The joy-maker in the garden: cognitive behavioural therapy in The Secret Garden (1911)

Cogntive Behavioural Therapy appears in the classic children’s novel The Secret Garden (1911) by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This essay demonstrates how “thinking about thinking” helps three central characters (Mary, Colin, and Archie) overcome depression and prolonged grief. They learn to challenge habitual cognitive distortions and socially endorsed absolutist myths such as: 1) I alone am special. 2) What I can see with my eyes is all that is real; there is no supernatural realm. 3) If people must speak of God, they should use the (only) proper name. 4) I must suffer without hope. The essay explains CBT, a form of psychotherapy that began in the 1980s and is used around the world today. It also explains Burnett’s “Beautiful Thought” which is rooted in the New Testament and also in the New Thought Movement of mid-1800s. After an analysis of how CBT appears in the characters and plot of The Secret Garden, the essay provides guidance for how adults can help children to think criticially about beliefs; to be self-reflective; to experience beauty through nature, the arts, and gardening; and to trust in benevolent spiritual forces.