The forest as a source of health: my vision and motivation
Being in the forest: physical well-being, mental clarity, emotional balance
Where healing grows: the forest as medicine and co-therapist
The forest touches us all — just not in the same way. Each of us has our own nature, our own story — and our own way of connecting with the natural world. That’s why there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What might be a simple walk for one person could be a profound, transformative experience for someone else. And both are perfectly valid.
Terms like forest bathing, forest therapy, and being in the forest don’t exist in a hierarchy of right or wrong — they differ in approach, intensity, and intention. What unites them is the belief that the forest is a powerful resource for health, well-being, and personal development.
What matters most is this: true health promotion — salutogenesis — only works with respect for the individual. Coined by medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky, the concept of salutogenesis shifts the focus away from illness and toward the conditions that keep people healthy — or help them become healthy again. The forest supports this on many levels. We can’t prescribe how nature “should” work — but we can create spaces that invite people to rediscover their own connection to it — at their own pace and in their own way.
I invite you to explore the many ways we can relate to the forest — and how forest bathing, forest therapy, and simply being in the forest each offer unique strengths, often overlapping in ways that invite deeper reflection and personal growth.
Shinrin Yoku. Forest bathing. Forest therapy. Being in the forest: differences and similarities
From leisure trend to professional therapy: The healing power of the forest has many faces
Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing )
Shinrin Yoku, literally means bathing in the forest atmosphere. It’s not a traditional walk, but an invitation to slow down, tune in to your senses, and fully arrive in the present moment. It’s also a personal wellness practice. Every person experiences the forest in their own unique way. This individuality is both a strength — and a challenge.
Goal reduce stress, promote relaxation, strengthen general well-being
Approach preventive, low-threshold, open to everyone – with no therapeutic intention
Format guided groups or personal practice with a focus on mindfulness, sensory perception, and self-awareness — always adaptable to the individual and the moment
Challenge In practice, forest bathing is often guided by fixed exercise routines. However, what is helpful and enlightening for one person may be inappropriate or even overwhelming for another. Standardized exercises fall short if they are not adapted flexibly and with sensitivity. Salutogenic processes don’t arise from rigid guidelines, but through resonance—at the right moment, in a harmonious relationship. Therefore, thorough training is essential.
Forest therapy
Forest therapy is a professionally supported approach to promoting health through nature. It harnesses the healing power of the forest in a targeted, structured way within therapeutic or clinical settings, under the responsible guidance of qualified specialists. It is designed for people facing psychological, psychosomatic, or chronic stress and uses the unique atmosphere of the forest to support therapeutic processes. At its core, forest therapy embraces the idea that health arises from relationships — between therapist and client, within oneself, and with the nature around us. The forest does not deliver instant results but works through connection and resonance. The key challenge of this approach is to provide space for whatever arises, while offering therapeutic presence and safe guidance.
Goal Alleviate symptoms, promote self-regulation and resilience, and strengthen individual health resources.
Approach Integrative and salutogenic, drawing on therapeutic expertise from medicine, psychology, or related fields. Forest therapy follows clear, personalized goals based on the participant's situation.
Format Individual or group sessions with diverse methods, from body-oriented and mindfulness practices to dialogic or creative-expressive encounters with nature.
Challenge Forest therapy requires structure, yet natural processes are inherently unpredictable. Not every method suits every person. Healing happens when therapy embraces relationship and resonance. Implementing forest therapy in everyday clinical practice can be challenging due to time, space, organizational, and staffing constraints. How can it be integrated realistically and effectively?
IM-WALD-SEIN®: A personal journey and professional method for therapy and clinical care
IM-WALD-SEIN® (Being in the Forest) represents an attitude and a space where people can rediscover their personal connection to nature — beyond rigid concepts or pressure to perform.
As an individual practice, IM-WALD-SEIN® focuses on the personal experience of nature. Unlike fixed exercise routines, it offers space for personal discovery and reconnection — completely free of guidelines or constraints. This approach resolves the dilemmas often found in standardized methods. Instead of prescribing what to do, IM-WALD-SEIN® invites you to follow your own rhythm and needs, naturally promoting salutogenic processes. So, step out of doing and into being — present, attentive, and connected to the moment.
Goal Reconnect with nature and yourself through conscious being in the forest. Salutogenic processes happen individually, without pressure or fixed instructions
Approach Open and non-goal-oriented. The focus is on mindful perception, your own pace, and inner experience — being, not doing
Form Self-determined time spent in the forest — alone, in groups, or with guidance. Nature is experienced not as a place for interventions, but as a space for resonance. Each encounter is unique and personally meaningful
In clinical settings, the IM-WALD-SEIN® Method builds on this principle and combines it with therapeutic support. It prevents forest therapy from turning into an intervention where exercises are simply performed or therapeutic goals are “projected” onto nature. Instead, it offers a flexible, open framework that meets both the structural demands of therapeutic-clinical settings and the individual’s personal nature experience. This allows interventions to be applied openly, mindfully, and responsively — always considering the person’s current state and individual relationship with nature.
The IM-WALD-SEIN® Method teaches therapists how to respond to patients’ individual needs without blocking the healing connection to nature through rigid protocols. This enables a genuine, sustainable bond between nature and health — tailored, personal, and professionally supported. At the same time, the IM-WALD-SEIN® Method provides clinics with the knowledge needed for realistic, lasting, and effective integration into everyday treatment.
Goal Support therapeutic processes by fostering a health-promoting relationship with nature within a professional therapeutic framework
Approach Therapeutically sound yet flexible. Structures enable individual nature experiences and focus on process rather than intervention. The emphasis lies on relationships, resonance, and inner movement — promoting salutogenesis instead of merely treating symptoms
Form Individual or group settings in therapeutic, clinical, and rehabilitative environments, guided by qualified professionals. The forest is not “used” as a therapy tool but integrated as a co-therapist, with ample room for personal responses and growth
The renowned IM-WALD-SEIN® Institute for Forest Medicine and Forest Therapy in Munich provides authentic, high-quality programs for individual IM-WALD-SEIN® practice as well as customized programs for institutional clients.
Let nature inspire you: Impressions from forest bathing, Shinrin Yoku, and IM-WALD-SEIN®
About Mha@imwaldsein®
As mha@imwaldsein®, Dr. Melanie H. Adamek has been dedicated for years to exploring the health benefits of Shinrin Yoku — a widely practiced practice in Asia for maintaining well-being. She describes Shinrin Yoku as a coherent continuation of Kneipp’s health principles and believes it holds great potential to evolve into a universal health concept, especially here in Europe.
The IM-WALD-SEIN® Toolbox
In times of change and pressure, simple, universal ways to stay healthy are needed more than ever. Dr. Melanie H. Adamek created a toolbox that makes it easy and casual to discover the forest as a source of health and well-being—anytime, anywhere. Designed for beginners and those wanting to deepen their connection with nature.
Experience mha@imwaldsein® live
Many speak about the connection between forests and health. Few possess the profound expertise of Dr. Melanie H. Adamek. She is deeply familiar with the crème de la crème of both the German and international scenes and has personally researched the health benefits of forests. Her knowledge, eloquence, and charm offer valuable insights for everyone.