A journey of 15 years long

Ronneth Hock
12 minutes ago
2 min read

I have finally completed my training as a forest therapy guide as of Sunday, 30/11/25. I had my forest therapy immersion at Koh Pra Thong or Island of the Golden Buddha in Thailand. The island is located in Phangnga, South of Thailand. It’s an island with a rich biodiversity. The island is a good mix of both beach paradise and lush greenery. It is also home to the Savannah of Thailand, a vast stretch of parched land across the island. I am absolutely grateful to the land in providing the space and allowing us to harvest from it an unforgettable forest bathing training with our two very inspiring facilitators.

My journey as a forest therapy guide began 15 years ago when I was going through a difficult time in life. As I was going through a career success, my life was moving downwards and affecting my whole emotional wellbeing. While I could go to work everyday, my inner self was feeling dry and heavy-laden. There was no joy in me and every day I felt so drained up. It was during such a time like this I felt the call of nature and to seek healing from it. I started extensive walks or hike on a very regular basis with another good friend of mine. We often went to MacRitchie Reservoir (one of Singapore nature reserves) and soaked ourselves in the presence of the forest there. As a matter of fact, this desire for nature led me to eventually took part in The Northface 100 - a 100 meter trail running event organised by The Northface.

This went on for about 2 years or more and the healing took place. Ever since then, I always felt nature calling me to her, seeking refuge and solace with her. Walking into the wild and forest became quite a norm to me. Everytime I traveled to a city, I would look for a park or a trail to walk and to soak myself in the energy there. My last overseas trail was Minoah Park in Osaka. That was during spring and it was a wonderful experience. At some point, I chanced upon information about Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) and found that what it describes itself to be doing very similar to what I have been doing - heeding to the invitations of nature. So, I decided to accept nature’s invitation to sign up for the course.

Throughout the course, I have crossed in and out of the thresholds. ANFT has put all my nature experiences in perspective. It has been a very fulfilling and enriching experience. Finally, after all these years, I am not a certified forest therapy guide and am now opening doors for people to enter the liminal space to have a relationship with the forest. I really have no idea what all these will lead me to or it may not lead me to anywhere, but I will trust the process and nature to continue to lead me along.