Forest therapy and forest bathingexploring the socioecological connection in the era of the climate emergency

Resumen

The climate crisis and the global emergency pose complex challenges that extend beyond environmental aspects, basically their impact on individuals and society’s emotional and mental health. Ongoing analyses of the planet’s physical, economic, and social developments reveal data and clarify cause-and-effect relationships. These findings are driving the emergence of various proposals for the reconfiguration of social dynamics. Emerging concepts such as biomimicry, ecofeminism, organic Gaia theory, agroecology, and regeneration, among others, share the common thread of repositioning individuals within nature. They also share ethical and moral assumptions such as holism, diversity, empathy, compassion (in its etymological sense of “suffering with the other”), and reciprocity. This communication theoretically and analytically reviews nature immersion therapies, focusing on forest bathing, as an innovative response embedded in these new logics to address the human dimension of the global emergency. Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku, has emerged as a socioecological practice that offers physical benefits and opportunities to strengthen the connection between individuals and nature. The relational approach in forest therapy, which views the forest as a healing entity, is presented as a valuable transcendent perspective beyond traditional pharmaceutical approaches. This vision proposes a symbiotic connection between the individual and their natural environment, fostering a mutualistic relationship where the person, feeling cared for by the forest, may develop protective attitudes towards nature that contribute to their well-being. Forest bathing is a holistic solution and systemic vision that provides a framework for addressing environmental concerns, eco-anxiety, and ecological grief. These findings have significant implications for improving strategies that promote personal and collective care in the context of the global emergency. This communication analyses the contributions from different disciplines involved in personal and environmental health care, and individuals’ self-perception of their place in the territory and the planet have been reviewed and assessed. The literature review has been complemented with ethnographic data.