# What Is Sylvotherapy? Meaning and Benefits

Source: https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/journal/what-is-sylvotherapy/

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# What is sylvotherapy?

    By Buck Rackley - Published November 2, 2026






  
    Sylvotherapy is the practice of spending slow, mindful time among trees to calm the body and mind. The word comes from the Latin silva (forest) and the Greek therapeia (care). In English it is usually called forest bathing or forest therapy.


## Sylvotherapy, silvotherapy, forest bathing: same thing?

    Mostly, yes. "Sylvotherapy" and the alternate spelling "silvotherapy" are common in European and French-language wellness writing. "Forest bathing" is the English phrase for the Japanese shinrin-yoku, which began as a national health initiative in Japan in the 1980s. "Forest therapy" usually refers to guided sessions led by a trained guide. Different words, one core idea: the forest is the therapist, the guide just opens the door.


## What it is not

    

- It is not a hike or a workout.

- It is not a religion.

- It is not medical treatment.



## What a session looks like

    You walk slowly, pause often, sit, breathe and notice. A guide offers simple invitations, such as listening for the farthest sound or touching bark, and you choose what to accept. [Here is the full flow of a session.](https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/what-to-expect/)


## Does it work?

    Studies find short-term reductions in stress, anxiety and heart rate. The evidence is modest in quality. [See the research summary.](https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/journal/forest-bathing-benefits-science/)


## Try it in Charlotte

    I guide [group sessions](https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/group-sessions/) from $25 per person and [private sessions](https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/private-sessions/) at $150 for 2 hours.

    [Request a session](https://sylvotherapycharlotte.com/book/)