Forest Immersion Guide
Facilitating gentle, guided Forest immersion experiences
What Is A Forest Immersion Experience?
What is a Forest Immersion Experience?
A Forest Immersion Experience (also called Forest Therapy) is the practice of slowing down and using your senses to connect with nature. It's not about hiking for distance or exercise. Instead, it invites you to simply be with nature. Observing, listening, touching, and connecting with your surroundings in a mindful way.
These guided experiences may include gentle invitations, like noticing how the leaves move, feeling different textures, or tuning into the sounds around you. There's no destination to reach. The focus is on deepening your awareness and building a meaningful relationship with the environment around you.Where Does It Stem From?
This offers a flexible way to support relaxation, presence, and connection.
Modern forest immersion practices are largely inspired by Shinrin-yoku, a Japanese practice whose name translates to "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan in the 1980s as a response to rising stress and disconnection from nature in city life.
Public health research supported Shinrin-yoku, encouraging people to spend intentional, mindful time in forests to improve their well-being. Over time, the practice spread around the world and continued to evolve.
Today, Forest Immersion (or Forest Therapy) blends ancient traditions of human-nature connection with modern science. It creates accessible experiences for people in forests, parks, and other natural spaces.What Are the Benefits??
Forest immersion can offer a wide range of mental, emotional, and physical benefits, including:
Stress reduction: Time in nature has been shown to lower cortisol levels and calm the nervous system.
Improved mood: Natural environments can help reduce anxiety, depression, and mental fatigue.
Better focus and creativity: Slowing down in nature can restore attention and support clearer thinking.
Deeper connection: Many participants feel a renewed sense of belonging. To themselves, to others, and to the natural world.
Research in fields like environmental psychology continues to show how meaningful time in nature supports overall well-being. Feel free to read more about the benefits below.
Disclaimer:
I am not a licensed medical professional, therapist, or healthcare provider. I serve as a Forest Immersion (Forest Therapy) guide, offering experiences intended to support general well-being, relaxation, and connection with nature.Forest Immersion (Forest Therapy) are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. These experiences should not be used as medical or psychological care. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or well-being.Forest Immersion Experiences
A deeply personal experience designed just for you (or a small group of 1–3 people). In these one-on-one sessions, you're gently guided through a forest immersion practice shaped around your pace, needs, and intentions. We move slowly and with care, giving you space to soften, notice, and reconnect; with the natural world and with yourself.
Through guided invitations, this offering creates a supportive space for reflection, grounding, and quiet rest. Whether you're seeking stillness, clarity, or simply time to breathe, this is your space to show up exactly as you are.
Great for anyone looking for a unique one-on-one experience!
Gather in community and experience the forest together. These small group immersions (up to 10 people) are designed to build connection with nature and with each other. While still honoring your personal space and individual experience.
You'll be guided through shared invitations, moments of quiet reflection, and gentle opportunities to connect. Practicing in a group can deepen your sense of belonging, especially in a queer-affirming space where you're welcomed exactly as you are.
Great for work teams, friends, family, and groups!
Seasonal, creative, and always evolving. These are curated forest immersion experiences designed and hosted by Guided By Giantess. Each event offers a unique way to engage with the natural world, often weaving together themes, community, and sensory exploration.
From special gatherings to collaborative experiences, these events invite you to step into something a little magical.
Stay tuned for upcoming offerings and announcements on Instagram @wanderinggiantessFrequently Asked Questions
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You can expect a series of gentle "invitations" rather than a structured hike. I will offer sensory prompts to help you slow down, but you are always the authority on your own experience; you are welcome to engage with these invitations in whatever way feels most nourishing for your body and mind in that moment.
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The most important thing to bring is simply yourself. I invite you to wear comfortable layers and sturdy shoes, but beyond that, there is no "work" to do. This is a time for you to set down your roles and responsibilities and just be present with the forest.
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While you are always welcome to wander the forest alone, a guide holds the "container" for you. I take care of the timing, the navigation, etc, which allows your brain to fully drop out of "survival or planning mode" and into a deep, restorative state of rest that often can be hard to achieve when you are solo.
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No, I am not a clinical therapist. While the forest often provides a space for deep emotional and physical restoration, my role is to facilitate your connection with nature.
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Typically, this experience lasts about 2 hours but can very depending on the group. We move very slowly, often covering less than a mile, to ensure your nervous system has the time it needs to settle into the pace of the woods.
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I am a Certified Forest Therapy Guide and hold a Wilderness First Aid certification.
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Inclusivity is important to me, and I want my forest immersion sessions to be a welcoming experience for everyone. If you have a disability or specific accessibility needs, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. I'd love to have a conversation about how we can work together.
Every person's needs are unique, and I'm committed to doing my best to explore accommodations that make our time in nature meaningful and comfortable for you. Whether it relates to mobility, sensory considerations, or anything else, I'm happy to listen and collaborate on finding an approach that feels right.
Please contact me and we can chat through the possibilities together.
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Each experience is unique and different. Once you fill out my contact form; I will reach out to you to get a bit more information so I can put together a clearly defined scope and cost! I do want to make this work as accessible as possible so I do offer sliding scale pricing to marginalized communities. If you are interested in that; please include that within your contact form submission.
The Guide
Guided By Giantess ~ Forest Immersion Guide
Gentle, guided forest immersion experiencesHi! My name is Colleen! Your friendly lesbian giant, both behind the camera and wandering among the trees. I guide others into the quiet magic of the forest, where the world softens and there's room to simply be.
My work is about creating intentional, welcoming spaces where queer folks can show up exactly as they are: unmasked, unhurried, and fully themselves. Whether through shared stillness, gentle exploration, or moments of wonder, I invite you to reconnect: not just with nature, but with your own sense of belonging within it.Currently located in Pittsburgh, PA
Photo by @filmedbyrici