Summary: Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing and more recently known in Western contexts as forest therapy, was created in the 1980s in Japan to tackle the negative physical and mental effects of a fast-paced, work-centric modern lifestyle. At their core, all three are about time spent slowly and mindfully in nature by awakening the senses, focusing on the present and bathing in the immersive and therapeutic effects of natural spaces, especially forests and woodlands.
To get to the heart of what is the difference between shinrin-yoku, forest therapy and forest bathing, we have to start with the history of shinrin-yoku.
“Shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses. This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.” Dr Qing Li, Into the Forest: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness
Shinrin-yoku translated literally means forest bathing in Japanese. The word is a composite of three characters in kanji (or characters used in the written form of Japanese). The first character is three trees and means “forest,” the second character is two trees and refers to the interconnectedness of the forest, and the third character connotes the luxury of being fully engulfed in the abundance that surrounds you (1). So, as often with many words in foreign languages, there is no simple translation of shinrin-yoku that is going to encompass the full meaning of the word, but forest bathing comes close. It is about time spent slowly, mindfully in nature, awakening the senses, focusing on the present and being in harmony with the environment around you.
Many Japanese cultural practices are rooted in Buddhism which stresses respect for all life forms and Shintoism which sees every aspect of nature as being divine. But this is not specific to Japanese culture. From major religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism to Celtic and indigenous cultures around the world, developing environmental consciousness and playing the role of a steward for the natural world are core tenants. (2)
At the same time, Japanese work culture is known to be very demanding, and doctors noticed they were seeing high and rising rates of stress, anxiety and depression.
In 1980s, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku as part of a national health program. It was based on using a deep cultural history of encouraging a close, respectful and harmonious relationship with nature to address physical and mental health challenges created by our modern life. The Japanese government has put aside funding to create shinrin-yoku trails across Japan and has also funded research, including research by Dr Qing Li. (3)
There is now a great deal of scientific data showing that time spent outside especially in forest environments is hugely beneficial for us, including reducing concentrations of cortisol, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and increasing parasympathetic nerve activity and lowered sympathetic nerve energy (so helping regulate emotions and create calm and reduce our “fight or flight” response). But more on this in future blog posts!
Eventually shinrin-yoku made its way over Western countries, and organisations like the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT), founded in 2012, started using the term “forest therapy” to mean a health and wellness framework that is underpinned by the deep nature connection tenets of shinrin-yoku but for an audience and environment outside of Japan. Amos Clifford, the founder of ANFT who also had a background in counselling, created a structured sequence of guided experiences that drew on research to help train guides who could host forest therapy sessions, with the intention of forest therapy being embedded into the American healthcare system as a way of preventing and managing many of the modern diseases we are seeing.
So this brings us to the key question: what is the difference between shinrin-yoku, forest therapy and forest bathing. In my view, not very much. Shinrin-yoku is specific to Japanese culture and the Japanese practice of forest bathing. For that reason, those of us who practice this in the West will use forest therapy or forest bathing. I recently asked a group I led on a forest therapy session about which terminology they prefer and the group was split down the middle. I’ve seen attempts at identifying differences between forest therapy and forest bathing, which are largely superficial. They draw distinctions in the amount of time spent outdoors, or variations in the sequence of guided experiences, or suggest forest therapy is more grounded in science and incorporates elements of psychotherapy. There are therapists who are now incorporating being outside in the natural world as part of therapy with the clients, and this can also be called forest therapy.
However, for the majority of us forest therapy guides, the forest is the therapist and we are the facilitators. I’m certainly not a licensed medical professional and would never claim to be!
However you choose to describe it, both encompass the same practice of therapeutic time spent mindfully and intentionally in nature. And that’s really what it’s about in the end!
Resources cited:
https://foresthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/3-Plevin_Forest_Bathing.pdf
