Professional Practice

Adult: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as a mental health condition that’s triggered by a traumatic event, such as assault, rape or combat exposure. Nearly 30 percent of the 834,463 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan treated by the Department of Veteran's Affairs are treated for PTSD, and this is just the number of veterans who seek help.

How Nature Helps

Nature calms us. Nature restores us. For some of the most traumatized among us, including veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, nature can be a critical component in their healing process. Gardening in hospitals, working the land at a farm, or spending time camping and fishing are all ways that veterans use nature to help ease their transition back to civilian life.

Research

Explore More Resources:

“The Use of Horticulture in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Private Practice Setting,” Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 2011

"An Evaluation of the Gardening Leave Project for Ex-Military Personnel with PTSD and Other Combat Related Mental Health Problems," Glasgow University, 2009

“The Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Post-traumatic Headaches,”
Brain Injury, 2005

Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations, Marcus and Barnes, 1999

Resources

PTSD - Veterans Affairs

Therapeutic Landscape Network

Organizations

Farmer Veteran Coalition

Wounded Warriors in Action

Project Healing Waters

Outward Bound – Veterans

The American Horticultural Therapy Association  

Role of the Landscape Architect
 

Landscape architects, like Jinny Blom, ASLA, design therapeutic landscapes with the power to heal. She is on the board of the Therapeutic Landscape Network and works with veterans returning from the war in Afghanistan. She says, “The earth does neutralize a lot of human anxiety.” 

The Walter Reed Green Road has been designed with intimate spaces for commemoration and storytelling, all within a natural wooded environment.
 
Case Studies

Directory of Healthcare Gardens

Walter Reed Green Road, Bethesda, Maryland Alt Architecture + Research Associates

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