SMELL AS AN EMOTIONAL STIMULANT IN HORTICULTURE THERAPY

Karthikeyan VHorticultural Therapist

• Improving quality of life through

People-Plant interaction

• Therapeutic, social and vocational

benefits

• Smell is a very powerful sense while

comparing with our other senses

Horticulture Therapy

Smells and colors can bring back old memories and boost your positive thoughts.

Specific smell receptors will stimulate specific areas of brain.

Smell Emotions

ArtyPlantz

From last two and half years we are dealing with different kinds of people

From our sessions we understood that smell can make remarkable effect in human

emotional system and have much importance in horticulture therapy

Horticulture Therapy

“The best place to seek God is in a

garden. You can dig for him there”. George Bernard Shaw

Methodology

• Four month Horticulture Therapy Program in Angel’s Orphanage, Shivajinagar, Bangalore

• Four month Horticulture Therapy session with Green Connect program for the corporate people

• Herbal bouquet making, fresh and dryflower arrangements, potpourri making,jewelry making, sensory stimulating gameswere some of the activities we used .

Orphanage Corporate

Male 17 11

Female 10 10

Total 27 21

Horticulture Therapy Program in orphanage

• Our aim, to make significant improvement

in mental strength and vocational skills

• Implemented a garden with vegetable,

fragrant and medicinal patches

• Exhibition was done for the outside people

• Rosenberg self esteem scale used for

assessment

1. Pre

Assessment

2. HT

Garden

3. HT

Activities

4. Post

Assessment

5. Data

Analysis6. Report

Implementing HT Garden in the orphanage

Succulent Wreath made by him

Dry flower vase

Twig Pot

Twig Toys

HT Impact in orphanage

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Self Esteem Current Thoughts

Pre and post Horticulture Therapy Impact

Pre

Pre

Post

Post

Mea

n

Horticulture Therapy Program with Corporate people

• Improving working efficiency and releasing

stress were the two were we mainly focused

• They participated in regular green connect

programs and HT Sessions

• Before and after assessment were done

• DASS and The workplace stress scale was

used for the assessment

1. Pre

Assessment

2. Green Connect

program

3. HT Sessions 4. HT Activities

5. Post

Assessment

6. Data analysis

and Report

Plant Identifying game Leaf Collection game

1. Repotting

2. Leaf Identification

3. Craft making

HT and Green connect Impact in CorporatesM

ean

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Stress Anxiety Depression Stress in

work place

Pre and Post Horticulture Therapy Changes

Post

Post

Post

PostPre

Pre

Pre

Pre

Conclusion• Improvement in self esteem was

noted in orphanage children and

reduction in personal and work

place stress and also anxiety in

corporate participants

• HT not only gives awareness about

nature but also teaching about the

healing power of plants and how it

can lift the quality of life.