The Secret Life of Trees: The Connection Between Well-Being and Nature

Do you know that need to run outside and take a walk among the trees that overcomes you after a moment of intense tension? That need to breathe the clean air of a forest or run through a meadow, which we feel almost as if it were a call of nature? It is no coincidence, but a real need rooted in human evolution that brings real benefits to the body, mind, and spirit. “The Secret Therapy of Trees,” an essay by Marco Mencagli and Marco Nieri on forest therapy, explains this to us.

There is no doubt that nature is good for us, that tending a vegetable garden is genuinely therapeutic, and that walking among the sounds and scents of a dense forest has beneficial and relaxing effects. In fact, the more time passes, the more humanity evolves and moves away from its natural state, the more our periodic return to nature demonstrates its importance in our lives. So, if there is no question that nature is good for us, what Mencagli and Nieri do with their essay is explain how and why being immersed in the environment has such beneficial effects on our lives.

1. Further away but still close to nature
2. The correlation between stress and immune defenses, and the therapeutic role of nature
3. Well-being that is not only mental, but biological
4. The secret therapy of trees and its importance for health

Further away but still close to nature

Today, human beings live increasingly far from nature. 80% of the world's population lives in urban areas, and very few individuals experience daily contact with the environment. But that's not all: human beings are, by nature, inclined to create technologies and equip themselves with tools to facilitate their work and survival. One would then expect this continuous distancing from nature to lead to a loss of interest and a breaking of the bond that still holds them together. Instead, the further we move away from it, the more human beings are drawn to nature, feeling the need to return to it to regain serenity. Because, even if nature is no longer part of our daily lives, it remains one of the most important sources of our well-being.

Immersed in a forest, in contact with a garden, working in a vegetable garden, we do not feel better only because of the clean air and the calm, quiet atmosphere. These places, spending time in the environment, regularizes the heart rate and has excellent effects on blood pressure, reduces aggression and instills calm and serenity, increases energy, memory power, and cognitive abilities, and is able to improve immune defenses, as well as the body's ability to fight diseases. In short, the benefits of the secret therapy of trees are tangible. But the way all this happens is even more surprising.

The correlation between stress and immune defenses, and the therapeutic role of nature

Stress is an extremely present element in our lives. When we analyzed the benefits of garden therapy, initially designed for the treatment of people with psychiatric disorders, it was easy to realize how much we all actually need the benefits of horticultural therapy. Our fast-paced life, the pace and responsibilities imposed by society, make contemporary Western populations among the most stressed ever. We reach a point where we experience up to fifty episodes of stress a day, peaks of tension that have far more consequences than we think. Stress affects heart health and lowers immune defenses. Have you ever had a fever or a cold after a period of intense stress? It is no coincidence; it is the body being affected by our mental state. And it is at this point that the usefulness of forest therapy comes into play.

It is precisely from these premises that countless studies have emerged regarding the beneficial correlation between open spaces and the treatment of stress-related illnesses. Mencagli and Nieri, in their essay The Secret Therapy of Trees, analyze some of these practices, all different but all linked by the same foundation: being with nature, spending time in it, and always respecting it, is good for us.

Biophilia is a distinctive element of human beings: it is the “passion for life” or, more precisely, the attraction toward vital processes. It is that innate ability that allows us to connect with the plant world and its inhabitants. It is also the principle underlying therapeutic landscape, the theory that each of us can derive enormous benefit from being immersed in a certain type of landscape. The difference is made by the type of landscape, because each of us has a connection with a certain type of environment that ends up having a therapeutic and regenerating effect. For some, it is a forest, with its smells and air teeming with life; for some, it is a mountain landscape with its breathtaking view; for others, a regenerating sea view with its unmistakable scents. But each of us has one. How to discover which one? By reading the guide, complete with questions to ask yourself and disturbing elements to watch out for, found in The Secret Therapy of Trees.

Well-being that is not only mental, but biological

The influence of nature can, therefore, help regenerate our psychophysical balance, restoring that mental well-being threatened by daily stress and consequently acting on physical well-being as well. But the power of forest therapy does not stop here, because there are numerous studies on the physical and biological correlation between our body and contact with nature. It is therefore not just a mental influence, but also a physical therapeutic power.

Forest bathing, literally bathing in the forest, is an example of the physical correlation between nature and the human body. Born in Japan under the name Shinrin-yoku, the theory behind this practice is based on monoterpenes, a group of biomolecules produced by plants and responsible for the typical scent we associate with nature. Being in contact with these molecules, immersing ourselves in a place teeming with them, and breathing them in has real physical benefits: it decongests the respiratory tract, stimulates digestion, and has antiseptic and antispasmodic effects. In Japan, studies have been conducted on the biological levels of people immersed in a forest for a prolonged and significant period of time: an unequivocal improvement in the activity of lymphocytes in the blood and anti-cancer proteins was found, confirming the influence on immune defenses.

A major element that has a direct beneficial effect on our body is the negative ions of natural environments. The presence of negative or positive ions depends on the fact that electrically charged particles are naturally present in the atmosphere. Several studies have shown that the presence of positive ions worsens certain disorders, such as asthma, as well as stress and nervousness. Negative ions, on the other hand, have beneficial effects on these behaviors. They even positively influence cognitive performance. Where to find negative ions? In nature, of course. Natural environments are full of negative ions, while in artificial environments, especially when enclosed, electronic devices tend to attract charged particles and reduce their presence.

The secret therapy of trees and its importance for health

Health is a term we often use, but without fully knowing its meaning. We associate health with the absence of disease, but that is not what the concept is limited to. Health corresponds to a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It means that every aspect of life must be balanced, that there must be serenity for health to exist. We could talk for hours about the beneficial effects of the environment, and to explore all the other ways forest therapy can benefit our health in depth, reading The Secret Therapy of Trees can be enlightening. What is important to understand, however, is that our well-being includes a series of factors that are not limited to the physical, but to an important and delicate balance of variables. And that nature helps us take care of ourselves, allowing us to feel better at a psychological, emotional, biochemical, and energetic level without the slightest effort. And, perhaps, spending more time in it, always respecting it, is the greatest act of self-care we can do for ourselves.