Forest therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition.
Today, we talk about forest bathing and nature therapy, or ecotherapy, with Harpreet Gujral, DNP FNP-BC, program director and nurse practitioner, Sibley Integrative Medicine, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Health System.
Dr. Gujral is an integrative nurse practitioner and director of the inpatient surgical unit at HCA Healthcare in Reston, Virginia. The hospital has a special interest in the resilience and wellbeing of frontline healthcare providers.
She incorporates her training in conventional nursing with aromatherapy, guided imagery and various Eastern modalities like ayurveda, mindfulness, and meditation. These are therapies that are enhanced by her roots in India.
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Related Content
The Science Behind Forest Therapy
https://www.natureandforesttherapy.earth/about/the-science
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs
https://www.natureandforesttherapy.earth/about/the-practice-of-forest-therapy
Psychology Today: Nature Therapy
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201608/nature-therapy
Healthline: Ecotherapy and the Healing Power of Nature
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/ecotherapy
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Transcript
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transcript-forest-bathing-melding-mindfulness-nature-gw-office-of/?published=t
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This podcast features the song “Follow Your Dreams” (freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Ho…ur_Dreams_1918) by Scott Holmes, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial (01https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) license.
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