SLOT “ASK EXPERTS” (EPISOD 3): ‘FOREST THERAPY – LETTING NATURE HEAL YOUR MIND AND BODY

Today’s show will be hosted by Dr. Nor Izana Mohd Sobri, and our special expert guest will be Dr. Keeren Sundara Rajoo. A Senior Lecturer at UPM Bintulu’s Faculty of Forestry. He has a strong background in Forest Therapy. Forestry studies begin at Japan’s University of Agriculture in Setagaya City. Dr. Kareen spends time getting to know Prof. UEHARA Iwao, Professor of Silviculture and Forest Therapy.

To him, it was an eye-opening journey that he gladly brought over to Malaysian culture in the hopes of helping the society reap the benefits of the same treatment that he managed to experience and will forever use in his life. Thus, he stated how this lifestyle has the potential to make our society less negative in the future, InsyaAllah.

First and foremost let’s learn about what is Forest Therapy? 

Nature therapy teaches people to value all living things. Every creature created by God has a distinct role and personality. From the lowest particle to all visible organisms, everything is unique and a testament to the Creator’s power.

If we look closely, we can see that every form of flora and fauna, including mountains, hills, trees, and birds, is highly distinct and beautiful, with a diversity of colours and patterns that we cannot describe or conceive. Looking at each creation, one can see that oneself is just one of thousands, millions, or perhaps an infinite number of His beings. Indirectly, it has the potential to awaken us to our true selves, to make us appreciate ourselves and all other creatures who share our planet.

Natural therapy provides us with a sense of calm. Therapy with colourful flora and fauna with natural beauty benefits the eyes, heart, and mind. The green foliage of a tree, for example, evokes feelings of peace, pleasure, happiness, freshness, and serenity.

For a moment, relax your mind and appreciate the greenery of nature to relax your eyes and calm your mind. The eye sees, while the heart is filled with gratitude for all the blessings bestowed by the Almighty Creator.

Since then, he has been able to assemble a special team to conduct research on many aspects of mental issues that can be treated by therapy. Despite the fact that it all began with a small group of 20 to 30 people per session, the results they were able to collect were impressively positive and reduced the health concern. Therefore it is only with consistent and consistent time given by each individual each week. It is a time-consuming but rewarding process that yields the best results.

The therapy projects are running stress-reduction programmes for students experiencing academic stress. The women are also mothers who are dealing with work-related stress. Not to mention the isolated Covid survivors who are still undergoing treatments and participating in the aftercare nature therapy project.

They intend to launch a large-scale project focusing on patients suffering from severe substance abuse or addiction, employing the Forest Therapy method. Because of the stable weather, the best time to do the Forest Therapy session is in the early morning, and do it with your loved ones to aim for meaningful moments.

Now, in the hopes of being taken more seriously about the benefits of Forest Therapy, he was able to gather a nationwide group of researchers for a large discussion on how to versatile the use of the therapy for all crowds and ages in Malaysia in the future. He is working with many International parties and The International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA) in committed to establishing Forest Therapy as a scientifically-proven natural medicine by expanding its networks and establishing partnerships with research, education, and public health issues around the world.

His advice to all Postgraduates was to always find time to relax and rest in order to recharge themselves, and to do so at least three times per week. As directed, assist with the thesis writing process. Once again, he strongly advised finding some time off to squeeze in a moment for all Postgraduates to make “Forest Therapy” a habit for their long-term mental health. Awaits for more Ask Experts sessions in the future.