West Coast Notes

Forest Therapy Articles

Reflections and science-informed guidance on forest therapy, somatic stress recovery, nature connection, creativity, digital wellbeing, and practices that help people come back to their senses.

From Mirroring to Collective Effervescence: Why Shared Experiences Matter for Wellbeing
Wendy FigoneForest Therapy

From Mirroring to Collective Effervescence: Why Shared Experiences Matter for Wellbeing

A science-informed reflection on how mirroring, synchrony, shared attention, and nature-based experiences help people feel more connected, grounded, and restored. This article explores why Forest Therapy, community gatherings, and shared experiences in nature can support individual wellbeing, belonging, and healthier communities.
From Separation to Relationship: How Forest Therapy Reconnects Us with Nature
Wendy FigoneForest Therapy

From Separation to Relationship: How Forest Therapy Reconnects Us with Nature

What It Means to Be “In Relationship with Nature”

In forest therapy, we often say the forest is the therapist, the guide opens the door. Yet the deeper invitation is not only stress reduction or relaxation—it is remembering how to be in relationship again. As Jacques Cousteau wisely said, “People protect what they love.” When we slow down long enough to feel connected to the living world, care often arises naturally. Connection can become stewardship. Presence can become belonging.

🌙Komorebi, Yuragi & Sanpo Yoshi: Lessons from the Forest
Wendy FigoneForest Therapy

🌙Komorebi, Yuragi & Sanpo Yoshi: Lessons from the Forest

A recent study from Finding Nature reveals something we might already sense: humanity has been steadily drifting away from the natural world for over two centuries. Using a fascinating model, researchers tracked the decline of nature-related words in books — words like river , blossom , moss . They found a drop of nearly 60%, suggesting not just a loss of vocabulary, but a loss of relationship.
🌙 Tapping into the Imaginal: Forest Therapy as a Portal to Insight and Meaning
Wendy FigoneCreativity, Insight & Imagination

🌙 Tapping into the Imaginal: Forest Therapy as a Portal to Insight and Meaning

I did a year of Jungian dream work and learned how to lean into my dreams for guidance. That practice taught me that our unconscious has so much to share if we pause long enough to listen. Recently, I read Rubin Naiman’s book Healing Night and found myself pondering the benefits of letting the left brain rest — giving our thinking mind space to breathe.