I am currently reading the Biophilia Effect: A Scientific and Spiritual Exploration of the Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature by Clemens G. Arvay. Biophilia is a term coined by psychologist Erich Fromm and popularized by biologist Edward O. Wilson to name our intrinsic longing for nature. In Arvay’s book, the Austrian biologist presents research demonstrating that we are genetically wired to respond to nature and that our health not only benefits from our connection with nature but may also depend upon it.
Arvay describes studies of how trees give off biochemical substances that can strengthen our immune systems, the results of a 1984 study by Roger Ulrich showing that viewing a tree through a window can help hospital patients recover faster and even how to create an anti-cancer garden.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was moved to see that the impulse in our northern California community was to head to the parks, the ocean and the redwoods. On an instinctual level, we understood nature’s healing effect. Unfortunately, our own biophilia overtaxed the capacity of the parks and some had to be closed temporarily. I was also moved to see stories of dolphins returning to Venice as the waters cleared and people in India able to see the majestic Himalayas as air pollution dissipated with less cars on the roads. I became hopeful about our human ability to impact the environment positively.
Today as I contemplate the healing power of nature, I invite you to strengthen your gratitude for wild places and nature in all its forms.
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