The Well-Gardened Mind
The Restorative Power of Nature
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The Well-Gardened Mind
Narrated by:
Sue Stuart-Smith
Buy Now for £14.57
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Narrated by:
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Sue Stuart-Smith
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By:
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Sue Stuart-Smith
About this listen
The garden is often seen as a refuge, a place to forget worldly cares, removed from the “real” life that lies outside. When we get our hands in the earth we connect with the cycle of life in nature through which destruction and decay are followed by regrowth and renewal. Gardening is one of the quintessential nurturing activities and yet we understand so little about it. The Well-Gardened Mind provides a new perspective on the power of gardening to change people’s lives. Here, Sue Stuart-Smith investigates the many ways in which mind and garden can interact and explores how the process of tending a plot can be a way of sustaining an innermost self.
Stuart-Smith’s own love of gardening developed as she studied to become a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. From her grandfather’s return from World War I to Freud’s obsession with flowers to case histories with her own patients to progressive gardening programs in such places as Rikers Island prison in New York City, Stuart-Smith weaves thoughtful yet powerful examples to argue that gardening is much more important to our cognition than we think. Recent research is showing how green nature has direct antidepressant effects on humans. “The most original gardening book ever [that] combines observation, horticulture, literature and history” (Sunday Times, UK), The Well-Gardened Mind is a book for gardeners and non-gardeners alike, and the perfect solace for people seeking healthier mental lives.
Critic reviews
"A garden is a physical, natural, social, spiritual, and therapeutic space. The author lays this out in her book about the healing, consoling, and life-affirming effects of gardening. A trained therapist, she narrates her work with a soothing, comforting but far-from-sleep-inducing voice. Her cadence is even and clear but not monotonous. She argues that a garden helps us cope with a fast-paced life by slowing us down, and her narration has the same effect. While the book is not a how-to, the author offers numerous examples of the therapeutic power of gardening. She discusses at length how valuable working with your hands can be. By tending your plants, you are gardening your inner space and cultivating a better mental state."
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