Ep 59: Forest Bathing ft. Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller

Ever driven somewhere and had no memory of getting there? Ever been in the middle of a conversation with someone only to realize you have no idea what the person is saying?

Those activities (and countless others) are examples of NOT being mindful. Not slowing down to really enjoy the food you are eating, or paying attention to the sights and sounds going on around you.

Now imagine that we are going to take two words that you are already familiar with, and combine them into one term that you probably have never heard of before. Ready? Are you sure? This is pretty different. Okay, here they are: Forest + Bathing. (I tried to warn you.)

First, let me assure you that your clothes stay on. It’s simply a matter of taking all of the relaxation that you get from a bath – “Calgon take me away” – and combine that with the simple pleasure and therapeutic benefits of nature. THAT’s what we’re talking about today.

In this episode you will discover:

Peace vs. Dis-ease (Dis=lack of, ease.)
Vitamin “N” for nature
What happened to college students who “unplugged”
The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Forest Bathing
Pine-needle tea?
Shin-rin yoku – Japanese for…

If you’ve ever been to Tokyo – or seen pictures, it is a very fast-paced, brightly-lit, noisy city. Doctors there wondered if patients who were suffering from mental health issues (depression, anxiety, or worse) could be helped by removing them from the city for a short period. And guess what? It did. These doctors went on to coin the term “Shin-rin yoku” or forest bathing.

Meet Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller

Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller is Iowa’s first fellowship-trained and board certified medical doctor in integrative medicine, and has also completed a 500 hour course to become certified in herbal medicine. Her passion for integrative medicine and nature therapy arose from her personal journey through raising a child on the autism spectrum, her late husband’s death from cancer, the inadequacies of conventional medicine and her personal discovery of solace in both outdoor adventure and mindfulness in nature.

She would love for you to connect with her on her website: integrativeinitiative.com or on Facebook or Instagram. She has written the book, “The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Forest Bathing” which is available online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and is published by Falcon Guides.

“The first and hardest step is to do something positive for yourself!”