Defining Forest Therapy and How It Can Impact Runners With Lauren Debick Ep. 172

Who said running outdoors is not therapy?!! Join me, on this episode, as we explore the world of forest therapy with Lauren Debick, an expert guide from Ocala, Florida. Discover how the Japanese practice of "Shinrin-yoku" or forest bathing can boost your immune system, lower stress levels, and improve cardiovascular health through the natural essence of trees. Lauren shares how nature therapy fosters mindfulness, reduces anxiety, and ignites creativity, making it suitable for all—from children and busy professionals to athletes.

Lauren is a life coach and certified Forest Therapy Guide with a passion for connecting people to nature’s restorative power. She helps to bring people back in touch with the natural rhythms of the earth - a return to our essential life source that invites healing and renewal. Through guided nature immersions, Lauren helps her clients access an embodied experience of deep connection, inner wisdom, and reserves of creative potential lying within nature itself. With a background in communications and marketing in purpose-driven industries, Lauren deeply believes in the natural world’s ability to create healing and a sense of well-being. Lauren strives to create spaces where individuals can uncover their own magic, find solace in nature, and experience profound personal growth and transformation.

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Chapters

• 0:42 Nature Therapy
• 13:59 Virtual Forest Therapy and Graceful Running
• 24:52 Forest Therapy Exploration & Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:42

Welcome to Ella Go. My name is Lisa. Join me on the journey in having real raw and uncomfortable discussions about fitness, health and everything in between, because, let's be honest, this journey would suck if we don't get our shit together. Welcome back, everyone to the Elego Podcast. My name is Lisa, your host and today's special guest is Lauren. Lauren, how are you?

Speaker 2: 1:18

I'm doing so well. Lisa, Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:21

So just to give people a background story, because I tell everybody, because everyone's always like how did you find these people? How did you meet them? And it's like the craziest things or ways that we meet, right. So Lauren reminded me that we met through Clubhouse. Was it Clubhouse? Yes, it still is hopping and popping, but I haven't been on there since COVID because that's when everyone was on it. So we were supposed to do something. And then did I reach out to you, lauren, and then I'm like, looking at all my messages, and I'm like, oh my God, I totally missed this woman. And I reached out to her and thankfully she doesn't hate me and that's how she's on the show. And I didn't realize how special Lauren was until I actually met her and I'm like, oh my God, we need to have you on this show because this is like mind blowing. So, lauren, introduce yourself to everyone.

Speaker 2: 2:14

Thank you so much, Lisa. My name is Lauren Debick. I am in Ocala, Florida. I'm a podcaster and I am also a certified forest therapy guide.

Speaker 1: 2:24

Unbelievable, and that's what we're going to talk about, okay. So, with that being said, lauren, what is forest therapy?

Speaker 2: 2:33

So forest therapy is based off of the concept. In Japanese it's called shinrin yoku, which means bathing amongst the trees. So back in the 1980s the Japanese government actually poured a bunch of money into this project because they were finding that people were feeling more depressed, they were upset and they correlated it with working longer hours inside offices under fluorescent lighting. So the government said we need to do something to boost the well-being of our citizens. So they came up with this concept called Shinrin-yoku, which again is bathing amongst the trees, and what that means is really just spending time in nature and benefiting from everything that nature has to give us, so at a very high level. That's what forest bathing is. And then forest therapy is spending time in nature to get those benefits, and those benefits range from physical to mental to emotional, and the list goes on and on.

Speaker 1: 3:36

Wow Again. When you mentioned that to me when we first met, my mouth dropped. I was like okay, stop speaking, because I need you on Okay. We definitely need you on Okay. So who would benefit from this? What types of people?

Speaker 2: 3:51

So truly this can be for anybody, from children. We know that screen time is a real thing right now, not just for children but adults also. So being able to acclimate kids to the outdoors and to nature they're a great audience for this. Busy professionals, we work so hard all the time in our daily lives and it's really hard to unplug, so taking time to just go outside, connect, be mindful and get those benefits Athletes athletes can truly benefit from forest therapy and from nature therapy because of the mindfulness component, but also and this is where mom I run a business with my mom for forest therapy and this is her specialty is working with people who are homebound or in hospice care or the geriatric population, because what's really cool about it is indoor forest therapy can be facilitated for those who can't go outside or we live in Florida, it's really hot right now. For those who, the heat might be a little too much, but you still want to get those benefits of nature therapy. Indoor forest therapy is a thing that can be worked out and facilitated.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Oh my God, that is so freaking cool. Okay. So, coming from a therapeutic background, I know what it does to people. But explain a little bit more, because people might be listening to this and say, okay, so you're outside, how's that going to help me? How's that mindful, what is that?

Speaker 2: 5:19

Right. So from a physical perspective, the trees, especially evergreens, give off something called phytoncides, which is what the trees use to boost their own immune system. And as humans, if we are spending time amongst the trees which is where the bathing comes from we can take in those phytoncides and those elements will help us with our own immune system. So that's a physical benefit. Not only that, but also physically it lowers stress levels, it helps with cardiovascular health, so lowers blood pressure, lowers blood sugar, so people who may be prone to cardiovascular issues or diabetes or different pieces like that, that's where the physical benefits can come in.

Speaker 2: 6:02

Lowering stress has so many benefits from a mindfulness and a mental and emotional standpoint. So just being able to get away from our devices, from getting away from the stresses, to plug in and calm down, that really can help our overall mental well-being. And then, one of the things that I really love about forest therapy and nature therapy is the creativity aspect. So for me, being calm and in a place of mindfulness is where some of my best ideas come from, because sometimes when we're so stressed out and there's so many things going on that we really don't have that time, that connection to have those ideas and be creative. So one of the things that I really enjoy using forest therapy for is the creativity aspect.

Speaker 1: 6:52

Wow, that's amazing. I didn't even think about the chemicals that the trees are given off. I didn't even think about the chemicals that the trees are given off. I didn't even think about that. That is so cool. So let me ask you this Is there some research on this? I mean, what does it say?

Speaker 2: 7:05

Okay, yes, yes, there's lots of research on this Again. This started back in the 1980s in Japan is where the first batch of research really started. But over the past few years there's something called green therapy or ecotherapy that's becoming a little more prevalent in the United States. It's still not as big as the Eastern medicine, but it's coming over to the Western side a little bit more. But there's a ton of research about why nature is beneficial and spending time outdoors is good for our overall health.

Speaker 1: 7:36

Okay. So let's take a step back, let's go a little bit deeper, because again I'm almost thinking people are like okay, I'm outside, yeah, it's great, but From, let's explain this a little bit deeper, to explain maybe how you would go about this therapy with somebody. Just give us a glimpse of that.

Speaker 2: 8:21

Yes, absolutely so.

Speaker 2: 8:22

When we facilitate a forced therapy experience or a nature therapy experience, we first start out with mindful movement, which is getting us in the moment, cutting out the distractions, getting us connected with our breath, connected with the body, connected with the environment around us, and then we drop into a deeper meditation.

Speaker 2: 8:43

So we sit down, we quiet our minds, we really start tuning into the world around us and then we move into connecting with the different senses. So, as a forest therapy guide, we would offer invitations to the participants. So an example of an invitation could be wander around and notice the different shades of green. So it's really asking people to see what's around them, observe what's around them, and this is how the experience will last and it ties into each of the senses. So we'll do invitations for sight, for sounds, for sense, for taste and for touch. So it's all about, like you said, being in that present moment, just really being in the here and now and connecting with the world, the natural world around us, in ways that we normally don't because we're just so busy and now. And connecting with the world, the natural world around us, in ways that we normally don't, because we're just so busy and on the go all the time.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Wow, okay, I'm still. My mind is like still, I love this stuff, I just love it.

Speaker 1: 9:42

So I almost feel like it almost feels like woo, woo, a little bit from my because when bit, because when someone tells me to go by the way, I hate bugs, okay for the record. And yet I run outside. I love running outside, but there's something that happens when you are out in the trees like a hike. I don't know what the heck it is, lauren, it just calms me and I feel good and it's like what's going on here. I mean it's crazy, right. Yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 10:18

There's a real science behind it, the connection, the connectedness piece, and it does sound kind of woo-woo, but what I like about this is you can make it as woo-woo or not woo-woo as you want. So another group and another demographic or audience for this could be corporate, corporate retreats and team building activities and, like you said, I think most people would say I feel better when I go outside or go for a walk or I'm at the beach and I don't exactly know why. Well, here's why Because it's taking you out of your normal routine. It's connecting you back to the natural world, which is where we all come from. I mean that technology and screens are relatively new and as humans, I think we're trying to play catch up with all of that. But I believe our soul, essence and our core of who we are belongs back to the natural world. So for me, that's why it feels like coming home.

Speaker 1: 11:10

I love that. I really love that. I mean you just have such a great well, you have such a great appreciation for nature, mother Earth, and when you do go out there you do find yourself appreciating her, this earth that we're in. You know, being a little bit mindful, and it is kind of scary where we're at with the technology and it is almost taking us away from some of that, something that we don't need to even create. It's there, right, just got to go outside. So what are some of the responses that you've received? Like if you could tell us a story or somebody that said this is not going to work. And then they're like oh my God, like it. Do you have any profound stories that occurred, reviews or things that people have said?

Speaker 2: 12:03

So my mom and I held a retreat last year and what was really cool about this retreat is we did indoor and outdoor forest therapy for those that wanted to stay inside, and then I took the outdoor group outside and everyone who participated in this retreat had never done it before and we had people travel from about 50 miles away to come to where we are to do this retreat and the responses and reviews that we got after that.

Speaker 2: 12:29

People were saying I had no idea this was a thing, but I definitely want to do this again. I'm going to tell my friends about it. I want to get more people involved and what's really nice is those that have gone through the experience. You can do this on your own once you have the training and the discipline to be able to go out in nature and really focus on what's around you. So I love being able to be that first facilitator for people and then kind of send people out into the world and say go tell your friends about this, because the more people I truly believe that we can get connected and being mindful and to work on their own well-being is just going to raise everyone else up.

Speaker 1: 13:10

You have such a is you have such a good soul I can't even tell just by you talking about this and the work that you're doing, like you and your mom, my goodness, like that is such such goodness, pure goodness. You know, we don't always talk about those things, but that is such a. This is such a great topic, so let me ask you this where could someone find somebody like you? Because, like, we're up in upstate New York, are they all over, or how's that work?

Speaker 2: 13:40

So there is a directory. We got certified through the forest therapy school, so if you go to the forest therapy schoolcom and search for certified guides, we we're all part of this directory. So, again, it's very new on this side of the world, but it's starting to become more popular. But that's where you can find people who might be around you. What's really cool is we can do virtual sessions also, so we can facilitate virtual forest therapy and nature therapy experiences, and what that would look like is we're on a Zoom call or something like that and everyone is in their own area. And what that would look like is we're on a Zoom call or something like that, and everyone is in their own area, and, as the facilitators, we invite people to go out wherever they are if they're in their backyard or if they're in a park to go, do the different invitations and do the experience that way. So that's an option.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Okay, so they go out and then do they come back to the Zoom call and then they talk about it. Wow, that is pretty cool, and you?

Speaker 2: 14:36

bring up a really good point about the sharing aspect, because what we do during the experiences not everyone has to share, but we invite people to share and that's where you really get into some of the insights about how impactful this could be. When we went to our training over a year ago, some of the people who were there weren't there necessarily to even become guides, but because of some of the trauma they have experienced in their life, they just wanted to have that healing type of environment and to hear some of those stories and how the cycle of seeing leaves that were dead on the ground but then new leaves coming up on trees it really puts things in a different perspective that we don't think about all the time, but when you think about it it relates so much to our daily lives, every single day. So there is a really great healing element to this.

Speaker 1: 15:29

Wow, that's amazing. Okay so, lauren, why did you get into this? How did this happen?

Speaker 2: 15:36

So I've always loved nature and I've kind of taken for granted the fact that I had the opportunity to spend so much time outdoors. I'm originally from Ohio and my family used to go camping I mean, they still go camping in Pennsylvania a lot. We have a cabin up there so from a very young age I was spending time in the woods and I knew I wanted to be near the oceans. So that's what brought me down to Florida and I'm I didn't realize until I got a little bit older that not everyone has that ability to spend time outside, to go in a green space and part of the typical life coaching because it really does ask people to do something that might be a little uncomfortable and a little bit new, but usually people like being outside. So even if you don't drop all the way in or have some profound experience, even able to spend a few minutes outside in ways that you normally don't can really be beneficial.

Speaker 1: 16:47

Wow, that's pretty cool. Okay, so let's switch gears here. There's such a I still I'm like speechless. This is like such a such an amazing topic. I'm definitely going to be looking into it Because it makes sense to even, you know, implement that with runners, because you know, I'm doing this as a meditative thing, being outside without the music. But to take it to another level like this is just mind-blowing to me. Let's talk about your podcast. What's the name of the podcast?

Speaker 2: 17:21

Podcast is the Graceful Confidence Podcast.

Speaker 1: 17:24

Okay, what is that all about?

Speaker 2: 17:26

It's all about cultivating the grace and confidence you need to have a life you're excited about, waking up to every single day.

Speaker 1: 17:34

Oh, okay, so what are some? God, it's so positive. What are some topics or what are? Do you have guests on Like what? What does this look like?

Speaker 2: 17:45

Yes, so I have guests on and most of the guests it's about different challenges that they've overcome how to cultivate confidence and create confidence, facing your fears, whether you're starting a new wellness routine, whether you're starting a business. I recently had twins four months ago, so the latest episode on the podcast is about my experience, because it was a whirlwind. So all good stuff, but I did not feel graceful nor confident during that. And I do like the concept of grace also because I feel like we need to give ourselves grace time and time again. Sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to be perfect or doing things the right way, but in my opinion, if you're trying, then you're winning and you're succeeding, but if you do it more and more, that's where you're increasing your confidence.

Speaker 1: 18:36

Let's look at that word, because I often wonder what I mean. People might be listening and saying well, what does that mean? I think people say it, but I don't think they even know what that really means. Giving grace, like give yourself grace what does that mean?

Speaker 2: 18:50

Cut yourself some slack. So I went running this morning. Okay, and I'm not. I'm not a great runner, but I run, I enjoy doing it and I do do it with the meditative mind space, so listening to the way my feet hit the pavement, my breath, listening to the birds, and that has helped me. And it took me a long time to get there because when I first started running it was very much the headphones, the podcast, and it just didn't work out for me. So I'm in a place now where I do it very much for the meditative space that it gives me.

Speaker 2: 19:27

But I haven't ran in quite a while and, like I said, I had twins four months ago. So I just started back running eight weeks ago and I'm not as fast as I used to be, I'm slower, things just are different. But as I was out there running, I'm like you know what? No one else is out here, I'm out here doing it. So good job, kind of the backboard, like keep getting out there and doing it. And for a long time I was worried that I would look stupid or I would look not like a runner, and I finally just got over that and it's something that makes me feel good and I enjoy doing so. I'm going to do it, and that's in a nutshell what grace is to me.

Speaker 2: 20:06

Hanging yourself on the back and saying you know what You're trying, You're doing it.

Speaker 1: 20:10

I think that's the best way to define that. I love that. Okay. So when you are running well, you just started right Do you integrate some of these things like with nature and all of that as you're doing your runs, and what does that look like for you as a runner?

Speaker 2: 20:27

Absolutely so runs, and what does that look like for you as a runner? Absolutely so, I do. I try to connect with the different senses. It's a little different when you're running compared to when you're walking through the woods or in nature. But definitely the audio. So listening to the birds, I like to do that. I like to listen to the way that my feet hit the ground, sites. So I'll do the same thing with nature. How many different shades of green can I see? What do these different shades of green mean to me? I like to watch the clouds when.

Speaker 1: 20:56

I run.

Speaker 2: 20:56

So seeing the different cloud formations very much the touch also. So how do the clothes feel against my body? Because that helps me tune in also. I'm also I don't know if this is real or not, because I'm not a professional runner, but intuitive running so like, depending on how my body feels, I'll say, okay, I'm gonna give it all, I've got to this next tree and then I'm going to back off a little bit. So for me, being mindful and in the moment has a lot to do with that. It's really helped me because it helps me stay more connected and I feel like I run actually better this way. When I was running with music or a podcast, I would find myself being so distracted, so caught up in my head. Actually, I was thinking about it this morning. It's kind of an oxymoron to get out of your head. You have to get in your head. So being able to have just those thoughts that help me but that helps me get out of my head, so it makes it easier.

Speaker 1: 21:55

Wow, that is really cool. Yeah, absolutely. You know. That is exactly what helps you when you're in the now and you're feeling your body and you said, lauren, you're a runner, okay, please stop. Okay, you're a runner, okay, please stop. Okay, you are a runner, all right, and you have twins, so you're a bad mother runner and I mean that, like in a good way, bad.

Speaker 1: 22:18

Okay, so let's talk about somebody who going back to the forest therapy. If someone is thinking about this and they're listening and they're like, oh, I don't know, I'm not sure what is something that you would tell them to give the opportunity to themselves to do this?

Speaker 2: 22:44

So if someone's not sure, I would recommend doing some research on it. Read a little bit about forest therapy, about forest bathing, about green therapy. I think that's a good first step because it is so new. That might help people become more comfortable with it. And once you start reading it, I think a lot of people will find that it makes sense, it resonates. They may have even heard some of these things before, even if it wasn't phrased with the term of forest therapy or forest bathing.

Speaker 2: 23:12

And then I would recommend just getting outside. Try it for 15, 20 minutes. Don't take your phone or if you have your phone on, you don't look at it and just really go outside and start looking around and see what you notice. I would start there. As basic as that sounds, I would also recommend sitting in nature, trying to spend more time in nature, going to a park. If you have a lunch break or you can do some walking, then just get outside more and then that'll help people start acclimating more with the idea of even being outside, and I feel like I take for granted I spend so much time outside. Not everyone does that and some people are afraid of being outside. You said you were scared of bugs. I totally get it. I totally get it. So I would say, start in small steps until you get more comfortable with it.

Speaker 1: 24:04

Yeah, I love that, the baby, you know, just even just going outside in silence, but you know, listen and see how that calms you down. Lauren, this is such a great conversation. I could talk about this like forever. Seriously, and it's amazing how you have the podcast and it coincides with what you're doing for other people and you are definitely doing the good work, and so is your mom. I mean, that's just amazing. So tell us where we can find your podcast.

Speaker 2: 24:35

So my podcast can be found at laurendebiccom or I'm on Instagram at laurendebic or anywhere you listen to your podcasts, any podcast streaming platforms.

Speaker 1: 24:46

It's the Graceful Confidence podcast podcasts, any podcast streaming platforms it's the Graceful Confidence Podcast. And as far as learning more about what you do as a forest therapist, where can people go for that?

Speaker 2: 25:05

Yes, so the name of our business is Mindful Wanderings, so you can go to mindfulwanderingsflnet or mindfulwanderingsfl on Instagram, or you can get to that page from laurendebiccom, my coaching page.

Speaker 1: 25:12

Okay, so cool, so cool. All right, everybody, we'll definitely put all her links on the show notes so that you can reach out to Lauren if you have further questions. If you want to listen to our podcast, check her out. Just amazing, amazing topic, lauren, thank you so much for being a part of this.

Speaker 2: 25:33

Thank you so much, Lisa. I appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 1: 25:36

All right, everyone, until next time. Bye For you and I For you, and I For you and I.