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Paper short abstract:

Places as culturally diverse from Shintoism, and oftentimes non rooted in animsitic spiritual belief are being rooted modus operandi to healing.

Paper long abstract:

It is widely understood that forest therapy is fostering ever increasing interest in healing modalities, as evidenced in the raised awareness and practice of alternative and complementary healing systems across the world . What became a Japanese governamental project to reduce the stress levels of its inhabitants currently has been extended across cultural boundaries separated from the original shintoism discourse of forest therapy. National governments, major cities across the world , public parks, international medical and psychological research and many rural tourism initiative areas currently offer services of healing through forest therapy and healing forests.

Places as culturally diverse from Shintoism, and oftentimes non rooted in animsitic spiritual belief are being rooted modus operandi to healing. This particular spatial formation of forest therapy motivates a deeper understanding of nature connectedness as a bridge between different worlds of understanding "nature". As a social catalyst for change international networks, knowledge negotiation and rooting of 'forest therapy' need to be addressed taking into consideration a deeper understanding of nature connectedness. It is critical, therefore, to identify the frameworks or cultural parameters (e.g., cultural, traditional, and/or scientifical) from which today we can understand this specific healing practice, forest therapy.

Ultimately, the notion that a rich healing practice with an animistic background is aggregated into the anthropocenic paradigm, standing solo as the reference, may bring an important opportunity for shifting nature connection understanding and include animistic knowledge as a guiding tool towards a shift in being in nature and connecting to the more than human world of sound and light.