Gardeners of our community gardens believe that working in the garden, or simply spending time with observing or chatting equals meditation. As they say, the garden is not only having a positive impact on their physical well-being, but on their mental state and psychic health as well.
By today scientific research has proven the positive effects of natural environment on health. The integrated approach that developed in the medical sciences, because of complex, holistic studies, has helped to revive the faith put in the healing power of gardens.
The scientific definition of garden-therapy describes it as a process which applies plants and gardening during an individual’s social, educational, psychological rehabilitation and the improvement of the body’s, mind’s and soul’s state.
During the application of garden-therapy, besides the physical advantages (increase in muscle strength, easier movement, improvement of fine motor skills, moving unused muscles, improvement in movement coordination, balance, etc.), proven significant mental effects (increased stress tolerance, self-control, better control of rage and other emotions, higher self-evaluation, better observation skills, decision making skills, problem solving skills, decrease in negligence, better concentration, etc.) can be experienced. Significant changes are experienced in the social competencies of the participants of the therapy: cooperative skills improve, tendency for dependency decreases, commitment towards living things increase, and the efficiency of working in a team improves through learning from peers of similar background.
The therapeutic garden designates a place which is devoted to curing. In this case healing means the maintenance and improvement of general well-being, which includes mental, emotional and physical health.
Applying the set of instruments of therapeutic landscape planning on specific illnesses, disabilities, therapeutic landscapes are designed, focusing on the healing process, to have measurable effects on a certain illness, or illnesses, or disabilities, the patient or group of patients.
Garden-therapy is used around the world in hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric institutions, rehabilitation centres, schools, prisons, camps, nurseries, community houses, supporting the homeless and community centres.
In its garden-therapy project KÉK strives to distribute and raise awareness of the newer, urban form of gardening, already having decades-long traditions in several other countries of the world, cooperating with domestic and foreign healthcare institutions, other organisations and individuals.