An Organizational Coach and Certified Forest Therapy Guide’s Perspective

Siobhan is an organizational coach and certified forest therapy guide. She works with urban professionals looking to create sustainable lifestyles by connecting with nature. Siobhan helps coach a shift in behaviour through a sustained change of mindset, and we had the pleasure of working with Siobhan to get some insight on her wonderful perspective in this two part series!

---

Q1: What is a forest therapy guide, and what inspired you to become one?

“Forest Therapy, also known as “Shinrin-Yoku,” refers to the practice of spending time in forested areas for the purpose of enhancing health, wellness, and happiness. The practice follows the general principle that it is beneficial to spend time bathing in the atmosphere of the forest. The Japanese words translate into English as “Forest Bathing.” Although we are inspired by the Japanese practice, our use of the terms Forest Therapy and Shinrin-Yoku do not mean a specifically Japanese practice. We mean spending time in nature in a way that invites healing interactions. There is a long tradition of this in cultures throughout the world. It’s not just about healing people; it includes healing for the forest (or river, or desert, or whatever environment you are in).

"There are an infinite number of healing activities that can be incorporated into a walk in a forest or any other natural area. An activity is likely to be healing when it makes room for listening, for quiet and accepting presence, and for inquiry through all of the sensory modes we possess.”

(source: https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org)

The Forest is the Therapist. The Guide Opens the Door.

For me, becoming a guide felt natural, pardon the pun. I have known the pleasure and the peace of being in the present of trees, water and the land my whole life. I have a knowing that we are meant to live in relationship with the land. I also know from living in an area that has become increasingly urban, and after spending most of my professional life in a corporate office environment, the negative impact that ‘disconnection from the land’ has on people –myself included. This disconnection shows up in our health and thinking. It greatly affects decisions when we no longer incorporate the planet into how we live and do business. This was a powerful realization for me. Our state of mind is creating an ever deepening rift between us and the planet. Climate change is the planet’s way of telling us to wake up from our unconscious impact. So I put my skills to use and strive to be a catalyst for healing urban dwellers and cultivate a mindset shift that is beneficial to us and the planet.

---

Q2: Essentially what we are doing here is reducing screen time, Constant 'doing' mindset and reducing our developed inhibition of the natural world so that we may feel recharged, re-inspired and connected to that which sustains us -- the natural world that we are a part of, and need to respect and protect?

Through my education, professional and life experience, I know reality starts from within. What you dream of, how you want to be treated and expect, or do not want, will show up in your actions and words. Coaching leaders, I have observed over and over again that it is healthy, respectful, reciprocating relationships that are at the heart of successful lives, communities and business. I would like to see us expand to include a healthy, respectful, reciprocating relationship with the natural world as a way to thrive.

For example, the latest buzzword in business is innovation. How can we expect employees to be innovative when they work in stressful places contained inside concrete and drywall with noise and light pollution, cut off from the more-than-just-human beings that provide the biochemical exchange that allows humans to tap fully into their creative inner resources?

Too many times a change in behavior comes from reacting to tragedy or trauma, forcing a person to make a change only after the suffering becomes unbearable. Forest bathing is a calmer, healthier, more inviting path to changing a mindset. And in my opinion, a more sustainable path over a lifetime.

With this in mind, part of my coaching program is to build a deeper relationship with the land. This opens us up to new information obtained through our senses and allows us to be in choice. I observe the inner shift in thinking when my forest bathing clients begin to express a realization that I will summarize as this:

This place is our home and sanctuary. It is a place of abundance and is life giving. I am part of it, and it me. I will not allow this part of me to be harmed.

With this as our mindset, new behaviors that positively impact us and the planet can take root and are more likely to be sustained over time.

---

Q3: You make an interesting point that forest bathing is a calmer, healthier, more inviting path to a changing mindset of sustainability (and support for leaders who value our home), as well as one that may be longer lasting. Do you notice people are more likely to stick with their long-lasting sustainability habits after a forest therapy session during which you’ve noticed this deep, emotional connection?

Emotions drive a lot of our decisions whether we realize it or not. In the modern western world, we tend to rely on intellect. But that doesn’t always provide the whole story…

…PART TWO will be available next week!