Forest therapy may have become widely known through the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, but it has grown into a global wellbeing movement.
The International Handbook of Forest Therapy, edited by Dieter Kotte, Qing Li, Won Sop Shin and Andreas Michalsen, brings together international perspectives across public health, prevention, forest medicine, psychology, ecology, guiding practice and research.
The significance of the handbook is that it frames forest therapy as more than a local cultural practice. It shows how the field has developed across countries, settings and professional disciplines.
Adapting the practice locally
This global view matters. Forest therapy is not simply about importing a Japanese idea into another country. It is about adapting a nature-based wellbeing practice to local landscapes, local communities and local health needs.
For Singapore, this is especially relevant. The city is highly urban, highly productive and deeply connected to green spaces. Guided forest therapy can help people experience those green spaces differently, not as scenery in the background, but as active places of restoration.
Professional guidance matters
The handbook also supports a more professional understanding of forest therapy. A guided session is not random. It requires training, safety awareness, carefully paced invitations and sensitivity to the group, the weather, the terrain and the ecology of the place.
For Nature Immersions, this global body of work helps position forest therapy as a credible, structured and internationally recognised wellbeing practice.
Further reading: International Handbook of Forest Therapy catalogue record.