With five million people in England attending the NHS for mental health care, some are turning to ecotherapy as an alternative treatment, and practitioners say people have told them it has “literally saved their lives”.
Anjum Piabakos, Junior Reporter
Sunday 9 June 2024 05:12, UK
The mental health crisis and long waiting lists for treatment are leading more people to turn to alternative therapies, with some crediting “ecotherapy” as saving their lives.
One form of ecotherapy that is becoming increasingly popular is forest bathing.
Proponents of the idea say it's simple: find peace and quiet among the trees, breathe deeply and observe the nature around you.
The NHS says five million patients will access mental health care in England between 2022 and 2023 – an increase of more than one million in five years, as more people seek refuge in nature to escape the stresses of modern life.
Suzanne Mace, forest bathing manager at Kew Gardens and founder of Meet in Nature, told Sky News: “The first step is to come and experience forest bathing for yourself – see, hear, smell and touch.”
She added: “We've seen thousands of people enjoy the benefits of forest bathing both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Some people say forest bathing has literally saved their lives, while others say it has transformed their relationship with nature.”
The initiative inspired the winner at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, where London designer Ulla Maria took home the gold medal for her Forest Bathing Garden.
Image: Ulla Maria won gold at this year's Chelsea Flower Show for her Forest Bathing Garden. Photo: PA
She described the garden as a place of “comfort and reflection” for those with muscular dystrophy, while chair of the RHS Show Garden judges, Liz Nicholson, called the garden a “wonderful woodland edge which is immersive, relaxing and calming”.
According to mental health charity MIND, forest bathing can help adults and children relieve stress and boost their health and wellbeing in a natural way.
But they add that it needs to be used in conjunction with other mental health treatments.
Katie Mills, founder and director of Forest and Family, also told Sky News that, contrary to popular belief, forest bathing is much more than just “taking your clothes off”.
She believes the practice is growing in popularity around the world and says people can benefit greatly from connecting with nature.
Picture: Hayley Jarvis, from MIND, said: “Some of these projects are trying to fill gaps in traditional treatments.”
The idea of ​​forest bathing comes from a Japanese practice known as “shinrin-yoku,” which began in the 1980s.
Dr. Ching Lee, who created the therapy, is quoted as saying, “No medicine has a more direct effect on health than a walk in a beautiful forest.”
Forest bathing is an activity that involves slowing down and concentrating on what you see, smell, hear, and touch.
Exercises include shifting your gaze, seeing different colors in nature, smelling strong-smelling leaves, experiencing different textures, and more.
Every forest bathing experience is different, and typically involves walking less than a mile and taking about two hours.
But you can practice for just 10 to 15 minutes or you can practice over a period of several days or weeks.
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The NHS predicts that by 2023, around one in five children and young people aged eight to 25 will have a suspected mental disorder, up from one in nine in 2017.
MIND supports natural therapies in treating mental health, but the charity's head of sport and physical activity, Hayley Jarvis, said: “Ecotherapy is not the only solution and should be used alongside talking and medication.”
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She added: “1.9 million adults are on waiting lists for NHS mental health services.”
“Some of these projects are trying to fill in the gaps.”
