Why a Harvard Doctor Is Teaching Forest Bathing

"Find a being. The being might be a tree or rock. Greet it as you would a friend. ... You might want to introduce yourself. You may want to share something with that being." If it sounds like hooey, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank gets it. He was "somewhat skeptically" taking his first foray into forest bathing, a Japanese practice that emerged in the 1980s and has picked up steam here, too. His guide had some chops: Milbank joined a small program Harvard Medical School internist and professor Susan Abookire was leading for residents at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in a bid to cut down on stress and burnout among physicians.

Milbank followed Abookire's guidance—imagining roots growing from his body into the earth and greeting a mushroom as a friend—and observes the residents as they gamely participate (some expressed feeling calmer; one seemed preoccupied with the presence of bugs). He also delves into Abookire's explanation of the scientific underpinnings of forest bathing, citing research on the benefits of inhaling phytoncides (tree oils) and terpenes (plant compounds), which are said to boost immune function and have "neuroprotective" effects. Milbank notes that while some practitioners teach a ritualized approach, many say that just simply being in nature—staring at a lake or walking at a slow pace in the woods—is effective. (Read the full column here.)