Effects of a Forest Meditation Therapy Program on Reducing Daily Stress and Promoting Coping

Background and objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Self-compassion-based forest meditationtherapy program in reducing daily stress and enhancing coping resources. Based on growing evidence supporting naturebasedinterventions for mental health, this program was designed to explore the effects of forest meditation therapy onstress, connectedness to nature, and self-compassion. Methods: Thirty participants (2 males, 28 females) recruited as adults (mean age 60 years) living in Seoul and Gyeonggiwere assigned to experimental and control groups based on the order of enrollment. Two forest meditation therapysessions were held between October and November 2023, with a two-week interval between sessions. Data werecollected at three time points: before the intervention, after the first session, and after the second session. The primarymeasures included perceived stress, positive and negative affect, salivary cortisol levels, connectedness to nature, andself-compassion. Results: The experimental group showed significant reductions in perceived stress (F = 6.213, p = .007) and increases inpositive affect compared to the control group (F = 3.556, p =.036). While negative affect significantly decreased in theexperimental group (F = 5.509, p = .024), no significant difference was observed between the two groups. Cortisol levelssignificantly decreased in the experimental group post-intervention (z = -2.341, p = .019). Furthermore, the experimentalgroup showed significant improvements in connectedness to nature (F = 6.205, p = .007) and a significant positive trendtoward increased self-compassion compared to the control group (F = 4.046, p = .023). Conclusion: The Self-compassion-based Forest Meditation Therapy Program appears to be effective in managing stressand enhancing key coping resources such as connectedness to nature and self-compassion. These findings suggest thatforest meditation therapy could serve as a valuable public health intervention for stress reduction. Future research withlarger samples and extended follow-up periods is recommended to further explore its long-term benefits.