About Forest Therapy

We live in anxious times, changing times, where familiar goalposts are crumbling and we don’t know what will take their place. And many of us are feeling disconnected, with a sense that something is missing from our lives. We may be feeling a longing, and a hunger – for something that feels grounded, and primal, and sacred.

Among the deepest missing footings for many of us is a sense of connection with the rest of nature. Humankind evolved over the eons among the trees, the wind and waters, and the many beings of the more than human world. Thus it’s no surprise that we derive physical, emotional and spiritual sustenance from being in nature, as evidenced by an ever-growing body of scientific literature.

And yet, most of us spend almost all our time indoors, in climate-controlled environments, often immersed on screens, literally walled off from the rest of life that teems all over our planet. We wonder why we feel disconnected and ill at ease.

Do you long to feel more connected, more alive, more whole?

Nature and forest therapy is a pathway back to experiencing nature and the more than human world, and to feeling fully alive. It’s a slow, experiential process where we are invited to be deeply present, to tune in to nature around us through our senses, to feel a profound awareness of our relationship with the rest of nature.

Related to the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku or “forest bathing,” we have a way of saying: “The forest is the therapist. The guide opens the door.”

This practice is known as relational forest therapy. It’s about recognizing that humans are also part of nature, and that we can open up to a strong sense of belonging and appreciation when we recognize and experience being in relationship with the more than human world.

Do you need a guide?

Couldn’t you just do this on your own? You absolutely could. But most of us walk through the woods like we’re at the gym, or in a classroom with a natural history checklist, or largely distracted by thoughts of being elsewhere. The structured process, led by an experienced and attuned guide, and the sharing of the experience in a small group has been found time and again to yield surprisingly powerful results – a sense of profound connection and wholeness – and sometimes, answers to questions we didn’t even know we were asking.

What to Expect

Our forest therapy walks are slow, on gentle terrain, with frequent stops. They do not require any special level of fitness. You will be invited to slow down, to tune into the senses and be fully present in the moment and the place. You will be offered a series of invitations to interact with the more than human world, and from time to time to share your perceptions with others. All invitations and sharing are optional; you know best what is right for you, and all is welcome. Our walks typically last about two hours.

Meet your Guide

Dan grew up in central Virginia and connected early on to a love of nature through hiking and backpacking in the nearby Appalachian Mountains. He moved to Seattle over 25 years ago, and has spent many days exploring the Pacific Northwest through hiking, backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking and backcountry skiing...