On November 20, 2020 I gave a talk for the YWCA of Northwest Ohio as part of there racial equity series. The talk was entitled #BlackStressMatters Understanding & Responding to Toxic Stress through Trauma Informed Care.
It was on Zoom webinar and also streamed on Facebook Live. If you're interested check out the talk.
Forest Bathing ~ Forest Therapy Continued...
Our next activity was to walk around and pay attention. There was no specific path so we each went our own way. The instructions were to just walk around and notice different things. We were given a magnifying glass if we wanted to observe things more closely. We walked in nature and paid attention for about 20 minutes. We weren’t supposed to “study” anything or thinking about the more scientific aspects of what we were looking at. We were just to notice and appreciate it for what it was. For example, if we say a flower we were instructed to just observe and appreciate it for what it was without considering what the exact name of the flower was.
I liked this activity a little more than the previous
because I got to walk around. I took time to notice leaves and even little bugs
on the leaves. I noticed where the leaves had eaten the leaves. I noticed trees
and the areas with tall grass. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily relaxing, but I
did notice things that I wouldn’t normally notice if I was just at the park.
After this experience, we got back together and shared about
the experience. Again, I did not have anything to share.
The final experiential activity was to find a “sit spot”.
The facilitator described this activity as sitting in a spot and letting the surrounding
tell you a story or lead you to ask what if questions. She suggests doing this
activity frequently and described how she had a “sit spot” where she would go
out frequently for several weeks/months (I don’t exactly recall) and let nature
just give her a story. We were given a piece of paper and a pen.
I found a bench and stared out in the distance for about 20
minutes. I struggled at first. I was getting antsy and ready to go. I was
anxious that nothing would come to me. However, I noticed a broken branch and
thought about broken bones. I wondered what if we processed pain
differently? I also wondered what if physical pain wasn’t intrusive with
our thoughts? This about how we would function if our pain wasn’t a
limitation and we didn’t obsess over it or it didn’t overtake our thoughts. As
I continued to sit there, I looked at the trees and how the light came through.
I heard the breeze blow through the trees and the following story came to me.
The wind ruffles
the leaves of a tree.
The leaves reflect
the light as they move.
It reminds me of a
disco ball.
Other tress rustle
as the insects and birds add their music.
The tall grass
dances as the butterflies’ fly.
I don’t know why I thought this or what it means, but that
is what came to me.
After the activity, we came back together and shared. I
chose not to share because I did not want to extend our time together. Myself
and my colleague were ready to go.
Overall, I’ll say the experience was interesting. I like nature
but would not consider myself a nature lover. I believe that some would benefit
from the experience, especially those who need to go to a space to be mindful
or those with a nature intelligence. I think if I went with a bigger group the
experience would have been different.
Would I recommend Forest Bathing? Maybe.
There was a cost and for me the cost was not worth the
experience. It is a very privileged activity because you have to pay a
facilitator to do something that is essentially free. I do recommend getting
out in nature, but this could be accomplished independently with just some mindful
activities. If someone is naturally attracted to nature and has the funds, it may
be a good experience for them.
