The Nature of Healing Green

Welcome to Healing Green, a new blog exploring the effects of the natural world has on our health and wellness, and how to use this knowledge to improve the quality of our lives. Recently there has been a lot of buzz about nature and the environment, mostly concerning negative changes in the environment, but there is also news about the good things that nature brings us. Walking in nature, working in a garden, or just having a view of nature from a window can help us out in various ways. In addition, a wonderful thing about many of nature’s charms is that you don’t have to necessarily be a nature lover to benefit from them.

As you can guess from the title of this blog, I happen to be a lover of nature. I spend a good portion of both my work and leisure time surrounded by the natural world. I greatly enjoy hiking, kayaking and gardening, and find a large degree of spiritual satisfaction from the wonders of nature. And, as a horticultural therapist in NYU Langone Medical Center’s Rusk Institute, I am lucky to also be able to bring nature’s healing benefits to those suffering from chronic or disabling health conditions. I use nature-based activities as part of a patient’s rehabilitation program designed to help them regain independence after an illness or injury affects their ability to care for themselves. I also teach others about horticultural therapy at the New York Botanical Garden in their horticultural therapy certificate program, and am active in the American Horticultural Therapy Association.

Another thing I am fond of is research. I’m particularly interested in the research regarding horticultural therapy, the ways that nature- based activities affect our health, and the ways these activities can be utilized for the rehabilitation of the patients I work with. Much of my work in teaching and research involves discussion of the literature on this subject, and I firmly believe in the value of evidence-based practice.

This blog will explore the ways nature can positively impact our lives. Nature-based activities provide many opportunities for healthy lifestyle habits and hobbies. We’ll take a broad perspective, from adding certain elements to the house or garden, to nature watching, to actively gardening and hiking, on to community development, and exploring nature as a source of spiritual inspiration. These explorations will be informed by the current literature and will provide the reader with an understanding of some of the why’s of nature’s influence. New features will be posted about twice a month so click in and see how our relationship with nature can help improve the quality of our lives.

Some of the topics we will explore in the future are:

Biophilia: How and why we react to the natural world in the ways we do

Nature, stress reduction, and mood

Horticultural therapy and green care: nature in the golden years

Children and nature: enhancing development and learning

The therapeutic landscape-healthy homes and gardens

If there are any specific areas that interest or you want to explore please send a comment.