08 Nov Ecopsychology
As transpersonal psychology has evolved to include the horizontal and participatory points of view, the individual’s relationship with ecological systems has become increasingly important. The field has broadened the definition of self-identity to include other beings, the natural world, as well as the cosmos (Davis & Cantu, 2013). Human beings and the natural world are seen as parts of a whole, and the Cartesian split between them is largely responsible for the ecological crisis the world is in today.
Wilson (2011) wrote about the participatory encounters with nature as a psycho-spiritual path. In fact, 40 percent of respondents to Davis & Cantu’s (2013) study identified encounters with nature as a spiritual practice that also had mental health benefits. They also found that nature was the most commonly cited trigger for the experience of awe. Their work pointed to the healing potential of direct contact with the natural world.
Adams (2010) points out that it is idiosyncratic to the West that we consider consciousness, psyche, and mind to exist exclusively in human beings, as if humans are separate from nature. Transpersonal psychologists, particularly those holding the participatory view, have been questioning the validity of locating consciousness within individuals rather than as embedded in a matrix of nature and community.
Since so many people report experiences of awe in nature, and since such a large percentage experience being in nature as good for their mental health, the evidence is there that the natural world can be a portal to the transpersonal. Humans are experiencing a collective trauma from living apart from nature. It would be helpful for people to take up practices furthering their connection and awareness of their connection, such as spending time in nature, getting involved in community sustainability actions, and even indoor gardening if that is all that is available. In this way awareness can be raised that between humans and nature “such intimate intercourse is happening everywhere and all the time, regardless of whether we are aware of it” (Adams, 2010, p. 9).
References
Adams, W.W. (2010). Nature’s participatory psyche: a study of consciousness in the shared earth community. The Humanistic Psychologist, 38:1, 1539, DOI: 10.1080/08873261003635708
Davis, J.V., Canty, J.M. (2013). Ecopsychology and transpersonal psychology. In Friedman, H. L. & Hartelius, G. (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology (p. 597-611). John Wiley & Sons.
Wilson, M. (2011). Encounters with nature as a path of self-realization: a meaning-making framework. Journal of Transpersonal Research, Vol. 3
© 2023 Catherine Auman
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