This study aimed to investigate the effects of a two-day forest therapy program on individuals with chronic widespread pain. Sixty one employees of a public organization providing building and facilities management services within the Seoul Metropolitan area participated in the study. Participants were assigned to an experimental group (n = 33) who participated in a forest therapy program or a control group (n = 28) on a non-random basis. Pre- and post-measures of heart rate variability (HRV), Natural Killer cell (NK cell) activity, self-reported pain using the visual analog scale (VAS), depression level using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and health-related quality of life measures using the EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) were collected in both groups. The results showed that participants in the forest therapy group, as compared to the control group, showed physiological improvement as indicated by a significant increase in some measures of HRV and an increase in immune competence as indicated by NK cell activity. Participants in the forest therapy group also reported significant decreases in pain and depression, and a significant improvement in health-related quality of life. These results support the hypothesis that forest therapy is an effective intervention to relieve pain and associated psychological and physiological symptoms in individuals with chronic widespread pain.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two-hour exposure to a forest environment on cytokine, anti-oxidant and stress levels among university students and to compare the results to those measured in urban environments. Forty-one subjects were recruited. For our crossover design, subjects were divided into two groups based on similar demographic characteristics. Group A remained in the urban environment and was asked to perform regular breathing for 2 h. Blood samples were collected and the serum levels of cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were examined. Subjects were moved to a small town in a rural area for an equal amount of time to exclude carryover effects, and then remained for another 2 h in a forest environment. The second set of blood samples was collected to assess the effect of exposure to the forest environment. Using the same method, Group B was first exposed to the forest environment, followed by exposure to the urban environment. Blood samples collected after the subjects were exposed to the forest environment showed significantly lower levels of IL-8 and TNF-α compared to those in samples collected after urban environment exposure (10.76 vs. 9.21, t = 4.559, p < 0.001, and 0.97 vs. 0.87, t = 4.130, p < 0.001). The GPx concentration increased significantly after exposure to the forest environment (LnGPx = 5.09 vs. LnGPx = 5.21, t = −2.039, p < 0.05).

Art therapy is useful for immigrant youth to reduce depression, anxiety and stress through visualised images.This study determined indications of psychological outcomes, acceptability and satisfact...

This randomized controlled study aimed to investigate the effects of art psychotherapy on moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD). Forty-two MDD patients were recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. Participants were allocated on a randomized, open-label basis to either an experimental group, wherein they were treated with art psychotherapy added to pharmacotherapy, or a control group, wherein they were treated with pharmacotherapy alone. Pre- and post-test measures of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and remission rates were measured. The results indicate that patients treated with art psychotherapy and ongoing pharmacotherapy showed slightly greater improvement when compared with pharmacotherapy alone in moderate-to-severe MDD. These results suggest that art psychotherapy could be an effective add-on strategy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe MDD. However, a rigorous test would facilitate a better understanding of art psychotherapy as an add-on strategy for MDD treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based mandala coloring made within nature on individuals with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain (CWP). Thirty-six participants were randomly allocated. In the experimental group, identical interventions and procedures were administered for each experiment. The control group members were untreated and remained in an urban environment. Overall, the experiment showed significant improvements in tender points (f = 8.791, p = 0.006), total stress level (f = 14.570, p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (f = 15.205, p = 0.001), anger symptoms (f = 7.263, p = 0.011) and salivary cortisol (f = 10.619, p = 0.003) in the experimental group. The results reflect that MBMC within nature is effective in reducing pain, psychological stress responses, and cortisol levels in individuals with CWP. The positive results could be a product of the experimental design rather than the treatment itself. A rigorous experimental design provides better understanding of MBMC within nature.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there has been an urgent need to provide mental healthcare and share various practices for Ukrainian war refugees. This study urgently focuses on the need for art therapy to support the mental health of Ukrainian refugees, Koryo-saram, who are staying in the Republic of Korea due to the wartime emergency. It also examines the impact of art therapy intervention on anxiety and subjective stress. The single-session art therapy with the 54 Koryo-saram refugees aged 13-68 showed the effectiveness of the art therapy intervention. The results indicate that GAD-7 (t = 3.092, p = 0.003) and SUDs (t = 3.335, p = 0.002) were statistically significant within the intervention group. In addition, satisfaction assessments of the qualitatively analyzed participants showed that Ukrainian Koryo-saram had a positive experience of art therapy. Therefore single-session art therapy in this study demonstrated the efficacy of art therapy for the anxiety and subjective distress of Ukrainian Koryo-saram refugees. This result suggests that the intervention of art therapy as immediate mental healthcare for refugees facing war could benefit the mental health of Koryo-saram refugees.