Movement Emerges to Include Green Space as a Social Determinant of Mental Health

A rich and growing literature shows that immersion in nature and exposure to green space has a measurable impact on health and mental health. This is the first in a three-part series.

On a recent Saturday in Rock Creek Park in Washington D.C., Sarah Dewitt, a certified forest therapy guide, led a handful of people in the ancient Japanese practice of “Shinrin-yoku”—forest breathing or forest bathing.

“Forest bathing is a very slow and mindful walk in nature,” Dewitt told Psychiatric News. “It starts with a warm-up in which I invite participants to tune into each of their senses one at a time. Then I might invite them to wander out in the woods and pay close attention to all the things that are in motion.”

Read and listen to the article by the original source through the link below:

https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2023.11.11.17