A health intervention in which time in nature is prescribed or recommended to improve a person's physical and mental health. Recognize the numerous benefits of spending time in nature and seek to harness these benefits to promote health and manage a variety of health conditions.
Published in Chapter:
Enter the Virtual Forest: Exploring the Benefits of Forest Therapy in a Digital World
Ana Paula Soutelo (School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal),
Ana Rita Sousa (School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal),
Maria Luís Monteiro (School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal), Raquel Simões de Almeida (CIR, ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal), Vitor Simões-Silva (CIR, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal), and
Paula Portugal (CIR, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2024
|Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-9251-2.ch005
Abstract
One of the many challenges of this urbanization is significantly reflected in the distribution of urban green spaces, which may still not meet the needs of all inhabitants and preclude the many benefits that urban green spaces bring to mental health. From this perspective, Shinrin-Yoku emerged a traditional Japanese practice known as forest therapy (FT) or forest bathing (FB), as a natural health treatment. Using virtual reality, in addition, makes it possible to reproduce scenarios or environments that, in certain contexts, it would be almost impossible to recreate in real life. Thus, VR can provide opportunities and allow many more people to benefit from the best therapies and positive outcomes. It's important to note that the research on this union is still in its early stages, however, exploring this field represents, in many ways, a unique opportunity for healthcare, and would reach a wider population, providing the best possible therapy for everyone who could benefit from it.