Nature Within: How the Natural World Shapes Our Minds, Bodies & Health

In-person edition of the ANA WAND October Spotlight on the Brain with Dr James Bashford "Reconnecting with Nature is the most important public health intervention of our time." What happens when we stop thinking about the brain, body and environment as separate things? Join ANA at King’s College London for a special hybrid (online/in-person) edition of the October Spotlight on the Brain with Dr James Bashford. Date: Wednesday 28 October 2026 Time: 19:00-21:00 GMT London time Venue: King’s College London, Bush House, 30 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG Arrival: Registration opens from 18:30 GMT, Bush House North Wing Reception Format: HYBRID - ONLINE and IN-PERSON followed by networking If you cannot make it in-person, you can register to join us online HERE Dr Bashford returns following a blazing introduction at #WAND2026 to continue exploring his book 'Nature Within: How the Natural World Shapes Our Minds, Bodies & Health — an invitation to rethink some of the boundaries we routinely draw between ourselves and the world around us. The distinction between “human health” and the “natural world” can make intuitive sense, but biologically we are organisms within nature. Our nervous, immune, sensory, metabolic and cellular systems develop in continuous interaction with the environments in which we live. Drawing on ideas explored in his book and the thinking that led to and has developed since its publication, the evening will open up a wider conversation about the relationships between brain, body, behaviour and environment — and what an organism-first perspective might contribute to the way we think about human health and wellbeing and the world about us. There will be plenty of space for questions, discussion and challenge, followed by an informal networking session where we will continue the conversation around a question posed to everyone in the room. This hybrid session is part of the ANA October Spotlight on Brain Health: 10 talks across October exploring the brain and nervous system from different perspectives.