Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul

by Lucy Jones

A TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Beautifully written, movingly told and meticulously researched ... a convincing plea for a wilder, richer world' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding

'By the time I'd read the first chapter, I'd resolved to take my son into the woods every afternoon over winter. By the time I'd read the sixth, I was wanting to break prisoners out of cells and onto the mossy moors. Losing Eden rigorously and convincingly tells of the value of the natural universe to our human hearts' Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun

Today many of us live indoor lives, disconnected from the natural world as never before. And yet nature remains deeply ingrained in our language, culture and consciousness. For centuries, we have acted on an intuitive sense that we need communion with the wild to feel well. Now, in the moment of our great migration away from the rest of nature, more and more scientific evidence is emerging to confirm its place at the heart of our psychological wellbeing. So what happens, asks acclaimed journalist Lucy Jones, as we lose our bond with the natural world-might we also be losing part of ourselves?

Delicately observed and rigorously researched, Losing Eden is an enthralling journey through this new research, exploring how and why connecting with the living world can so drastically affect our health. Travelling from forest schools in East London to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault via primeval woodlands, Californian laboratories and ecotherapists' couches, Jones takes us to the cutting edge of human biology, neuroscience and psychology, and discovers new ways of understanding our increasingly dysfunctional relationship with the earth.

Urgent and uplifting, Losing Eden is a rallying cry for a wilder way of life - for finding asylum in the soil and joy in the trees - which might just help us to save the living planet, as well as ourselves.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published August 3, 2021

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book; however, I did not feel it delivered on the healing aspects of nature. While the author lists numerous research articles, much of the data cited in the book was opinion or anecdotal. The issue was that there was very little research that directly related to nature and the psychological or healing aspects upon humans. I agree with the author that nature is healing, so is music, laughter, talking to a supportive friend or exercise. What the author did not do was directly link nature to healing. I was only able to get to page 66 where she was talking about the “awe” of nature and the reduction of cytokines. I had to look at the research and yes, a positive affect (verb) does reduce cytokines, but the articles listed did not relate directly to nature. I champion her for bringing the importance of nature to our attention and encourage her to continue to be the mouthpiece for nature’s affect (verb) on mankind.

[Jan Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This book is well-researched and quite interesting. The author has provided numerous studies and examples from across the world showing how valuable spending time in nature is to our physical and mental health. In parts, it's rather technical, and there are a fair number of concepts that were new to me. The author didn't provide a specific plan for ecotherapy, but she certainly provided plenty of examples of healing activities in the natural world.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, especially because I loved Jones’ Matrescence. However, it just didn’t do it for me. There were parts that were more compelling, but overall this book was a slog to get through.