects of Forest Environment (Shinrin-Yoku/Forestbathing) on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention-the Establishment of Forest Medicine (see file below)
- Effect of Phytoncide from Trees on Human Natural Killer Cell (NK cell) Function
- Effect of Forestbathing on Human Immune Function
- Effects of Phytoncide on Immune Cells and Psychological Stress of Gynecological Cancer Survivors: Randomized Control Trial
- In conclusion, phytoncide fragrance reduces stress, increases the number of NK cells and their family even in a nonforest environment, and improves innate immunocytes in gynecological cancer survivors; parasympathetic nerve activity and cortisol hormones play critical roles in this process. That is, a phytoncide essential oil helps to stimulate changes in immunocytes' mobility by affecting the human nervous and endocrine systems, thereby providing relief for psychological stress among cancer survivors who previously had cancer cells.
| establishment_of_forest_medicine.pdf |
Land Acknowledgement: Leelanau County
From Leelanau County Conservancy: "We acknowledge the waters and lands the Leelanau Conservancy cares for and owns are located on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg—the Three Fires Confederacy of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi peoples. Since time immemorial, the Anishinaabeg have lived, worked, honored, and respected these lands. We further acknowledge that the land known today as Leelanau County is comprised of lands acquired under the 1836 and 1855 treaties between the United States and the Ottawa and Chippewa Nation of Indians. Our recognition of the full history of the land we cherish and work to protect is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those on whose ancestral lands we reside. We give thanks to the generous care with which the Anishinaabeg, and those of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, have given and continue to give to this land and our Leelanau community."
https://leelanauconservancy.org/land-acknowledgement/