There are about 400 pages that make up this book Sue Stuart-Smitha leading British psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who uncovers the powerful therapeutic power that gardening and horticulture can bring to people, especially when living through difficult times.

The garden is the ideal sanctuary to escape the hustle and bustle of the world and connect with nature, says the back cover of the book. However, we know very little about the true benefits of gardening. Recent studies show that, when they do, prisoners are less likely to commit offences again, young people at risk of exclusion are more likely to stay in the education system, and older people live longer and do better.

In “Thoughts Well Organized”, readers will be able to discover various scientific curiosities and stories of people who have benefited from this gardening practice since time immemorial. The author manages to brilliantly combine the discourses of neuroscience, literature, history, and psychoanalysis to shed light on the secret of many gardeners: the contact we maintain with nature enables us to radically change, and for the better, our health and self-esteem. , increasing them significantly.

As well as documenting other people’s experiences of gardening and its benefits, the author himself shares how this practice has changed his life. It is a healing power that transcends the boundaries of the personal level and also provides answers to the collective. This means that not only people benefit, but also the environment. “(…) this is, of course, an optimistic practice by definition, as well as a restorative act, but other than that, and especially in today’s world, it can also be challenging”, writes Stuart-Smith.

In an interview with Alejandra de Vengoecheafor newspapers Timein Colombia, the author explains that, although the book is concerned with gardening practices, with gardens and the way they help people and the land itself, it is also a way to talk to readers about the concerns of the current situation. on environmental issues.

“Usually if you write about climate change people won’t read it because they think it would be too depressing. In ‘The well-landscaped mind’ I want to highlight things that make a difference: gardens protect biodiversity. England, for example, is one of the most depleted of lands: not much forest anymore, no living fences, no wild places. This is a very serious matter. People feel depressed and hopeless. There’s a lot we can’t do because we depend on politicians, oil companies and others. But we can achieve a lot, like educate the next generation on issues of recycling, pollution, nature protection, composting, the life cycle. Yes, we can help children understand this concept and show them that the land is alive. We can develop a more nurturing and kind relationship with the earth. Nature does react. It is too late for the glaciers not to melt, but maybe we can delay the process,” he commented.

Sue Stuart-Smith has been cultivating her garden for over 30 years and besides how good it is for her mental health, it makes her happy to see others start doing the same as her, because they see it well. , they see him happy , and once they do, they enjoy it. “Gardening is for sharing. It is something intrinsic: if you create beauty, it must be there to be shared. So when you’re gardening and you have lots of cucumbers and zucchini, it’s nice to share. I think this is the greatest satisfaction”, said the author, in a conversation with Ignacio Ribera Y Elita Acosta, for the gate Green is life.

Before devoting himself to psychology, before studying Medicine, Stuart-Smith graduated in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. The idea to write this book arose from an invitation from the Garden Museum in London to participate in a literature festival in 2013 with a lecture on gardening for the mind. There, the writer realized how much he had to say about it, how much he silently thought about. Then, he spent five years writing and finally the results were published in the UK, around 2020, amidst the pandemic. Suddenly, they started translating their works.

Today, he is dedicated to conveying messages about the many ways in which the mind and garden interact and the idea that burying our hands in the ground can be a way of caring for ourselves.

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