Healing experiences of middle-aged women through an urban forest therapy program

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the processes of therapeutic effects of the urban forest on middle-aged women by examining their involvement in an urban forest therapy program. The qualitative data used in this study were collected from focus group discussions using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using grounded theory. A core category and four subcategories were created to describe the participants’ psychological changes as a result of the therapy program. “Efforts to recognize self-worth” was chosen as the core category. At first, the participants were unfamiliar with their surroundings when they entered the urban forest with strangers. Gradually, participants’ attitudes toward their external environment shifted to feelings of comfort and calm owing to an increased awareness of the value of the urban forest. After they acquired knowledge of the forest and experienced emotional bonding with each other, their mental attitudes changed; this allowed them to identify with nature and start reflecting about their own lives. They were then able to develop coping abilities that led to self-healing. The findings of the study illustrated the participants’ self-healing processes through interactions with nature, guides, and other group members.