As part of our commitment to widening the range of emotional support and wellbeing services and opportunities for engagement, NCBI recently commenced its “The Role of Nature in Health and Wellbeing” series.
The project has been made possible by funding from the National Lottery and through our collaboration with Sarah Hourigan from Nature Therapy Ireland. Sarah has been delivering Nature Therapy Sessions in partnership with Vision Sports Ireland on a regular basis as part of their home exercise programme. As this form of wellbeing activity draws from the evidence-based practices of forest bathing, forest therapy, wild therapy and ecopsychology, our Counselling, Wellbeing & Emotional Support Service wished to provide further opportunities for those with an interest in the topic, and also to provide increased opportunities for outdoor engagement and connection, at a different pace to many of the numerous other sports and leisure pursuits.
Initially, several online talks and workshops were held in May and June, with many people joining to find out more about how this way of engaging with nature may be of benefit to them. The series culminated in an in-person “forest bathing” event in the beautiful surroundings of the Phoenix Park on 1st July. Sarah Hourigan, along with our own team of staff and volunteers welcomed many people from all over the country on a gentle walk using a series of practices to awaken the senses and to focus on the natural environment around us. This event aimed to help develop an enhanced sense of appreciation for nature and to re-balance the body and mind.
Originating in Japan as ‘shinrin yoku’ in the 80s, forest bathing is an accepted part of Japanese preventative health care. Since then, it has been practiced worldwide and researchers continue to investigate its many positive outcomes. They conclude that the real and long-term benefits include, among other things, improved sleep, reduced stress, increased immunity, lower blood pressure and accelerated recovery from illness or trauma.
The weather held out for us, and we all agreed that we left the session walk ready to embrace the season of summer with a renewed sense of community, a strong understanding of how we personally connect with nature and with valuable tools to use in the future.
NCBI’s Peter O’Toole shared his own insights into the day: “We were very happy to witness people giving themselves completely to trying something new and the overall atmosphere of connection, community and compassion was really evident – especially in hearing of the enduring engagement with participants afterwards”.
Quote 1: “What a lovely afternoon we had at the Nature Connection event in Phoenix Park. It was so nice to meet Sarah and participants in person. Thanks for your kindness and the warm empathetic manner in which you facilitated. A really nice sense of connection and connectedness developed both with nature and within the group, even in that short time. I loved the way the afternoon was structured and the closure was perfect, again reminding us of our connection with nature (herbal tea) and the world and even tuning in to our sense of taste!”
Quote 2: Lisa: “We were all stepping out of our comfort zones, and it was lovely to be encouraged to express how strange and weird it was to be doing so. I would recommend the experience to anyone and will definitely do it again!”
Quote 3: Sabrina: “”The nature bathing experience was wonderfully serene, I would definitely recommend it for the mind, body and soul and would do it again tomorrow if I could! Sarah was an exceptional guide, and the location was perfect, a tranquil oasis among the trees that made you forget you were in the middle of a bustling capital city. Thank you NCBI for such a magical Saturday afternoon.”
NCBI is aiming to hold several similar events throughout the rest of the year and leading into the first half of 2024. Queries relating to these events can be sent to [email protected] and we will keep our service users posted on what is in the pipeline. More information in general is available on Nature Therapy’s website.