Flowers for therapy
© Audrey Flowers
By Yun Suh-young
Flowers can satisfy more than the visual and olfactory senses.
The act of arranging flowers can activate all of the five senses - vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Flower arrangement lessons can thus play role as therapy sessions and there actually are shops that provide “flower therapy” programs.
Audrey Flowers, a flower shop in the posh district of Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, provides a flower therapy class for a small group of applicants.
“Like aroma and color therapies, flower therapy is one of the ways to heal and activate the senses. Flower arrangement can be a hobby as well as a therapy session. It’s a good way to relieve stress,” says Audrey Oh, florist owner of the shop.
“We use all of our senses during the session ― hearing the sound of leaves and the cutting the stems, feeling the different textures of flowers and leaves, seeing the different colors of flowers, tasting some of the edible flowers, and smelling the variety of scents.”
Participants encounter sounds, scents and sights that they don’t usually encounter in their ordinary daily lives.
“The sounds of the leaves are different. Dry leaves make a different sound from wet leaves. The bright and strong colors of plants are also colors of the natural environment which are good for the sight. Touching moss or the bark of a tree is an unusual experience,” said Oh.
Flowers and plants used during the session are all organically grown from a privately owned farm Oh runs.
“We grow a small portion of flowers for the therapy classes every season. They are pesticide-free. For ordinary flower classes I use flowers bought from the market but for the therapy session, I specially use organically grown flowers for participants’ health,” said Oh.
The activity actually brings physical as well as psychological benefits, according to the florist.
“Plants such as eucalyptus are good for the olfactory senses and the lungs. It also helps insomnia patients to sleep better,” she said.
“I have actually witnessed children with personality disorders get better over the courses. Aggressive children become docile and quiet children talk more as the class requires teamwork.”
The therapy classes are open to anyone above six years of age. Four people are the limit per class. Other than children, mostly adults participate in the program.