Running Head: THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES 1 Therapeutic Landscapes and First Nations Peoples: Article Revie Professor Benjamin Cheung PSYC 307 November 15th 2019 In her 2003 article "Therapeutic landscapes and First Nations peoples," Kathleen Wilson endeavors to add more knowledge to the known relationship between place (land) and the health
THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES 2 of human beings. As indicated by the article's title, the research is focused on native North American communities, to be specific the Ojibway and Odawa, who inhabit northern parts of Ontario, Canada. Wilson claims that although there is an abundance of research on how therapeutic landscapes influence the health of individuals and communities, Western conceptualizations have dominated past research. According to Wilson, this has led to partial investigations, and two weaknesses of existing research are, therefore, identified. First, Wilson observes that existing research "overlooks the culturally specific dimensions of the links between health and place." Second, the research fails to recognize that "therapeutic landscapes represent more than just physical or symbolic sites of healing" (p. 84). These are the key arguments in the article, and Wilson goes ahead to deduce evidence in support of her claims. Definitely, Wilson's review of the current literature is one of the ways she uses to support her claims. The literature review helps highlight the achievements as well as the limitations of past research. However, it is the fieldwork research (through interviews) carried out on the native people of northern Ontario that the author appears to use widely in defending the above claims. Of course, as illustrated in the third and fourth sections of the article, the interviews yielded essential findings. It is true that people have a daily therapeutic relationship with the land, and this includes cultural and spiritual dimensions. Knowledge is cumulative. Therefore, as more and more research is conducted, new ideas and perspectives are born. In this regard, Wilson's article on therapeutic landscapes is a vital resource. Wilson makes some strong and thought-provoking arguments, which definitely enrich
THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES 3 research on the topic. For instance, highlighting that Western conceptualizations have dominated past research resulting in Eurocentric interpretations is noteworthy. Most importantly, the argument that seeks to expand the relationship between land and health beyond physical and symbolic representation is central in Wilson's claims. The author's efforts to include cultural, social, and spiritual aspects in the understanding of therapeutic landscapes means to add new approaches in academic research. By deducing evidence to show how people have a daily therapeutic relationship with the land is one of the strengths of Wilson's research. Even so, there are some issues in the article that must be criticized. For example, it is surprising how Wilson chooses Canada even after acknowledging that past research on therapeutic landscapes is focused on Europe, New Zealand, and North America (p. 85). It would be better if the author chose a different study area, such as Asia or Africa. Concerning the evidence, just 17 interviewees are not enough. The research could have sourced information from more subjects to strengthen the