February/March 2024

Have you ever had a calling so deep that you could truly feel the drive guiding you in the direction of the light?

My original inspiration, to embed Forest Therapy into elder communities of care, came to me during a time in which I was caring for my 98 year old grandmother. I observed a lack of nurturing care being delivered in the assisted living/memory care community where she resided. I persuaded the administrators to employ my talents of engaging nature-based programming, integrating breath work, movement, motion, sensory engagement and affirmations to support both residents and care associates.

I was further inspired during a special invitational gathering honoring Dr. Won Sop Shin which focused on Forest Therapy. This meeting was held at the U.S. Forest Service International Programs Office in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the World Forum on Urban Forests. During Dr. Shin’s speech, he mentioned that Forest Therapy had actually been inspired by the elder populations in Korea; this was very intriguing to me.

The point of no return occurred one unforgettable day, in January 2024, during a True Legacy Collective gathering in the Dominican Republic. Loren Lahav invited me to share my vision and when I did it brought about a level of excitement among a group of women and philanthropists that was palpable. I was suddenly challenged by several of my TLC sisters to visit South Korea in order to capture and expand this vision. It was that day, after a magical walk in the labyrinth and the confirmation of my sisters that my vision of creating a Forest Therapy Center was brought into being. This center would be based upon the Korean model while integrating my own twist of establishing an elder residential community of care that would support elders, their loved ones and their caregivers.

It became my goal to start bringing small groups of people to Korea to witness the power of forest therapy through the Korea Forest Welfare Act and federally supported National Forest Therapy Centers and privatized forest healing centers. In my heart, I knew that if people in the U.S. could see and experience the depth of this work in Korea, they would also be able to envision what this might look like in the U.S. and beyond.

My dear friend, confident and colleague, Jennifer Blackwelder, agreed to embark upon a journey with me, to South Korea, that took place in February of 2024. During our trip we built relationships and concentrated on focused learning that would inspire conversations and actions toward propelling forest therapy at a higher level in the U.S. and globally.

While in the Republic of Korea we focused upon meeting top-level officials within the Korea Forest Welfare Institute (FoWI) to learn more about their efforts of advancing Forest Therapy at the national level. We were so graciously guided by Nanhee Kim, Dr. Shin’s doctoral student of Forest Therapy, as she ushered us to the snow-covered coastal region, where we first visited Mr. Songsan and Mr. Alex at Hanulsoop Forest Memorial Park, which is the only designated National Burial Forest. Site administrators, Mr. Songsan and Mr. Alex, graciously shared the programmatic aspects of this space honoring loved ones who have passed by being laid to rest beneath stately trees in a sacred burial forest. We visited several of these stately trees, as well as an intricately carved memorial honoring the spirits united in sacred space.

The following morning, we were guided through specially formed paths through three feet of snow to Daegwallyeong National Forest Therapy Center where we met Dr. Jinsook Kim, Director of the Forest Therapy Center, and a PhD graduate of the Forest Therapy graduate program at Chungbuk National University. Dr. Kim described a variety of Forest Therapy programs tailored to meet the needs of elder participants and shared some of the positive research-based outcomes associated with these program efforts.

We were honored to meet with the President of FoWI and the former President of FoWI, Chang Jae Lee, and to partake in a Forest Therapy session at the first Urban Forest Therapy center in Seoul, with center Director, Dr. Junyun Kim, who was also the first PhD graduate of the Graduate program of Forest Therapy at Chungbuk National University. We graciously participated in a Forest Therapy program, which was designed specifically for aging populations, where we noted the joyful essence of the four elder women who were program participants. It is amazing how quickly relationships can form being held in the essence of Mother Nature.  Jennifer and I had the opportunity to bond deeply with these four women during the Forest Therapy sessions.  As we dove into sensory connection, and navigated any language barriers with giggles and radiant smiles, we learned about their personal experiences in these programs that had transformed their lives and friendships. One woman, in her 80s, said she had been engaging in the Forest Therapy program, 3 times per week, for four years and she believed this was the reason she went from having a diagnosis of diabetes four years ago to a state of no longer being diabetic.

One insightful couple we met at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine has dedicated their lives to engaging in research around Forest Therapy effects on neurological function, with specific outcomes related to Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Ji-yune Yi and Dr. Jaeuk Kim have worked tirelessly in this research realm, as Dr. Yi’s father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and she was therefore inspired in a path of discovery that might help others in the future to cope with this debilitating disease. This work is critical, and incredibly inspirational, as we continue to see a rise in Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease throughout the world. The fascinating technological advances shared with us will create incredible openings and healing pathways for current and future generations.

Forest therapy has the capacity to shift the paradigm of elder care by providing natural and integrative healing mechanisms to aging populations in senior community of care settings. Exposure to indoor and outdoor nature and forest settings provides avenues towards reduced stress, improved cognition, increased self-worth, enhanced quality of life and an overall increase in health and wellbeing. For over 30 years, researchers have developed models and programs to support their aging populations, as well as developing targeted programs for all ages from cradle to grave. This journey to South Korea propelled the manifestation, which is tied to our team’s current efforts in bringing this important work forward that will improve the wellbeing of all people and specifically, our elder loved ones.

My most recent inspiration to bring this work forward arises in my own personal journey of caring for my father who has Alzheimer’s and seeking a community that honors him in this journey through deep nurturing care. I realize that my mother is also in need of additional support as she moves into her own healing journey in the face of cancer, and so, I continue to envision and manifest a nurturing space that will support our collective loved ones with tenderness and loving care, while valuing their beauty, wisdom and purpose in this world.

Gratitude to FoWI and Dr. Won Sop Shin for providing incredible energy and resources, specifically personnel support of Jin-soo Shin and Nanhee Kim, as they opened doors to new relationships and expanding collaborations of advancing Forest Therapy in the U.S. and beyond.