Can the boreal forest be used for rehabilitation and recovery from stress-related exhaustion? A pilot study

Abstract

It has been suggested that humans suffering from mental exhaustion recover better in environments that do not demand directed attention. Hence, we hypothesized that forests have restorative effects and examined whether the boreal forest in northern Sweden can be used for rehabilitation from stress-related exhaustion in a pilot study. Six participants suffering from stress-related exhaustion were offered visits twice a week, for 11 weeks, in six different forest settings: pine forest, mixed forest, spruce forest, forest by the lake, the forest with a small stream and rock outcrops. The participants chose one forest setting prior to each visit, and the mental state of each participant was evaluated before and after each visit. Interviews focusing on the experience of the forest were conducted after the 22 visits. Solitude and forest settings with light were identified as positive factors for recovery. Despite the limited amount of data, the results showed that the forest visits had significant positive effects on the participants' mental state. The interviews also indicated that the concept is suitable for use in larger randomized studies and that it is important to provide various forest settings to meet individual preferences of the participants and to offer the possibility of solitude.

Changes in experienced value of everyday occupations after nature-based vocational rehabilitation

“…8,11) and, more specifically, therapeutic occupations performed in horticultural contexts or nature-based therapy (16,17). Results indicate that occupations performed in nature are experienced as meaningful and have beneficial effects on health and well-being (18)(19)(20)(21). It has been argued that caring for plants can foster a life beyond oneself (22), and gardening and horticultural occupations in particular have been measured as having positive effects on life satisfaction (23) and bringing about changes, such as rediscovering the importance of the enjoyable experiences of everyday occupations (17,24).…”

“…Naturebased interventions for people with stressrelated mental illness and/or clinical depression have been established in specially built environments (17,24,29), peri-urban agricultural landscapes (18,30), and rural landscapes (19,21) in combination with meaningful occupations which embrace nature with the intention of facilitating the rehabilitation process. These studies focus on aspects such as changes in cognitive, emotional, and physiological conditions (29); perceived levels of stress (19); changes in the severity of depression and anxiety (18); the return to work rate and function (21,30); the clients' own experiences of the rehabilitation (17,20), and how experiences from the nature-based intervention have been integrated in everyday life (17). However, none of these studies assesses whether the perceived value of everyday occupations, mentioned above as being a prerequisite to experiencing meaning in everyday life, can contribute to improved health, well-being, and return to work.…”

Being in the forest—A matter of cultural connections with a natural environment

“…The impact of forests on human well-being has increasingly become recognized not only in the northern hemisphere (Nilsson et al, 2011;Sonntag-Öström et al, 2011), but also in countries where rainforests and other types of forest exists (Dawson & Martin, 2015;Fritz-Vietta, 2016;Lakerveld, Lele, Crane, Fortuin, & Springate-Baginski, 2015). The links between forests and human well-being have been addressed in international (Karjalainen, Sarjala, & Raitio, 2010;Ode, Sundli Tveit, & Velarde, 2010), as well as national (Sweden; Lundell & Dolling, 2010;Ritter & Dauksta, 2013) research, and the societal value of forests has in recent times received particular attention in Sweden (Bjärstig & Kvastegård, 2016).…”

Evaluating restoration in urban green spaces: Does setting type make a difference?

“…It is, 120 however, important to note that most of the evidence for a positive impact of naturalness comes 121 from studies that measured perceived restorativeness, experimental studies have often failed to 122 demonstrate differences in actual restorative impact between natural conditions (Beil & Hanes,123 2013; Sonntag-…stršm et al, 2011;Tsunetsugu et al, 2013;TyrvŠinen et al, 2014;Ulrich et al, 124 1991; Van den Berg, Koole, & Van der Wulp, 2003). This suggests that there may be a 125 publication bias favouring studies that report differences in restoration between natural settings.…”