Traditionally, when we get sick, health care professionals ask, “What’s the matter with you?” But around the world, teams of doctors, nurses, therapists, and social workers have started to flip the script, asking “What matters to you?” Instead of solely pharmaceutical prescriptions, they offer ‘social prescriptions’—referrals to nonmedical community resources and activities, like photography classes, cycling lessons, and even cash.

The results speak for themselves. Science shows that social prescribing is effective for treating symptoms of depression, ADHD, addiction, trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, dementia, diabetes, and more. In healthcare, social prescribing has also proven to reduce patient wait times, lower hospitalization rates, save money, and reverse health worker burnout. And in the meantime, as all of us cope with bouts of sadness, stress, worry, anger, and loneliness, social prescriptions can help us experience joy, energy, calm, purpose, and connection. 

As the first book on social prescribing, THE CONNECTION CURE empowers you to experience this revolutionary medicine in your own community. While investigating the spread of social prescribing to over thirty countries, Hotz explores all kinds of social prescriptions for all kinds of conditions —sea-swimming lessons for depression,  “culture vitamins” for anxiety,  a fishing club for people struggling with addiction, a farm day-care for people with dementia,  a phone-buddy program for people who are socially isolated, and many more. The success stories she finds bring a long-known theory to life: if we can change our environment, we can change our health. By reconnecting to what matters to us, we can all start to feel better.