In today’s technologically advanced world, we often forget to connect back to our natural roots. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) aims to change that for good.
Prescott, AZ – USA | February 16, 2023 –[Press Release Wire]– In today’s technologically advanced world, we often forget to connect back to our natural roots. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) aims to change that for good.
Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” M. Amos Clifford founded the organization in 2012. He hoped to provide a natural way to help people gain perspective on their difficulties and return to nature. Since then, the ANFT has grown to an organization consisting of over 2000 forest guides worldwide.
Forest therapy is based on both ancient traditions and the latest medical research. M. Amos Clifford’s decades of expertise in wilderness guiding, Zen meditation, psychotherapy, educational advising, and environmental connection enabled him to develop a forest therapy paradigm currently taught by numerous organizations.
Today, forest therapy is getting more recognition from the mainstream scientific community. However, forest therapy maintains its roots in natural and holistic medicine. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) offers their forest therapy guides a standard sequence of procedures that aid participants in attaining the full health benefits of forest medicine.
Anyone can become a forest therapy guide. However, getting certified requires intensive training. Prospective guides must complete a 6-month at-home online training, which covers the essential principles of forest therapy. This training requires regular calls with trainers and fellow students.
The basic sequence provides a solid structure that helps participants slow down, awaken their senses, and reconnect with the wider natural world. It is culturally flexible, allowing it to be creatively altered to fit a wide range of groups. Their forest therapy technique is based on the holistic healing paradigm; forest medicine is a multifaceted health experience that benefits the body, mind, and soul.
Once guides complete the training, they are invited to a 4-day immersion. Immersions are held in some of the most scenic places in the world, giving guides a truly enlightening experience that puts their training into practice.
The next ANFT trainer gathering will be between February 27th and March 2nd in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is known for its beautiful beaches and lush flowering rainforests with indigenous wildlife. Its rainforests, located in the coastal plains, provide guides with a unique opportunity to get in touch with nature in a place far from home.
These four-day in-person trainer conferences are designed to be yearly events for calibrating our training staff and maintaining our training curriculum. Most trainers have been conducting guide trainings for more than 5 years.
This gathering is open only to guides who have completed the initial 6-month remote training. These gatherings are part of the training that ANFT-certified forest therapy guides must receive. They are held multiple times per year, with the next gathering happening in New Zealand.
To sign up, please visit the ANFT website at https://www.natureandforesttherapy.earth.
Press & Media Contact:
Amos Clifford
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy
Prescott, AZ
+1 (707) 385-1563
https://www.natureandforesttherapy.earth
