fight or flight – SUNBEAM ACRES

Harnessing Nature’s Power Through Forest Therapy

December 9, 2025 pammunkholm

😂👆🏼

For years my body lived in a storm of chronic pain. Caught between relentless tension, inflammation, and exhaustion. Traditional therapies weren’t making a dent. Something profound shifted only when I began practicing forest therapy. Intentionally slowing down in nature to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, the calming rest-and-digest branch that supports healing.

Today, as a forest therapy guide, I’ve watched this shift happen not just in myself, but others around me. In people carrying chronic pain, anxiety, grief, and burnout. Research confirms it and nature continually demonstrates it.

This post explores how parasympathetic activation through forest therapy aids recovery, why it’s especially valuable in chronic pain, and how to practice it even in winter months. When we often need it most.

Having a chronic illness is like looking both ways before you cross the street and then getting hit by an aeroplane.

-my take on quote by Nitya Prakash

FOREWALLOWED: overwhelmed, exhausted, or worn out, often due to excessive effort or difficulty.

🌿 Woods & Wellness: The Science of Forest Therapy

Chronic pain keeps the body stuck in a prolonged sympathetic fight-or-flight state.

Research shows that forest environments:

🌿 Lower cortisol levels
🌿 Reduce muscle tension
🌿 Lower blood pressure and heart rate
🌿 Increase heart rate variability (HRV) (a strong indicator of parasympathetic activation)
🌿 Decrease activity in the prefrontal cortex, easing mental fatigue
🌿 Boost immune function through phytoncides, natural compounds released by trees

Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) studies from Japan indicate a significant increase in parasympathetic activity after as little as 15–20 minutes in a natural space.

This activation signals the body:

You are safe. You can repair.

Chronic pain often cycles when the body cannot access this safety. Forest therapy helps gently turn that switch.

Break often- not like porcelain, but like waves.

–Scherezade Siobhan

🌱 The Power of Pause: Healing with Parasympathetic Rest

There was a stretch of my life when going to sleep hurt. Waking up hurt. Every day just hurt. Fibromyalgia flares, migraines, and exhaustion deep into my bones, left me swollen with frustration.

My healing didn’t happen all at once. It began with moments.

Moments of pausing on a beach.

Moments of feeling my breath match the trees. A slow and ancient pace.

Moments of letting myself not push. Easing into instead of always rushing to take the next step.

Forest therapy didn’t cure my chronic pain. But it gave my nervous system something I didn’t know it was starving for. Permission to soften!

And in that softening my symptoms eased. My hope returned. And my body began recalibrating.

Nature gave me a place where healing didn’t feel forced. It unfolded.

Forest Therapy checks so many of these boxes and aids in checking the others. In FT we practice breathing exercises, sometimes chanting or humming. We meditate. Depending on the season we are exposed to cold &/or sun. Music can be part of the practice. Social connection and exercise are built in. The gag reflex and ability to sleep are supported after the practice.

🍃 The Icy Veil: A River’s Progression Beneath the Freeze

Winter teaches us about quiet healing. The kind that hides but never stops working.

Imagine a river in Saskatoon in January.

On the surface, it looks frozen, still, unmoving. But beneath the ice, water continues flowing. Deliberately, purposefully.

This is what happens when the parasympathetic nervous system activates in chronic pain.

Outwardly you might still feel limited and slow.

But beneath the surface, healing begins to flow again:

inflammation decreases
muscles release
circulation improves
your mind stops bracing for the next wave of pain

Forest therapy is the gentle sunlight that softens the ice, allowing your inner river to move again. Not rushed, just returned to its natural rhythm.

For me, being quiet and slow is being myself, and that is my gift.

–Fred Rogers ❤

❄️ Embracing the Chill: Winter Forest Therapy for Chronic Pain

Are we 100% sure we are meant to be awake in the winter?

–Jordanne Brown @Perry7Platypus7

Winter can be challenging when you live with chronic pain:

colder temperatures increase stiffness
shorter daylight affects mood
energy dips
motivation wavers

But winter also offers something summer can’t:

an environment that naturally encourages slowness, stillness, and reflection- key conditions for parasympathetic restoration

When practiced intentionally, winter forest therapy becomes a deeply comforting, grounding practice.

🧣 How to Practice Forest Therapy in Winter (Without Freezing or Flaring)

1. Take Slow Sensory Walks (10–20 minutes is enough)

The cold naturally slows your pace. Let it. Pay attention to textures, sounds, and the muted winter palette.

2. Use “Micro Moments” of Nature

If going far feels impossible, try parasympathetic nature moments:

sit by a window and watch wind move branches
listen to a crackling fire or light a pine-scented candle
stand on your porch and notice a single tree
touch cold bark and notice grounding sensations

Even 3–5 minutes helps reset your nervous system.

3. Practice Breathwork with Nature

Try the “tree breath”:

Imagine your exhale traveling into the roots of a nearby tree. Slow, steady, grounding.

4. Bring Nature Indoors

Winter healing doesn’t require wilderness:

evergreen branches
natural scents (cedar, spruce, pine)
smooth stones
indoor plants
nature soundscapes

Your parasympathetic system responds to cues of safety, not location. Are you ready to commit to this statement?👇🏼

🌲 Cozy Winter Connections: Nature’s Embrace Awaits

Here’s your winter-friendly, chronic pain safe list:

🔥 1. Warm beverages as grounding tools

Tea, broth, hot cider. Wrap your hands around warmth while practicing stillness.

🧤 2. Layer with intention

Merino wool layers
Heated socks
Hand warmers
A thermos tucked in your coat

Warmth = reduced pain and more parasympathetic access.

🌲 3. Bring texture

A soft scarf, wool blanket, or mittens can become sensory anchors.

✨ 4. Choose wind sheltered routes

Forest edges, dense evergreens, or local parks with natural windbreaks reduce the cold’s impact on pain.

🌞 5. Use pockets of sun

Even 5 minutes of winter sunlight boosts serotonin and eases the nervous system.

🧘 6. Gentle seated practices. You don’t have to hike.

Sit on an insulated pad, lean on a tree, and let your body settle.

🌿 Healing from Within: Nature’s Cradle for Chronic Pain Relief

Forest therapy doesn’t eliminate chronic pain, but it helps the body access what pain often steals:

a state of rest, repair, and deep nervous system safety.

When nature cues your parasympathetic system:

your muscles unclench
catastrophizing thoughts settle
your breath deepens
your pain becomes less sharp
your resilience grows.

In this softened place, healing becomes possible again.

When you do things from your soul, you have a river moving in you, a joy.

-Rumi

🌿 Winter Is Not the Enemy, Merely a Difficult Friendship

“The trees may sleep, but they are never dead.” — Edwin Way Teale

Winter offers these quiet, tender invitations:

Slow down. Notice. Receive what nature offers.

Even when life feels frozen, your healing can still flow beneath the surface.

Your body is not failing you. It is waiting for safety.

And the forest, still, patient and ancient, knows how to offer it.

We are the granddaughters of the grandmas your reindeer couldn’t run over.

We are resilient! We are strong! We are SISU!!!

Healing Chronic Pain: The Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Response

August 12, 2025 pammunkholm

The body keeps the score, the body always remembers.

–Bessel van der Kolk

Chronic pain has been one of my greatest teachers. Not because I wanted the lessons. But because it refused to allow me to skip class.

I grew up hearing the terms fight or flight. It was always in the context of trauma. I learned about freeze and fawn in more recent years.

IF you are unfamiliar with these states. Blow this up ☝🏼 and take a glance, get a feel for how these patterns operate for the general public.

I was surprised to learn that these patterns are all operating in my life. Likely due to my chronic pain.

The body that keeps moving isn’t driven- it’s bracing. A survival pattern disguised as productivity. A nervous system trying to stay one step ahead of collapse.

-@emberunbound

I didn’t realize that chronic pain could push my nervous system into these same states. And keep me there for long stretches of time.

Our bodies are wired to protect us from danger. But what happens when the danger isn’t the tiger in the bushes… but a pain flare that never truly ends?

Pain is supposed to be the warning that something is wrong. Literally life threatening. But with chronic pain every movement. Every situation. Every experience. Gets imprinted incorrectly. And experienced in the mind as life threatening. We’re not supposed to be exposed to this type of danger all the time. When the alarm bells keep ringing. How does one keep from going berserk?

Your Body’s Ancient Alarm System

The body has 7 trillion nerves and some people manage to get on every last one of them.

When the nervous system senses threat- whether physical, emotional, or imagined- it flips into protection mode.

Fight- “I have to push through this pain, no matter what.” “I feel irritated by everything.”
Flight- “I have to escape this situation (or this body).” “Nobody understands, I should just leave.”
Freeze- “I can’t do anything, so I’ll shut down.” “I can’t handle anymore right now.”
Fawn- “If I just keep everyone happy, I’ll be safe.” “I wish I could go home to rest, but I need to stay so they don’t feel bad.”

With chronic pain, these responses aren’t always dramatic. They can be quiet, creeping patterns that take root in daily life.

Once triggered, we find any input is too much. Noise. Lights. Crowds. Smells. Chaos. Multiple things competing for our attention. This sensory overload can start to make us feel panicky, confused, and overwhelmed.

I suggest this is because we live at the height of what we can handle. Just with our pain. Adding anything easily takes us to a breaking point.

How Fight Shows Up in Chronic Pain

She thought strength 
was measured in miles run,
lists checked,
burdens carried alone.
Then she learned
that strength can also be 
in saying "enough."

For me, “fight” often looks like overdoing it. I grit my teeth, force my way through the task, and pretend the pain isn’t there. I know I’m past my limit when I start getting on my own nerves.

She was fierce, but her body was tired. She was determined, but her cells were weary. And yet, she still rose.

-Unknown

Flight: The Urge to Escape

She packed her bags 
for the hundredth time,
not always with clothes-
sometimes just with dreams.
But the horizon
was only another room
she carried inside.

Sometimes the pain feels unbearable, and all I want is to run- from conversations, commitments, or even my own thoughts. With chronic pain, “flight” doesn’t always mean sprinting down the road. It can mean numbing with endless scrolling, binge-watching, or mentally checking out.

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our soul.

-C.S. Lewis

Freeze: Stuck in Place

When pain is constant, your nervous system never gets the memo that the war is over.

–Dr. Howard Schubiner

Freeze is tricky. It feels like exhaustion, procrastination, or brain fog. It is not laziness- it’s biology. The nervous system has decided the safest thing to do is… nothing.

Chronic pain can hold the body hostage, and freeze mode locks the mind in the same room.

Fawn: People Pleasing for Safety

If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside yourself.

–Cheryl Richardson

This one surprised me the most. And yet, it makes so much sense. Fawn shows up when I ignore my own limits to keep others happy. Agreeing to help when I’m in pain, smiling through a flare so no one feels uncomfortable. It can keep us “safe” socially, but it costs us our healing.

Why This Matters for Chronic Pain

When our bodies stay in constant fight- flight- freeze- fawn cycles, our pain often increases. Muscles stay tense. Sleep gets disrupted. Digestion slows. The immune system struggles.

She said "yes
so no one else
would have to feel
her "no."
But the body keeps 
its own calendar, 
and it circled today
for the breaking point.

-Misty Bernall

Recognizing the pattern is the first step toward calming it.

Seatherny
(noun) the serenity one feels when listening to the chirping of birds

Calming the Nervous System

Here’s some ways I’ve found helpful to calm an overactive nervous system.

Slow breathing- inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6
Gentle self talk- “My body is doing its best to keep me safe.”
Micro- rests- lying down for 5 minutes before I truly need to
Safe connection- calling someone who understands without judgment
Crying- releases pent up emotions
Chug water- a natural way to detox physically
Run hands under cold water- to trick the brain into distraction
Nature time, a brisk walk- or take some time for forest therapy

May the tide wash away your fear
May the salt air clear your thoughts
May you feel the pull of the moon 
reminding you to rise and rest in turn
May your heart find its steady beat, 
and your body remember-
you are safe to float now
-Lucille Clifton

Mending While the Alarm Still Rings

The nervous system can be rewired, but it’s a slow mending- like stitching a beloved quilt by hand. Each breath, each choice to rest, each moment of kindness toward ourselves is a new thread.

May the trees stand guard over your rest
May the wind carry away your pain
May the earth hold you steady
and the roots remind you-
you belong here
May the path ahead be soft underfoot
and the light always find your face

I am learning not to be mad at my nervous system. It’s trying to protect me the best way it knows. I can thank it for its service… and then gently let it know I am safe now.

A Blessing for Your Journey

May your heart rate slow
May your shoulders drop
May your jaw unclench
May the river of your breath
remind you of the ocean's rhythm
May you remember-
you are safe, you are whole, you are here

Chronic pain is impressive, but so are you. In the best way. Solid. Grounded. A force to be reckoned with.

Nature’s Therapeutic Whispers: Revelations from Diverse Books

June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 pammunkholm

Have you ever heard your books talking to each other? I generally have at least a dozen non-fiction books on the go at any given time. I don’t know if the same rule applies to fiction books.

When I read my books daily I start to hear them talk to each other. They discuss the same points. The examples and illustrations are vastly different but the message is the same. These are not books on the same subject or genre. But my brain starts to put it together in an intricate web.

Here is a glimpse into what my books are saying.

There are those that believe that the highest truth exists in nature. Have you ever struggled to find truth in this world of chaos and contention? If we look around we see that everything is pointing us back to the earth. Our food. Whole food from the earth looks to be our best bet. Our vacations. We fly to exotic destinations to get our feet in the sand. Our need to be still. Which we will not come upon by accident. We will not trip and land in a forest bath. We have to intentionally and incrementally choose nature as a healing tool.

Nature is an intricate web. Did you know that all the trees in a forest are connected by their roots? And that research is showing there is almost an in and out breath that the trees take collectively. When you are in nature you can feel it. But do you know how to bottle it up and take it home with you?

Have you heard of Petrichor? It is the smell of earth after rain. We’ve had a lot of that recently. To put it in perspective I recently learned that as humans we are more sensitive to the scent of rain than a shark is to the scent of blood. Perfumers have been after the scent for years. There’s something primitive about the smell. Plant smell is also more obvious.

Like forest bathing, petrichor has a relaxing effect and a feeling of good health. Just being around it is helpful. If you don’t feel like going for a walk in the rain, try standing outside barefoot for a few minutes. Ideally it’s still raining and you can take in all nature has to offer from above and below.

Researchers suggest that humans had those scent receptors for back in the day when our ancestors needed to know where would be the best place to plant your crop. That smell would have been of great importance to those that lived solely off the land.

Some days it feels like we are far removed from the days of living of the land. Nowadays it’s about deadlines and fitting it all in. But that takes its toll. When you’re feeling stressed the body releases a hormone called cortisol. But studies show that your body doesn’t release as much cortisol when in the forest. This is good news because too much of it can cause problems. The ones we are seeing so rampant in our society. Anxiety. Depression. Heart disease. Weight gain. Memory and concentration problems.

So many of us are living in a constant state of fight or flight and cannot continue to function on our current trajectory. When your body is overloaded on cortisol and not getting a chance to recover, the body starts to fight back. Your body needs a chance to rest and digest. During this process the heart rate slows while the gut and glands experience increased activity.

Forest bathing helps me get out of my default setting of rush and stress and into a state of rest and digest. I have a desire to disconnect from the things that are draining me and to connect to those things that will feed me. It is part mindfulness. Part play. Thoughts slow down. The things that felt so important a moment ago fade in the scent, sounds and feel of the forest.

Amos Clifford, founder of The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides says of forest bathing, “It’s a fancy way of saying hanging out in the forest can make you super relaxed.” This is one way to use forest therapy. But there are many ways for many different kinds of days.

Sometimes days are incredibly hard and I can relate to what C.S. Lewis wrote in A Grief Observed, “There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.” I am going through such a time as this. Thankfully, as always, the forest holds the answer. Join me by reaching out to me on my contact page to book an individual or join a group walk.

Author Edward Abbey wrote, May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. Healing is available here in this place. I am experiencing it. I can show you the way.

These seemingly random yet related thoughts are how my books are speaking to me today. In so many of them I am learning, Nature truly is the best medicine. Take it in my friends.