A long, long time ago – long before humans had supermarkets or pharmaceuticals – we lived on the Earth and it gave us everything we needed. Our houses were made of it, our clothes were made of it, we bathed in it, we consumed it for energy, and we cherished it.

Eventually, by making use of all parts of the Earth from whence we came, we gained the knowledge of good:

            We developed methods to grow more food than we could eat,

            We found ways to process the Earth into beautiful things,

            We worked together to solve our common problems,

            And we began to make sense of the patterns that we observed.

… But this led us to understand the knowledge of evil:

            We learned to equate the value of our work with tangible things,

            We determined that the intrinsic value of some things is greater than that of others,

            We began to compare the value of the things we had to that of others,

            And eventually the idea of valuation consumed us.

Fast forward to today, and we are still consumed by the knowledge of evil that was born from our deep understanding of good. Our obsession with value divided us many times and in many ways, all of which had the same ultimate outcome of distancing us from the deep connection that we once had with Earth.

… And that is where the practice of horticultural therapy comes in.

The very words that we use to describe the practice of ‘horticultural therapy’ speaks to the focus on disorder in modern Western medicine, whereas using words more like the Japanese ‘Shinrin Yoku' (森林浴， i.e., forest bathing) draws the focus to the purpose of the practice itself:

Restoring the connection between human and nature.

In our everlong quest to obtain valuable things, we commonly forget that the most valuable things we have are our lives and our abilities to live them. In doing so, we tend to make choices (whether conscious or not) in favor of status, convenience, and basic pleasure. Though none of these things are inherently bad, given the lives that humans exist in today, this often means that our actions are contrary to the wellness of our higher selves.

Chronic disservice to our selves begets disease, hence most modern humans will find themselves in this state at some point in their lives.

Horticultural therapy is a multifaceted approach to disease; it seeks to address the core areas of human wellness, namely: Physical, mental, spiritual, social, occupational, etc.

Physical and mental facets of wellness are directly addressed in an HT program simply by introducing more healthy plants, fresh air, and sunlight into a patient’s life. The combination of fresh air and sunlight, alone, is a powerful and oft overlooked means of restoring proper human biochemistry, and the addition of healthy plants introduces other physiological benefits such as sensory stimulation and microflora optimization.

Though just being around nature cannot, for example, directly increase a patient’s career fulfillment (as might be addressed in occupational wellness) or directly make healthful friends for said patient (as might be addressed in social wellness), by drawing the bodily aspects of wellness into balance, patients are better equipped to improve the two latter aspects by themselves.

In any case, being around plants is not the only part of a horticultural therapy program; a therapist may create special gardens, social activities, or demonstrations that serve specific purposes, thereby addressing the needs of specific patient groups.

In addition to helping patients when they need focused care, therapeutic gardens may benefit anyone and everyone that chooses to visit them. The classical example of this is the medical center garden that is enjoyed by both patient and practitioner. In this example, practitioners are positively affected by being in the proximity of the garden, which compounds the benefits received by patients since their conditions are marginally improved and they may be receiving better care from their human providers.

Plants may provide a space with clean air, vibrant colors, stimulating natural smells, and even healthy food. When designed and maintained properly, therapeutic gardens naturally become the focal points of both outdoor and indoor spaces, facilitating present awareness and biological optimization, thereby supporting both proactive and retroactive human wellness. Given all the benefits, we have every reason to surround ourselves with plants and employ the foundations of horticultural therapy whenever we have an opportunity to do so.

(This essay was originally written for a college class, but I felt that it would be relevant to everyone else, too. Have you been outside yet today?)