Shinrin-Yoku: An Effective Ecotherapy for Drug Rehab, Alcohol Treatment, and Addiction

Shinrin-Yoku, also known as Forest Bathing, “is a traditional Japanese practice of immersing oneself in nature by mindfully using all five senses”. Often led by a guide, these forest baths ask participants to walk slower in order to pay attention to the colours, smells, and sounds found in the forest. This reconnect with nature is designed to slow us down to our natural state and disentangle the mind from the voracious pace of modern life. With its efficacy so well-known, Japan made shinrin-yoku a part of its national health program in 1982 to encourage its citizens to recharge in its green spaces.

 

Forest Bathing Studies

A study involving nearly 500 Japanese residents with acute and chronic stress showed those with chronic stress “reported the greatest reduction in subjective feelings of hostility, depression, and anxiety as a direct result of time spent in the forested environs.” Research from around the world reiterates the Japanese findings, that time spent in green spaces reduces acute psychological distress.

A 2009 Korean study looked at 63 depressive disorder patients: 23 who would receive their therapy sessions in a forest, 19 who would receive their therapy in hospital, and 21 in the control group receiving regular outpatient management. The forest group attained a remission rate of 61%, significantly higher than the 21% in the hospital group and 5% in the control group. Researchers believe the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy they were employing lends itself to being used in a forest setting, and that the two tools complement each other.

Both of these studies measured salivary cortisol which is tested as a biomarker of stress. In both instances these salivary markers were significantly reduced in those participating in forest bathing.

 

Shinrin-Yoku and Addiction

Perhaps most interesting is that another study, Korean patients with known alcohol addiction and high depression scores all benefited more from a forest therapy camp than patients with lower scores of alcohol abuse and depression. Those over 40 and with severe levels of depression showed the most significant improvement. The researchers concluded that “the forest therapy camp can considerably reduce and ameliorate the depression levels of alcoholics”.  Because the philosophy of shinrin-yoku originates from Japan, Korea, and China, there has been little research or implementation of forest bathing in Western countries. Shinrin-yoku providers in Japan are accredited and monitored, whereas anyone can say they are a practitioner in the unregulated US and Canada. However, it is hoped that with more regulation and integration this therapy technique can help people in Western countries as it has helped those in Asian countries.

 

References:

• ‘Forest Bathing’: How Microdosing on Nature Can Help With Stress
• The Influence of Forest Therapy Camp on Depression in Alcoholics
• The Effect of Cognitive Behavior Therapy-Based Psychotherapy Applied in a Forest Environment on Physiological Changes and Remission of Major Depressive Disorder
• Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review

JMC: 2018.04.26

The post Shinrin-Yoku: An Effective Ecotherapy for Drug Rehab, Alcohol Treatment, and Addiction appeared first on Canada Drug Rehab.