Lived experiences of being-in-the-forest as experiential sharing with the more-than-human world

摘要

This article considers human embodied relationships with the more-than-human world, in the Swedish forest context, and through a phenomenological approach. The research focuses on lived experiences of being-in-the-forest, starting in the author's experiences, using walk-and-talk conversations as inquiry process with study participants. Analysis reveals that (a) childhood experiences seem to play a crucial role in adult experiences of forests; (b) place-identity and sense of belonging are significant elements in how the participants define themselves; (c) being-in-the-forest is connected to an active, exploring and moving body and that the connection with the more-than-human world of the case study forest is deeply anchored as part of the human body. This relationship appears to be shaped through a process of constructing and reconstructing memories, practice and selfhood, and can, it seems, last a lifetime. In the long term, such relationships could have a positive impact on human connections to the more-than-human world.