John V. Davis, Ph.D.
Naropa University and School of Lost Borders
"Ecopsychology develops the interface of the human psyche and the natural world with an emphasis on psychology and a particular view of connectedness in human– nature relationships."
"As I looked at how I managed my own stress, I found that time in nature was powerful for me, whether it was gardening, hanging out in nearby open space, or backpacking. At the same time, I taught a course at The Naropa Institute (now University) called “Rock-Climbing as a Way of Personal Growth.” We climbed the cliffs near Boulder, Colorado, and then reflected on our experiences. I now recognize this course as an impulse toward healing and transformation in nature, a sense that the deeply intimate and highly salient contact with the natural world experienced while hanging on to a rock face above a hundred feet of empty space can be healing, growthful, and even mystical."
"Developing our bond with the Earth, rather than invoking anxiety and shame, is crucial for promoting attitudes and behaviors in service to the Earth. These, then, are the two sources of ecopsychology: the healing and transformative potential of direct contact with the natural world and the need to shift environmental action to more psychologically sophisticated, effective, and sustainable environmental action."
"I see two mutually supportive aspects of ecotherapy. One brings the healing potential of nature into the therapist’s office. A wealth of empirical research supports the hypothesis that contact with nature reduces stress, increases mental health, and promotes peak experiences and personal transformation. The other aspect is the opportunity to deal directly with environmental grief, anxiety, rage, and despair. These issues may rarely be explicit in the clinical setting, but they still shape our experience of ourselves, others, and the world. I agree with James Hillman and others who argue that individual mental health is inseparable from issues of social, political, economic, and environmental justice. The therapist’s office is one venue in which such issues can be addressed."
"While ecopsychology has flirted with nature-based spirituality, it has rarely articulated the connections between psyche, nature, and spirit clearly and robustly. Ecopsychology has the potential to reveal psyche and nature as expressions of the same whole and to reveal our deepest environmental sentiments as essentially spiritual."
