When we're grieving, we need relief from our pain. Today we often turn to technology for distraction when what we really need is the opposite: generous doses of nature. Studies show that time spent outdoors lowers blood pressure, eases depression and anxiety, bolsters the immune system, lessens stress, and even makes us more compassionate. This guide to the tonic of nature explores why engaging with the natural world is so effective at helping reconcile grief. It also offers suggestions for bringing short bursts of nature time (indoors and outdoors) into your everyday life as well as tips for actively mourning in nature. This book is your shortcut to hope and healing...the natural way.

Reconnect with Your Body and Nature to Heal from Trauma As psychologist and mindfulness teacher Rochelle Calvert explores in this powerful book, one of the greatest sources of healing from trauma is all around us — nature. Dr. Calvert shows how to relate to and connect with nature through the practice of mindfulness to calm and relax the nervous system, tune in to the somatic wisdom of the body to face lingering trauma and rewire it, and work with painful experiences to transform them in ways that heal the individual and contribute to healing the wider world. Healing with Nature pioneers a path not just to recovery but to lifelong healing and resilience.

"Highly informative and remarkably entertaining." —Elle From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.

Life can be stressful, overwhelming, and sometimes difficult to cope with. Modern medical professionals will tell you to take various prescription medications, which can ultimately do more harm than good. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Healing is all in the mind and can be attained through finding harmony in your own life and resorting to natural remedies already provided by the very environment in which you live. Blogger Tara Mackey, who has a background in science, shares her own experiences with stress, depression, and anxiety and teaches you how to break free from them. Growing up, Tara suffered from dependency on various prescription drugs for depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She witnessed her best friend’s decline and suicide and watched helplessly as the effects of heroin addiction took a hold of her mother. At age twenty-four, she decided that enough was enough and quit her prescription meds cold-turkey in search for happiness. Today, she is drug-free, stress-free, and happy. Cured by Nature is Tara’s personal story combined with her knowledge and advice to battling personal demons and coming out victorious. Follow Tara as she shows you how to adapt and grow, using various herbal remedies, breathing exercises, and mind-strengthening techniques that will help you be a happier and better you.

Richard Mabey is the author of numerous books on Britain's ecology, including the best-selling Flora Britannica and the Whitbread Prize-winning Gilbert White (Virginia).

Sacred Places.

In Foods That Heal, Dr. Bernard Jensen uses the teachings of Hippocrates and VG Rocine, as well as his own research and theories, to offer compelling evidence that what we ingest has a profound effect on our health and wellbeing. Part One may change the way you look at your next meal. The section contains a host of helpful troubleshooting advice: health cocktails for common ailments, herbal teas, tonics, vitamin- and mineral-packed food combinations, and detailed data on the roles foods play in the optimum efficiency of specific bodily systems, functions, and overall health. Part Two provides an easy-to-understand guide to fruits and vegetables. Each listing in this section presents a history of use, a buyer’s guide, therapeutic benefits, and nutrient information. Part three contains easy-to-prepare recipes utilizing the “Foods That Heal.” Each recipe makes use of the freshest and most natural ingredients – ingredients that are not processed or altered by chemical preservatives, food colorings, or additives. Both those looking to improve their health and those interested in taking an active role in enhancing their overall wellbeing will find this book interesting, informative, and full of common-sense suggestions for attaining good health through proper nutrition.

After losing three children, Arlene Bernstein retreated to the garden to escape her inner torment and grief - and there, in a small patch of land surrounded by the gentle rolling hills of her Napa Valley vineyard she discovered a series of remarkable insights. As she begins to feel grounded in the earth beneath her feet, her inner obstacles and challenges transform into opportunities for celebrating the joys of life. Growing Season is an invitation to live mindfully and reconnect with our deepest sources of creativity and nourishment. Reminiscent of A Gift From the Sea, this book teaches us how to slow down and notice what is right in front of us, and how to emerge from grief transformed and renewed.

“Esther Sternberg is a rare writer—a physician who healed herself...With her scientific expertise and crystal clear prose, she illuminates how intimately the brain and the immune system talk to each other, and how we can use place and space, sunlight and music, to reboot our brains and move from illness to health.”—Gail Sheehy, author of Passages Does the world make you sick? If the distractions and distortions around you, the jarring colors and sounds, could shake up the healing chemistry of your mind, might your surroundings also have the power to heal you? This is the question Esther Sternberg explores in Healing Spaces, a look at the marvelously rich nexus of mind and body, perception and place. Sternberg immerses us in the discoveries that have revealed a complicated working relationship between the senses, the emotions, and the immune system. First among these is the story of the researcher who, in the 1980s, found that hospital patients with a view of nature healed faster than those without. How could a pleasant view speed healing? The author pursues this question through a series of places and situations that explore the neurobiology of the senses. The book shows how a Disney theme park or a Frank Gehry concert hall, a labyrinth or a garden can trigger or reduce stress, induce anxiety or instill peace. If our senses can lead us to a “place of healing,” it is no surprise that our place in nature is of critical importance in Sternberg’s account. The health of the environment is closely linked to personal health. The discoveries this book describes point to possibilities for designing hospitals, communities, and neighborhoods that promote healing and health for all.

What would a school look like if it was designed with mental health in mind? Too many public schools look and feel like prisons, designed out of fear of vandalism and truancy. But we know that nurturing environments are better for learning. Access to nature, big classroom windows, and open campuses consistently reduce stress, anxiety, disorderly conduct, and crime, and improve academic performance. Backed by decades of research, Schools That Heal showcases clear and compelling ways--from furniture to classroom improvements to whole campus renovations--to make supportive learning environments for our children and teenagers. With invaluable advice for school administrators, public health experts, teachers, and parents Schools That Heal is a call to action and a practical resource to create nurturing and inspiring schools for all children.