Experiences of Change in Connectedness Through Forest Bathing Among Adults with Disabilities and/or Physical Health Difficulties

Nature connection activities benefit health and well-being, increasing connectedness on individual, social, and environmental levels. However, they are rarely accessible to people with disabilities, who face disproportionate social exclusion and discrimination. As a specific form of nature connection activity, forest bathing has limited research assessing experiences of this population, and few studies provide a qualitative exploration of connectedness through forest bathing. This research offers a unique exploration of adults with disabilities’ experiences of change in connection to self, others, and nature, as a primary focus, through accessible forest bathing programmes. Semi-structured qualita-tive interviews were conducted with fifteen adults with physical disabilities and/or physical health difficulties after attending at least two online and/or in-person forest bathing group sessions. The reflexive thematic analysis resulted in four themes, indicating that accessible forest bathing pro-grammes promoted greater connectedness to self, others, and nature, along with a broader sense of interconnectedness and spiritual meaning. Participants considered connectedness essential for fos-tering self-identity, personal growth, a sense of belonging, community building, environmental stew-ardship, and reducing isolation. The findings suggest accessible forest bathing programmes may war-rant further exploration within clinical practice, green social prescribing, and education to support psychoecosocial well-being and a more inclusive, environmentally conscious society.