Psychological Benefits of Self-Guided Forest Healing Program Using Campus Forests

Abstract

Forest healing, also known as forest therapy, has been documented as preventive therapy to enhance health. Primarily, many studies have indicated the benefits of a guided forest-healing program operated under the guidance of a forest therapist. However, little is known about the benefits of a self-guided forest healing program carried out alone, without a guide. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the psychological benefits of a self-guided forest healing program. We designed a randomized 3 × 3 crossover study. Twenty-three university students were randomly exposed to three different conditions: a self-guided forest healing program, a guided forest-healing program, and routine activities. Measures included the Profile of Mood State (POMS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-X1 (STAI-X1). As a result, self-guided and guided forest-healing programs significantly improved subjects’ mood states and anxiety symptoms compared to routine activities. Participating in a forest healing program with guides and participating in a self-guided forest healing program both provided psychological benefits for subjects, showing that self-guided programs can be effectively combined with forest healing. These findings suggest new ways to utilize forest healing to improve mental health. Therefore, the self-guided forest healing program proposes a complementary use of the guided forest-healing program in a modern urbanized society.