Forest therapy: how can being in nature help our mental health?
Sophie Neill is a wellbeing college tutor at North Somerset Wellbeing College and a forest therapy practitioner, trained with the Bristol community interest company Light Box. She now brings her forest therapy expertise into the College, offering sessions that help learners to slow down, notice the natural world, and find space to reflect.
This spring, North Somerset Wellbeing College is launching a four-week Forest Therapy course, running every Tuesday from 3 to 24 March 2026. Each two-hour session includes guided meditations, ways to engage the senses, and time to reflect and journal outdoors. Find out more and book your place here.
What are the benefits of nature for mental health?
Being in nature can have significant benefits for our mental and physical health. To name a few:
- Studies show being in nature can contribute to improved working memory
- Experiencing nature can help to restore attention and cognitive abilities
- Being in nature can also boost immune systems and improve energy levels and sleep quality
There have also been numerous studies as well showing that we are more likely to help the environment when we feel connected to nature. Being in the natural environment encourages us to act in ways that help the environment.
Time in nature can be the perfect antidote to fast-paced modern life. Living in cities and towns, we may find ourselves feeling separate from the natural world and overstimulated by our fast lifestyles and use of technologies.
Sadly, the UK ranks only 55th out of 61 countries for nature connection and is one of the most nature deprived countries in the world. Through the industrialisation of our landscapes since the 19th century, we have started to disconnect from nature.
What is forest therapy?
Forest therapy is also known as forest bathing, or ‘Shinrin Yoku’ in Japan, which is where the practice originates. It is a gentle way to reconnect with our natural world through mindfully connecting to woodland or other outdoor space with all of our senses – for example touch, sight and sound.
It is a gentle process of slowing down and observing our surroundings through completing invitations, which can be simple and sometimes playful suggestions of how to engage with nature. These strategies can help us to get back into our bodies which we may be feeling detached due to daily stresses and our increasingly technology-oriented lives.
How can forest therapy help me?
First established in the 1980s in Japan, forest therapy was seen as a way of coping with increased urbanisation and the changing pace of lifestyles.
With all the modern-day stressors in the UK, it feels increasingly important for nature connection opportunities, such as forest therapy, to be undertaken for our wellbeing. There is a growing trend of Green Social Prescribing, which is when patients are prescribed to spend time with nature-based groups in the community.
The art of forest therapy has now spread across the world and can be practised in the UK, usually being facilitated by independent practitioners.
In 2024, I had the privilege of studying Forest Therapy Practitioner Training with Light Box Project CIC. Since then, I have run forest therapy sessions with North Somerset Wellbeing College. These sessions are free to attend for North Somerset residents over the age of 18. These sessions are next available in March 2026 – you can find out more about these sessions here.
Try this:
Forest therapy can also be practiced independently – in fact, some people enjoy find being alone in nature very grounding.
There are many books on the topic of forest therapy and a wealth of information and invitations on the website www.silvotherapy.co.uk.
A simple activity to try is called a ‘sit spot’. Take a mat or find a bench somewhere in nature (a park or grassy area will do if you do not have a forest). Spend 15 to 20 minutes without using your phone (perhaps set yourself a timer) and take time to take in the whole scene in front of you. Then slowly consider what you are experiencing with your five senses. If your mind wanders, simply bring it back to the present moment and focus on your senses again.
For more information
If you’re interested in reading further about positive benefits of nature on mental and physical health, then I would recommend reading ‘Good Nature’ by Dr Kathy Willis.
The book covers so many areas of recent research it really is quite amazing what we have studied so far!
North Somerset Wellbeing College four-week Forest Therapy course is open to adults aged 18 and over in North Somerset. Sessions will be every Tuesday from March 3 to March 24, 2026, with each two-hour session offering gentle guided meditations, practical ways to engage with your senses, and time to reflect and journal. Find out more and book onto the course here.