R+D+i+E

The current objective of SOMA Bosque is to develop, validate, and standardize the eco-somatic methodological protocol based on accessible neurotechnology and body practices in natural environments, through rigorously applied tests, in order to advance the technological, strategic, and commercial maturity level of this innovation. This will be encapsulated in a format capable of scaling as a solution for the international market in the fields of education, wellness tourism, organizational development, and the certification of coaches in emotional well-being and preventive health. 

SOMA Bosque method is grounded in a technocreative architecture of ecosomatic intervention that integrates portable neurophysiological devices, guided somatic methodologies, ecosensorial immersion, and transformative pedagogy, with the aim of fostering emotional regulation, psychophysical well-being, and deep learning across diverse social sectors. It constitutes an interdisciplinary solution oriented toward generating measurable impacts in preventive mental health, holistic human development, experiences of reconnection with nature, and the certification of new professional profiles with a neuroeducational foundation.

The technological development of SOMA Bosque is structured into five concatenated stages, designed to progress from TRL 5–6 toward TRL 9 within a 12-24-month horizon. This advancement is based on an iterative methodology grounded in continuous improvement, contextualized validation, and feedback from users, institutions, and experts in the different sectors where it is implemented. Its main technical attributes include:

1. Use of scientifically validated portable neurophysiological technology. SOMA Bosque integrates EEG sensors and biosensors that collect brain and physiological signals in the field, before and after the somatic forest experience. This combination allows the objectification of impacts on indicators such as heart rate variability (HRV), alpha/theta brain waves, neurocardiac coherence, and levels of autonomic nervous system activation, among others. The inclusion of these tools—generally restricted to clinical or experimental settings—into accessible emotional and environmental education practices represents a radical innovation in terms of technology transfer.
   
   

2. Standardizable methodological design based on neuroscience and somatic pedagogy. SOMA Bosque is not an improvised practice, but a protocol composed of defined phases: preparation (neuroeducational and sensorial briefing), forest induction (adapted forest bathing with ecosensorial guidance), guided somatic practice (drawing from contact improvisation dance and conscious micro-movement), and closure with biophysiological recording and somato-emotional self-assessment. Each phase has been carefully designed to activate mechanisms of psychophysiological self-regulation, informed by research on neuroplasticity and regulation of the parasympathetic nervous system (Porges, 2011; Schore, 2019).
   
   

3. Field validation model with audiovisual, biophysiological, and testimonial documentation. At the time of this submission, the team has developed pilot experiences in both urban and rural contexts, with systematic records in video, experience reports, participant interviews, and partial EEG and HRV signal data. This documentation substantiates the solution’s TRL 5 status, as it demonstrates the existence of a functional prototype tested in relevant environments, with measurable results and real-world feedback (OECD criteria, 2020).
   
   

4. Integration of multi-source data and educational visualization for knowledge transfer. SOMA Bosque includes the development of a digital analysis and visualization platform that systematizes the physiological data collected, cross-references them with contextual variables, and generates pedagogical or well-being reports designed for educational purposes, accessible to non-expert users. This differentiates it from biomedical or consumer devices that do not provide personalized feedback with formative aims. The interface is currently in its conceptual design phase, with preliminary progress already underway.

State of the Art

Conceptual Context: What do we mean by “eco-somatic”?

By “eco-somatic,” I refer to approaches that integrate bodily experience (perception, movement, autonomic regulation, interoception) with natural environments as catalysts for well-being and learning. Under this umbrella, three research traditions coexist, which have historically evolved in parallel:

• Nature-based therapies/experiences (green care, forest therapy, shinrin-yoku, “green exercise”).

• Somatics and dance/movement (from Feldenkrais, Body-Mind Centering, and contact improvisation to Dance/Movement Therapy, D/MT).

• Mobile neuroscience: portable instrumentation to measure EEG, heart rate variability (HRV), respiration, and stress markers in the field.
  
  

Over the past decade, solid evidence has accumulated in the first two areas, and more recently, the third (outdoor mobile neuroscience) has been rapidly maturing. However, as we will see, the triadic and standardized integration (nature + somatics/CI + EEG/HRV) remains incipient or non-existent in the reviewed literature, which opens a clear space for differentiation.

Nature as intervention: shinrin-yoku, “green exercise,” and health. Classical physiological evidence and reviews.

Pioneering studies in Japan demonstrated that brief guided forest exposures reduce cortisol, pulse, and blood pressure, and increase parasympathetic tone (HRV indices), compared to equivalent urban environments. The multicenter work of Park and collaborators across 24 Japanese forests robustly established the physiological relaxation associated with forest settings, with pre/post and during-walk controlled measurements.

Since then, multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed the benefits of contact with green spaces on stress markers, mood, cardiovascular health, and mortality; while also warning about methodological heterogeneity and the need to standardize protocols.

Specifically for shinrin-yoku, a recent umbrella review synthesized 16 systematic reviews and concluded that forests promote both psychological and physiological well-being, while calling for stronger methodological quality and objective measures.
PubMed

Additionally, thematic reviews in forest therapy report decreases in salivary cortisol, heart rate, and subjective stress, with replications across different age groups.

Green exposure and population health.

Large-scale meta-analyses show associations between exposure to green spaces and improvements across multiple health outcomes, reinforcing the relevance of “green prescriptions” in public health.
PMC

Neurophysiological signals in nature: first steps.

Beyond HRV and stress hormones, studies using mobile EEG and other markers have emerged to observe neuro-emotional changes during urban vs. green walks. For example, the well-known “Urban Brain” experiment in Edinburgh used Emotiv EEG during a walk that included a park segment, showing patterns consistent with reduced overload and greater attentional restoration in the green segment. This work is crucial as it validated mobile EEG use in the field.

Methodological studies and reviews on mobile neuroscience in natural contexts consolidate the shift “from the lab to real life,” showing it is possible to capture P300, alpha/theta oscillations, and other attentional/affective signatures while walking.

Somatics, contact improvisation, and D/MT: what we know about their effects.

Contact improvisation (CI) emerged in the 1970s (Paxton and others) as a practice of bodily listening, weight-sharing, and co-regulation through touch and emergent movement. Academic literature on CI’s effects has historically been qualitative (pedagogy, aesthetics, relationality). In 2025, an experimental study compared CI with improvisation without contact: dancing with contact increased positive affect, sense of connection, and reduced stress, measured with PANAS and VAS in a within-subjects crossover design. This represents one of the first direct quantitative pieces of evidence on CI and well-being.
ScienceDirect
Open Universiteit research portal

Conceptual and practice-research works highlight attunement, interkinaesthetic agency, and affective co-regulation as plausible mechanisms for socio-emotional well-being impact.

Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) and somatics.

D/MT has systematic reviews and meta-analyses which, although of variable quality, report improvements in depression/anxiety, quality of life, and interpersonal skills. Cochrane and Frontiers reviews suggest positive effects but call for more robust trials and standardization.

At the broader somatic level (conscious dance, somatic education), empirical evidence is growing: practitioners report better stress coping and greater psychological well-being, though research still requires RCTs and more consistent biometric measures.
PubMed

The academic community in dance & somatic practices has been building theoretical and pedagogical frameworks for over a decade, consolidating a field ideally suited for neurophysiological incorporations and reproducible protocols.
intellectbooks.com
coventry.ac.uk

Interim conclusion: Converging evidence suggests that touch, contact, kinaesthetic co-regulation, and improvisational movement can support well-being, social connection, and emotional regulation. The gap lies in systematically linking these practices with neurophysiological measures in natural contexts.