Speaker: Sue Stuart-Smith, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Author The garden is often seen as a refuge, a place to forget worldly cares, removed from the “real” life that lies outside. But when we get our hands in the earth we connect with the cycle of life in nature through which destruction and decay are followed by regrowth and renewal. Drawing on her grandfather’s return from World War I, Sigmund Freud’s obsession with flowers and interviews with people from gardening projects in prisons, hospitals and in the community, Dr Stuart-Smith will discuss how gardening can answer to deep existential needs and present findings from recent research showing that connecting to nature alleviates symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression.