By Madeleine Charney, research services librarian, UMass Amherst
mcharney@library.umass.edu
As a librarian with a background in sustainable landscape design, the term “forest bathing” caught my attention. I ordered a couple of books for our collection at UMass Amherst and brought one home called The Joy of Forest Bathing: Reconnect with Wild Places & Rejuvenate Your Life by Melanie Choukas-Bradley. The title alone gave me a lift. The author offers a simple antidote to our nature-starved and distracted lives, a practice called Shinrin-yoku, in Japanese or “forest bathing” in English. Trees and plants emit organic compounds known as phytoncides which boost their immune systems and do the same for us as we absorb them through our breath and skin (perhaps roll up your sleeves next time you visit a forest). We literally bathe ourselves in health-promoting phytoncides when we forest bathe. Forest bathing (or “forest immersion”) is about slowing down to immerse in nature for overall health and well-being. Scientifically proven health benefits include boosted immune function, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health, and stress reduction. Relaxing an overworked brain also fosters healthier aging.
As I got deeper into the book, I came upon a podcast episode on the topic. The interviewee explained that he was a “nature and forest therapy guide.” A bell went off in my mind. Then my inner voice chimed in, “I want to do that.” About a year later when my schedule opened up, I enrolled in a six-month training with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT). Founded by M. Amos Clifford, the framework has become the most-widely used in the world with more than 2000 trained guides in over 60 countries.
ANFT practices go beyond forest therapy as described above by teaching Forest Therapy as a relational practice that brings people into deeper intimacy with natural places, including our natural self. The experience gently reminds participants of “the kernel of who we are, and what we are born to be and how we are intended to be of service in the world.” Regardless of your personal beliefs, this practice has been shown to increase feelings of empathy, awe, wonder, and gratitude and instill a love of nature and an ecological mindset (i.e. creating more earth activists, I hope!) 
While hiking is an enjoyable and healthy activity, forest therapy is more than a walk in the park. A forest or nature therapy experience involves a sequence of open-ended invitations that provides structure to the experience, while embracing opportunities for creativity and serendipity offered by the forest and individual inspiration of the guide. There is no prescription for what a person "should'' experience, or what benefits they "should" receive. My teachers impressed upon us time and again, that “the forest is the therapist; the guide opens the door.”
Invitations are simple, sense-based and open. For example, with the invitation called “Blessing Way,” participants are sent off to wander on the land and notice if they are called to connect with another being. They may then want to offer the other being a blessing (i.e. intention, wish). Then pause and notice whether the being has a blessing for them. The last time I participated in this invitation, I was drawn to a bank of azalea bushes with a proliferation of stunning tangerine blossoms drenched in morning dew. My wish for them was, “May you fully enjoy the fleeting presence of your blossoms and being visited upon by pollinators.” Then I tuned in. What was the azaleas wish for me? As I gently ran my fingers across their delicate blossoms, I heard “May you be refreshed and bring refreshment to others.” I drank in the message deeply and returned to the group circle where we each shared what we were noticing. As always, I was moved by each person’s unique reflection on their own “blessing way.”
A favorite part of guiding for me is the informal “debrief” afterwards, which happens over tea I brew from local plants. An environmental studies professor shared that the walk was the most relaxed he had felt in years. Another participant said she found deep relief in having “permission” to just be quiet as it honored and supported her introverted nature. One person who started out with a stern temperament reported, with a soft smile, that their highlight was their conversation with a snail. Guided walks have the power to reactivate adults’ imagination and playfulness. Children enjoy them too!
For Climate Preparedness Week 2021, I guided a walk on my campus (a designated arboretum and birthplace of landscape architecture as a profession). In September, I will guide two walks for New Student Orientation, by invitation from the head of student wellness in Office of Student Affairs. As an academic teaching librarian, I consider the walks as a way for learners to draw from and honor other ways of knowing. If you teach information literacy, here’s a thought-provoking exercise: Consider how these guided walks relate to Frame 5 of the ACRL Framework, “Scholarship as a Conversation.”
The ANFT website is chock full of resources. Choose a book and read articles on the science of forest therapy. Watch a four-minute video with forest medicine expert, Dr. Qing Li. Want to experience a guided walk? Refer to the directory of ANFT-trained guides. There may be one of us in your neck of the woods!
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Griffis
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