What is Organic Gardening Therapy?
Organic gardening therapy is a unique type of treatment shown to improve the physical, spiritual, and mental aspects of a person’s life. Through gardening, a person is able to heal and recover, while at the same time exercising and interacting with others. Therapy such as this gives a person a greater sense of their role in the world while at the same time demonstrating the effort it takes to grow the food they eat every day. In many California drug treatment centers this form of therapy is very beneficial to a person’s physical and emotional well-being. Specific facilities that may benefit from this type of therapy include drug and alcohol rehab centers, trauma treatment centers or eating disorder residential centers.
This type of therapy has been used to bring communities together, to relieve stress of those in prison, to instill creativity in schools and to bring healing to drug treatment centers and hospitals. Organic gardening provides a great opportunity to reflect on one’s life as well as to relax and embrace each one of the senses being used in this therapy.
Who Can Benefit From Organic Gardening Therapy?
Organic gardening benefits a wide variety of people. These include:
- Physically disabled
- Elderly
- Those with learning disabilities
- Hearing or visually impaired
- People suffering from AIDS
- Those dealing with stress
- Troubled adolescents
- Cancer patients
- Those with brain damage or cerebral palsy
- Mentally ill
- People struggling with drug and alcohol abuse who either need drug rehab or are already enrolled in a drug treatment center
Benefits of Organic Gardening Therapy
Benefits of this helpful therapy include:
- Calm and relaxing
- Social interaction and communication
- Improved coordination
- Healing with others struggling with similar problems
- Health benefits of being outside in the fresh air
- Time to reflect
- Ability to be creative
- Stress release
- Muscle strengthening and flexibility
- Greater appreciation for nature
- Working together as a team
- Sense of accomplishment
- Stimulation of the senses