AUTHOR=Pálsdóttir Anna María , Spendrup Sara , Mårtensson Lennart , Wendin Karin 

TITLE=Garden Smellscape–Experiences of Plant Scents in a Nature-Based Intervention

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667957

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667957

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=This study explores how participants suffering from stress-related mental disorders describe their perception, interaction, and lived experience of garden smellscape during their nature-based rehabilitation. Natural elements, and especially nature smells, have been found to have a profound effect on stress reduction, suggesting an interesting link between nature odor and stress reduction. The study was conducted as a longitudinal case-study, running over a period of five years, investigating participants’ perceptions of a garden smellscape, after completing a 12-week nature-based rehabilitation in Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden, Sweden. All participants were treated for stress-related mental disorders. Data were collected through retrospective semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed according to phenomenological analysis, IPA. The main findings illustrate how nature scents evoked associations, emotions, and physical reactions and provide examples of how nature scents function as a catalyst for sensory awareness and memories. The results also discuss seasonal varieties and finally, an identified fascination with the species pelargonium. Findings support the understanding that experiencing the smell of plants, especially pelargonium, may facilitate stress reduction and support mental recovery in a real-life context. The results of the study can be used for several purposes; thus, they are relevant for actors within the development of nature-based therapy, as well as stakeholders within the horticultural industry.