Wisdom of new Therapeutic Garden provides a wonderful addition to patients’ recovery at Bayside Marin
In October, Bayside Marin launched an experiential therapeutic gardening program at their residential care facility in San Rafael, CA. As most people were putting their gardens to bed for the winter, the Bayside therapeutic garden was coming to life through the work and care of staff and residents. This healing garden is a beautiful combination of nutrient rich vegetables and medicinal herbs, including a variety of lettuces, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts; as well as soothing and uplifting herbs like lavender, rosemary, oregano, mint, and lemon balm.
Therapeutic gardening has been increasing in popularity over the past several years as more evidence points to its effectiveness in accelerating both physical and psychological healing. Research suggests that people who spend time connecting to nature in garden environments have decreased stress levels and reduced depression and anxiety. But, beyond a passive calming and soothing effect, the garden also provides more direct lessons for the patients. For people in recovery, the garden can be a very important resource to help them deal with feelings and learn new ways to cope with things that often lead to drug and alcohol use.
As our garden therapist I help to make the teachings of nature explicit through exercises and lessons based around organic gardening techniques. Clients are taught to identify and care for the different plants that are growing in the garden, while also learning how to apply these lessons to recovery. For example, the residents are taught that mindful awareness of the subtle signs of distress in the garden allows for the issues of weeds and pests to be tended to naturally without the use of chemicals before they get out of control. This principle is a mirror for life and recovery as they learn to pay close attention to their own subtle internal cues of stress and anxiety and address them before they become overwhelming and lead to substance abuse. They learn that mindfulness and healthy conditions will make an enormous difference in the quality of the growth of both a garden as well as life.
Bayside residents get to enjoy the fruits of their labor as they nibble on fresh greens right out of the garden and enjoy other veggies as part of their meals. Through this program, from seed to plate, they witness the growth and transformation of the natural world and come into deeper contact with their own capacity for change. When residents leave they take home seeds they can plant in their own gardens. These seeds not only represent what they have grown at Bayside but also serve as a reminder of the potential that lies inside them. Perhaps even more importantly, they take with them a deeper understanding of the wisdom that nature has to offer and tools to help them access it.
