A “healing garden” aimed at helping wounded warriors launched on Monday, NBC San Diego reports.
The garden plan, titled the Green Road Project, was proposed by retired U.S. Navy neurologist Dr. Fred Foote and has been in the works for the past six years.
Landscapers transformed two acres of land outside of the Walter Reed National Medical Center into a garden. This tranquil space is meant to be a source of holistic therapy for wounded warriors and is the first of its kind in the U.S. military.
“There’s a tremendous amount of evidence recently that making art and music, and being in nature is tremendously healing for traumatized people, especially for people with post-traumatic stress disorder,” Foot said.
Researchers will observe the garden and its effects on veterans by testing patrons for markers of stress before and after experiencing the garden.
Foote is hopeful about the project’s chances of success and what its success could mean for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If the garden is successful, Foote said, “any community can heal their local vets with PTSD by creating art and music and lessons for them or by involving them in a veterans’ garden.”