Ecopsychology is an elusive subject. After participating in dozens of nature-connecting activities I still struggle intellectually to define its perimeters. It does, however, lead me on a fascinating journey into my subconscious self and gently nudges me to awaken to the glory of our planetary family called nature.

Ecopsychology recognizes that Earth is a living system and human beings are interconnected to ALL life on the planet. This interconnection suggests that Earth’s problems and humanity’s problems cannot be resolved unless we acknowledge this connection and seek to establish a healthy relationship between the two. Since we are a part of nature we have an innate drive to live in harmony with the natural world and its rhythms. Suppression of this drive is as damaging and disorientating to our psyche as is the suppression of any basic human need.

Our ancestors once heated their homes and cooked their meals by fire — chopping wood and participating directly with their natural surroundings. Now we turn a dial or flip a switch. Although I appreciate the conveniences the twenty-first century provides I also realize they have isolated us from and desensitized us to nature, the actual source of our sustenance. This isolation harms us at all levels of our being — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. We are nature, and one cannot be separated from a part of itself without feeling the adverse affects of this biological and psychological disconnection.

Ecopsychology acknowledges a relationship between mental health and the ecological dilemma. Rather than viewing the environmental crisis as outside of ourselves it suggests that human consciousness is intricately involved in the creation and maintenance of this crisis. One might succeed in cleaning up a polluted stream, however, if you don’t clean up the polluted thinking/behaviours that caused the contamination in the first place, it is only a temporary solution. The condition of our outer landscape is a reflection of our inner landscape — our beliefs, priorities, greed, and addiction to consumerism.

Our discordant relationship with our inner nature is a result of decades worth of programming. We are bombarded with influential messages from parents, educators, clergy, media, and advertising, all telling us who we should be when this contradicts who we really are. People dislike themselves because others repeatedly whittle away at their self-esteem. We are criticized for our weight and appearance, the colour of our skin, and even our age. Society assigns us personal value based on test scores, income, awards, prestige, status, and occupation. This distorted value system suggests that outward appearances are the most effective way to judge another’s worthiness. Ecopsychology gently encourages us to re-evaluate these messages and seek harmony within. When we can accept ourselves as worthy without identifying with our roles, images, or labels, then we can accept all of creation in the same way.

When we step outside what greets us often confirms our society’s obsession with appearances. Manicured lawns and flowerbeds in neat little rows mirror our conformity to artificial standards. If we allowed nature "to be," without interference, it would not be growing lawns as we know them today. We wouldn’t be wasting our precious resource of drinking water to keep the lawns green, or spraying chemicals on the soil to destroy species of plants we deem unfavourable. We would allow the leaves to fall and provide nutrients to the soil instead of raking them up, putting them in plastic bags, and taking them to the landfill.

What if we dug up our lawns and let them go back to nature? What if we decided to eat the nutritious weeds instead of spraying them? What if we added low maintenance, natural items such as rocks, sand, wildflowers, trees, or shrubs to our lawns, thus creating habitat instead of destroying it? What if we shifted our psyche to enjoy the workings of nature instead of deciding it’s aesthetically unappealing? What if we turned our lawns into garden space and reaped a reward for our efforts? Wouldn’t this make more sense? If we consider most women wouldn’t be seen in public without first applying make-up and doing their hair then we’d realize we’ve been conditioned, in more ways than one, to reject natural beauty!

To condemn, conquer, or feel superior to nature is like condemning a part of ourselves. This internal saboteur mirrors our dysfunctional interior with our wounded exterior, leading to our ecological dilemma. The road to recovery lies in developing an attitude of respect, appreciation, acceptance, and co-operation with nature so we can nurture these qualities in ourselves.

Connecting with nature has proven to bring subconscious memories, thoughts, and feelings to the surface to be acknowledged and healed. Nature’s self-regulating system is a master at recycling and restoring balance, including our mental and emotional discontents. Michael J. Cohen states in his book, Reconnecting with Nature: "When we engage in activities to relieve stress of any kind, our inner nature sensitivity to natural attractions innately selects the place and situations in nature that it needs for healing."

Nature operates by various forms of attractions. It is a dance between inner and outer reality. The sense of hunger, for example, is an inner feeling signalling the attraction to food (outer reality). Our sense of thirst attracts us to water. Feelings of loneliness signal
an attraction to responsible relationships. The fear of death is an attraction to life!

Applied ecopsychology identifies 53 natural senses, not five, which humans share with our non-human family. A few examples include thirst, hunger, temperature, balance, time, community, intuition, fear, relaxation, and survival. We do not learn these things with intellect — they are innate. It is the part of our being in concert with nature.

These 53 senses communicate to us by means of natural attractions. We tune in to these attractions by paying close attention to our feelings and sensations. If we are not tuned into our feelings in the moment then we are out of touch with present time reality and residing in our new brain thoughts about the past or future. Nature can teach us to be present because it operates from non-verbal old brain sensations and attractions rather than from thoughts and stories.

In Reconnecting with Nature Cohen defines the new brain as the more recently evolved part of our brain (13%) that registers the senses of language and reason and distinguishes us from our non-human relatives. The old brain (87%) registers non-language tensions, sensations, and feelings that we share with the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms. When these two parts of our brain are in conflict, such as when our nature-disconnected thoughts and attitudes are not in harmony with our natural senses, we are not functioning as a wholesome being. This incongruity leads to self-defeating behaviours both inner (i.e. addictions) and outer (i.e. pollution). We can’t expect to solve our personal or planetary problems with the same type of thinking that caused them in the first place.

Although most of our senses communicate to us non-verbally we are encouraged to identify and acknowledge them with language. This is a wise and healthy way to train ourselves to think globally, to think in a way that nature works. This methodology is called the "Natural Systems Thinking Process" and was developed by Michael J. Cohen. He has practiced and taught this process for over 30 years and created an entire on-line program at www.ecopsych.com.

In our era of hurried lifestyles, mounting commitments, and the excessive demands placed on us from family, work, and community, spending time in natural areas is one of the best forms of stress relief I know. Nature’s peacefulness can calm and soothe us while bringing clarity to unresolved issues. It never judges, labels, or condemns. Nature accepts us just as we are in its grandest display of unconditional love. Nature’s beauty instills awe and delight and can revive a weary soul.

These words can only plant a seed — it is up to each one of us to discover and embrace the healing gifts that connecting with nature bestows, in our own time, in our own way, as a means to initiate the growth that lies dormant, waiting….

Jan Kindred lives in White City, SK, and is currently enrolled in the certificate program in Applied Ecopsychology & Integrated Ecology. For more information about the "Natural Systems Thinking Process," nature-connecting activities, and details about the on-line courses and educational programs visit Project NatureConnect at: www.ecopsych.com. Jan can be contacted at (306) 781-2598 or email: jkindred@sasktel.net.