This literature-review paper presents a theoretical and interdisciplinary framework that integrates Gestalt awareness and the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) to explore emotional regulation and environmental connection. Gestalt theory emphasizes present-moment awareness, sensory contact, and the integration of emotional experience, while Shinrin-Yoku is grounded in culturally rooted, nature-based practices that promote physiological calming, attentional restoration, and embodied presence. Together, these approaches offer a complementary lens for understanding how emotional well-being is shaped through sensory engagement, meaning-making, and one’s relationship with place. The scope of this framework centers on three key constructs: emotional regulation, defined as the capacity to notice, tolerate, and respond adaptively to emotional states; embodied awareness, understood as present-centered sensory and somatic attention; and environmental connection, referring to the felt sense of relationship between individuals and their natural surroundings. Drawing on psychological, ecological, and cross-cultural literature, this paper argues that disruptions in sensory contact and environmental attunement are associated with experiences such as anxiety, rumination, and emotional disconnection, while intentional engagement with natural environments can restore coherence between emotional experience and embodied awareness. By integrating Western psychotherapeutic traditions with Eastern ecological practices, this framework highlights the value of culturally responsive, nature-based approaches to emotional well-being, showing how mindful contact with natural spaces deepens psychological reflection while Gestalt principles support meaning-making. As a foundational literature review, this paper establishes a basis for future empirical research, with proposed studies assessing changes in anger-related emotional regulation through mixed-methods approaches that combine quantitative measures with qualitative accounts of participants’ lived experiences.

Authors:
Sandra Larson, Antioch University Seattle, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Sandra M. Larson is a doctoral student and therapist studying anger, culture, and environment. Her dissertation explores how art and visual expression communicate anger across cultures and contexts.

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