Our Environments: Reclaiming Nature in Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing

hen the famous neurologist Oliver Sacks refl ected on four decades of clinical practice, he listed two nonpharmacological interventions as "vitally important" for people living with chronic neurological and psychiatric illnesses: music and gardens.In his New York Times essay "Th e Healing Power of Gardens" (Sacks, 2019, para.8), he stated: I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing eff ects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically.In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication.