A heartfelt thank you once again to everyone who joined our Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing & Forest Therapy Guide Training — Pathway 2 Q&A on November 2, 2026.
Since our session, we have continued collecting important and sometimes challenging questions. So far, we have gathered 18 questions across five themes, exploring professional authority, certification, scientific evidence, ethics, commercialisation, and our relationship with nature.
We would like to let you know that we have collected these questions and will take some time to consider and answer them carefully, drawing on research, professional experience and reflection.
In fact, these questions extend far beyond Pathway 2. They are relevant to all three Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Pathways, as well as our Nature Connected Guide Training TMT®.
We believe these conversations are valuable not only for future guides, but also for experienced practitioners and anyone interested in the evolving relationship between nature, human wellbeing and professional responsibility.
Thank you again for your curiosity, participation and willingness to ask meaningful questions.
Follow our blog and social media for upcoming reflections, answers and discussions.
Following our November 2 Q&A, we have collected 18 additional questions across five themes. These questions are relevant to all three Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Pathways and our Nature Connected Guide Training TMT®. We will take time to consider them carefully and share responses through email and forthcoming blog reflections.
| No. | Questions & Reflections |
|---|---|
| 01 / 05 Who Really Benefits from Forest Therapy? | |
| 1 |
If nature is freely accessible,
why should people pay someone
to experience it?
What additional value does a trained guide provide? Are we facilitating a relationship with nature, or turning something naturally available into a commercial product? |
| 2 |
Can forest bathing become another form of
consumerism disguised as wellbeing?
When programmes promise relaxation, happiness, transformation or healing, are we helping people develop a genuine relationship with nature—or encouraging them to consume another wellness experience? |
| 3 |
Are we teaching people to connect
with nature, or making them dependent
on professional guides?
Should successful guiding eventually make the guide unnecessary? |
| 02 / 05 Professional Authority and Certification | |
| 4 |
Who has the right to certify someone
as a forest therapy guide?
If no single international authority governs the field, what gives a private organisation the legitimacy to issue certifications? |
| 5 |
Does holding a certificate make
someone a competent guide?
Can professional competence be assessed through completed coursework and documented sessions, or should it be demonstrated through long-term practice, observation, ethical judgment and continuing development? |
| 6 |
Can someone with 20 years of personal
forest experience be less qualified
than someone who completes a short
certification course?
What is the relationship between lived experience, formal education and professional competence? |
| 03 / 05 Science, Evidence and Therapeutic Claims | |
| 7 |
Does forest therapy actually work,
or do people simply feel better
because they expect to?
How can we distinguish the effects of forest exposure from expectation, social interaction, physical movement or rest? |
| 8 |
If someone leaves a forest therapy
session feeling worse, has the
session failed?
Must a beneficial experience always be pleasant? Could sadness, discomfort or emotional confrontation be meaningful without automatically being described as therapeutic? |
| 9 |
Can a forest therapy guide
unintentionally cause psychological harm?
What happens when invitations evoke traumatic memories, overwhelming emotions or unwanted disclosures? Where does compassionate facilitation end and inappropriate psychological intervention begin? |
| 10 |
Should forest therapy be recommended
to people experiencing depression,
anxiety or trauma?
What evidence is sufficient to recommend it, and how should we distinguish general wellbeing activities from clinically supervised interventions? |
| 04 / 05 Nature, Culture and Ethics | |
| 11 |
Are we respecting the Japanese
origins of Shinrin-Yoku, or
appropriating and commercialising them?
What does it mean to adopt a Japanese concept, repackage it for international audiences and develop commercial certification systems around it? How can we acknowledge Japanese history without implying that human relationships with forests began in Japan? |
| 12 |
Can forest therapy become harmful
to the very nature it claims
to celebrate?
What happens when increasing numbers of retreats, groups and guided sessions place pressure on fragile ecosystems? Who is responsible for ensuring ecological protection? |
| 13 |
Why do we assume that nature
is always good for us?
Nature includes danger, discomfort, allergens, extreme weather and frightening experiences. Why does the wellbeing industry so often emphasise its comforting aspects while overlooking its complexity? |
| 14 |
If human beings are already part of
nature, what does it actually mean
to reconnect with nature?
Perhaps the challenge is not recovering a connection that has been lost, but recognising a relationship that has always existed. |
| 05 / 05 The Future of Professional Guiding | |
| 15 |
Is a forest necessary for Shinrin-Yoku?
Could meaningful Shinrin-Yoku take place in a garden, an urban park, a desert or beside a single tree? What defines the practice: the environment, the methodology or the quality of attention? |
| 16 |
Should forest therapy guides be
responsible for environmental conservation?
If our profession depends on nature, should ecological responsibility be an essential requirement of certification rather than an optional personal value? |
| 17 |
Should professional guides be expected
to practise Shinrin-Yoku themselves?
Can someone facilitate nature connectedness without maintaining a personal relationship with nature? And how could such a relationship be meaningfully assessed without imposing a particular spiritual or philosophical worldview? |
| 18 |
If nature is the therapeutic agent,
what exactly is the role of the guide?
Is the guide a teacher, facilitator, educator, companion, safety professional— or sometimes simply a person who creates conditions in which another individual can experience nature independently? |
These are questions for exploration, not predetermined conclusions. We look forward to examining them through research, professional experience and ongoing dialogue.
Thank you for your thoughtful contributions. Follow our blog for future discussions.
Author: Milena A. Guziak, PhD Founder, The Mindful Tourist & Shinrin-Yoku Association
Your questions matter. Discover our training resources, reflections and learning pathways.
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Explore Frequently Asked Questions →Who holds the authority in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy? Read our reflections from November 2, 2026.
Read the Full Q&A Reflection →