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Forest Therapy in the Landes: Interview with Viviane Lafourcade

Writer: Clotilde
Clotilde
4 days ago
4 min read

Dynamic and enchanted by the Living World, Viviane Lafourcade is a forest therapy guide in and around Soustons, in the Landes region of southwest France. A Landes woman by choice and by heart, she seems to bring joy and beauty wherever she goes. Spending time with Viviane in nature feels like stepping into an enchanted pause.



I felt an immediate soul-to-soul connection when I had the honour of training her in Forest Therapy and Plant Consciousness in autumn 2023 in Nantes. That autumn week was made immeasurably richer by her presence 🥰


Almost a year later, Viviane’s forest therapy practice had continued to deepen and evolve.


Here is our conversation.


CR: Hello Viviane, I’m so happy to meet you again for this exchange. Could you tell us what brought you to forest therapy?


VL: Hello Clotilde! The pleasure is mutual. Forest therapy is sometimes reduced to hugging trees, and I find that frustrating. Long before I knew the name of the practice, I already lived in close relationship with what I call nature’s magic: woodland, the scent of moss and mushrooms, plants, birds, squirrels and animals in general. My maternal grandmother talked to plants, and my parents gave me the freedom to develop independence, instinct and intuition. I have also long described myself as sensitive to magnetism and energy. And then, of course, there was the irresistible urge to sit beside a tree—at that time especially the oak, which I experience as a great teacher. Its strength and serenity soothed me and gave me a sense of something larger than myself. As a free child walking with my dog, I would speak aloud without embarrassment. I learned very early how restorative it could feel to walk in nature and symbolically leave anger or sadness beneath a tree.


CR: You lead forest outings around Soustons in the Landes, your adopted home. What captivated you about its forests and beaches?


VL: At the end of one summer on the island of Oléron, when I was 14, I told my parents: “When I’m old, my home will be close to the Atlantic Ocean!” Years later I met my partner, whose family had roots in Béarn and the Landes. I immediately fell in love with the forests, their scents, the immense beaches and the traditions. I finally felt I was where I belonged. I’ve been grateful to live here for 25 years and to add my own little touch of sparkle.


CR: As a forest therapy guide in the Landes, you live in an extraordinary landscape for plant discoveries and wonder. What do you most love sharing with participants?


VL: (laughs) Clotilde, you know wonder and botanical discoveries can happen anywhere. But here in the Landes forest, I love awakening people’s awareness. I invite them back into their five senses through a sensory path—and sometimes they leave having rediscovered a sixth one too! In other words, their intuition. Participants have sometimes used words such as “amazing” or “incredible” afterwards, and that fills me with joy because the magic of the walk has done its work. My guiding principle is to use the power of words while making room for slowness and silence.

Contemplate, don’t merely look. Feel, don’t merely sense. Listen, don’t merely hear. Nature’s magic is everywhere.


CR: Your photos and videos also give a beautiful place to animals—deer, squirrels, birds, and of course your cats. Do animals belong in this relationship with wellbeing and the Living World? Is their connection complementary to the one we develop with trees?


VL: (smiles) Absolutely. Animals, insects, birds and even fish all have a place in the way I experience nature. Quietly watching a deer, following squirrels playing, seeing birds build a nest and feed their young, laughing at a blackbird taking a bath, stroking a dog or reading beside purring cats—all of these can become invitations to pause and return to the present moment. For me it is one vast, complementary connection: the Living World is interconnected.

Happiness can be simple. It can be right in front of us, beneath our feet.


CR: You often say that every day holds a surprise. You invite people to taste life, celebrate everyday joys and create a little magic wherever they can. How did your life path lead you towards this joyful awareness?


VL: Wow! I think that joyful awareness has always been rooted in me. My family, friends and people I’ve met have often described me as positive, committed, lively and original. Perhaps it’s connected to my name—thank you, Mum! More recently, participants have told me they were struck by what they described as “a calming presence and a strong commitment to the relationship between humans and nature.” Like everyone, journeys, difficult events, encounters and faith have all helped shape who I am.


In this new chapter of life, I want to awaken people to the beauty of the world, to the signs they notice along their path, to the attraction of the Living World and to the simple, benevolent presence they may experience with trees. I hope each participant can enrich their life with lessons drawn from nature and from the fascinating beings we encounter.


CR: Last question: if you could reincarnate as an element of nature, what would you choose and why?


VL: Choosing means giving something up! So perhaps I’d like to experience several forms:


  • a colourful dragonfly, for creativity, lightness and freedom, moving through air and above water;


  • an oak, a sacred tree and a symbol for me of strength, stability and fertility, sheltering countless species and supporting an ecosystem even after death;


  • and a hoopoe, a magnificent bird of southwest France that symbolises wisdom, integrity and fidelity in my imagination.


I would make my home close to my children, wherever they are, and from everything we’ve talked about today, they would know I was still watching over them.


CR: A thousand thanks, my dear fairy Viviane, for answering my questions!

VL: Thank you, Clotilde—infinitely.

Without your forest therapy training and your advice, I don’t think I would have reached my goal so efficiently.


Contact Viviane, forest therapy guide in the Landes


🌳 If you would like to meet Viviane Lafourcade in the Landes for a forest or beach walk and a nature-based forest therapy experience:


🌱 Do you work with trees, forests or the Living World and have a professional perspective you would like to share? Whatever your profession or country, write to me at clotilde.naturo@gmail.com


Clotilde Rolland,


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