Connecting to Nature, Connecting to Self
Part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021
It was a sunny Tuesday morning in July 2017 in the GENO conference centre just outside of Cologne, Germany. There were about 100 people who came together that year for the EFPP (European Federation for Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy) Summer School to connect and to learn about different psychosynthesis practices. I had just recently started in my role as Executive Director at the Trust and I felt excited to immerse myself in the week’s unfolding and discoveries to come.
As I made my way to the programme that was posted on the wall, I caught a whiff of the warm pine scented breeze that came in through the open doors that led directly into the vast Konigsforst forest.
I scanned over the 4-day programme that included about 40 different workshops, sessions and talks – all of which were hosted by psychosynthesis practitioners from all over Europe. Although I remember wanting to go to every single session – there was one that really stood out for me having spent my childhood playing in the forests: “Forest Bathing with Annette – Awaken to your Senses”.
The origins of forest bathing
The next day, Annette led us into the pine forest and then into a glade of birch trees where we sat down as a group in a circle. She explained the origins of ‘forest bathing’ or Shinrin Yoku as it is known in Japan. It was introduced in Japan by the Ministry of Health in the mid-1980s in response to high-levels of anxiety and stress amongst the Japanese workforce. Since then, after much scientific research demonstrating well-being and the mental health benefits of spending time under the canopy of trees, it is now prescribed as part of the Japanese national health care system.
Forest bathing is also growing in popularity as an alternative therapy in places like South Korea, Finland, Switzerland, US and here in the UK. There are hopes that one day it will be part of the social prescribing on our NHS.
Tuning into our senses and connecting to Self
Annette explained that over the next 2 hours, we’d be doing a series of exercises that would help us to tune into our senses and to become more present in our bodies. As we made our way into the forest, we gazed at the fractal patterns in the trees, listened to the sounds of birds, smelt the soil and felt the warm rays of the sun on our skin. We then laid on the forest floor for 25 minutes allowing Mother Earth to hold and ground our being.
As we shared and witnessed each other in our personal experiences, it became clear that tuning into our senses allowed us to relax and access parts of ourselves in new ways that supported our healing. I spoke of how smelling the soil reminded me of time with my grandmother and how this evoked a new perspective on my relationship with her and my ancestry. (I later learned that the micro-bacteria in the soil is a powerful activator of our memory in the limbic system).
Other people shared how they appreciated ‘being with’ themselves and that through this they became much more aware of their relationship to a wider intelligence that connects all of life. This helped them to tune into their spiritual nature and brought about a sense of awe and wonder. Annette explained that it was the spiritual dimension, ‘being with’ oneself and becoming more aware of an embodied sense of self that she appreciated as a practitioner.
Becoming a forest bathing guide
Fast forward 4 years to May 2021, as we recognise Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme of ‘Nature’. I am just about to finish my last case study for my training that will enable me to become a forest bathing guide. I am moved to spend more time in the forests as I find it such a helpful personal practice for my own mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. I also want to find ways to help more people to connect to their own inner nature, through nature and for nature.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 – ‘Connect with Nature’
When explaining why Nature is the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, the organisers say:
“During long months of the pandemic, millions of us turned to nature. (…)
It was as if we were re-discovering at our most fragile point our fundamental human need to connect with nature.
Nature is so central to our psychological and emotional health, that it’s almost impossible to realise good mental health for all without a greater connection to the natural world. For most of human history, we lived as part of nature. It is only in the last five generations that so many of us have lived and worked in a context that is largely separated from nature. (…) and science has started to unpack the extraordinary health benefits.
During Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, we will pull together the evidence that demonstrates the powerful benefits of nature for our mental health. We will look at nature’s unique ability to not only bring consolation in times of stress, but also increase our creativity, empathy and a sense of wonder. (…)
Nature is our great untapped resource for a mentally healthy future.
#ConnectWithNature and share what this means for you.”
At the Trust we have decided to celebrate #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek by sharing stories and examples of how we apply psychosynthesis to connect with nature, and how we learn about other techniques and practices to expand our consciousness and feel more deeply connected to the natural world.
We would like to encourage our community as well as likeminded people and organisations to join us in this week’s celebration by sharing how connecting with nature benefits mental health and helps us build a more compassionate world.
Thank you, and we look forward to hearing your stories!
Find out more
To learn more about research demonstrating the effects of forest bathing or to find out about forest bathing events near you, check out The Forest Bathing Institute’s website at https://tfb.institute/
University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group https://www.derby.ac.uk/research/centres-groups/nature-connectedness-research-group/
More information about Mental Health Awareness Week and this year’s theme of ‘Nature’: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/why-nature
Part of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Written by Jen Morgan, Executive Director at the Psychosynthesis Trust