Summer Crider: Forest Therapy

SUMMER: My whole life growing up, I’ve always found comfort in nature. My dad instilled that in me. He was a wildlife biologist. It wasn’t until recently that I really immersed myself into nature therapy and founded my business providing nature therapy guides for two years now. These therapy guides are for deaf and hearing people too! Being in the first and nature tends to be silent in addition to time of solitude.

I’m a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, which means I’ve been trained to set up space and situations where people can come and disconnect from technology, and work and life stressors. In turn they can connect with nature.

The experience involves joining the guide, and you can expect two to three hours in order to truly connect while doing body and breath work, and different invitations to connect with nature and move through the experience. After this, we’ll join together for a tea ceremony where we share our experiences as a group and help each other figure out how to continue these acts of self-care, focusing on health and connecting with nature.

Everyone has different journeys with their mental health. Prescription medication works for some, but others may require a mixture of something else. I encourage people to seek their own paths toward self-care. One important thing I do emphasize is that sometimes doctors will tell us what to do, such as therapy, seeking an expert, etc. But the real expert is ourselves and what we strive for. The forest is a therapist. Nature has therapeutic qualities. We as guides simply open the door and give that guidance on how you can connect with nature. That’s the goal.

Any training includes being aware of plants. This is poison ivy, so we don’t touch it! We respect it though.

When I became a certified guide, I had to decide how I could spread awareness with Nature and Forest Therapy, which aligns with both my passion for travel and allows me to host guides all over America. The name of my bus is the Turtle Shuttle.

Hi, welcome to my traveling home! It’s 24 feet long but it’s got plenty of space to get comfortable. There’s a shower and a closet.

While traveling, I get to meet so many deaf business owners and support the deaf ecosystem! I have these stickers.

I have these mirrors here, and my rearview monitor so I can back out. Oh, and… Turtle says to drive slow and be careful during wide turns.

There are so many different experiences to be had with guides in the city, guides through rivers, mountains, swamps, the list goes on. And different ages, old and young, camping, retreats. My goal through it all is to spread awareness on the connection of what nature can provide for us.