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.
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