Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology is a field of mental health science that studies the interconnectedness between the human mind and psyche and nature. The study first arose in the 1960s, but it gained momentum with the publication of Theodore Roszak's book The Voice of the Earth: An Exploration of Ecopsychology in 1992. Since then, the field of ecopsychology has come to encompass any facet of the need one feels to be with or to experience nature and the treatment of those who are affected by this need.

Background

Although scholars and researchers developed a deeper interest in the interconnectedness between humankind and nature in the 1960s, they have been able to identify examples of people's need for nature going back many centuries. Indigenous Americans and other Indigenous groups around the world have cultural and religious practices and other aspects of their lifestyles that are dominated by nature. Researchers have observed instances in which great anxiety and suffering arise among these nature-focused cultures when they are removed from their usual environment or their environment is changed.

The idea that people could benefit from reconnecting with nature was not new, but it grew during the 1960s as some individuals and groups began to emphasize eating and living more naturally. The movement was reminiscent of similar movements by the Transcendentalists in the nineteenth century and by some Eastern religious philosophies, such as Buddhism. It was accompanied by an increased focus on the effects humankind was having on nature—for example, the realization that chemical usage had increased after World War II and the growing effects of industrialism on the environment. Books such as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, published in 1962, drew widespread attention to such problems.

College ecology professor Paul Shepherd is often credited as the first to identify and study the effects that environmental concerns and a lack of exposure to nature had on humans. However, it was Roszak who coined the term ecopsychology in 1992. He saw the environmental situation as a growing crisis and began studying the effect it would have on people.

Ecopsychologists see their study as compatible with the Gaia theory, also known as the Gaia hypothesis or Gaia principle. Proponents of the controversial theory believe that Earth and all its life forms and systems are intricately and irrevocably intertwined, with each completely necessary for the survival of the planet. The Gaia theory was put forth by chemist James Lovelock and supported by microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s. Ecopsychology, however, takes an additional step by saying that having a relationship with nature not only affects humans' physical health but also their emotional and psychological health.

Overview

According to Roszak's theory, many of the planet's ills are related to human activity, and many human ailments, especially those of the mind, are related to humankind's declining relationship with nature. For centuries, people worked mostly outside or spent more time outdoors. In modern times, many people work indoors, spending long hours at desks, inside stores, or on assembly lines. Many are in cities with limited access to nature and green space, even as they travel to and from work. Ecopsychologists state that this is not only harmful to the environment but also harmful to the human mind, which both wants and needs to spend time in nature.

Just as traditional psychology attempts to bring improved mental health by healing relationships between people, ecopsychology strives to improve mental health by reconnecting people with nature. Some believe that increases in mental stress and conditions such as depression are driven, at least in part, by the perceived problems with the natural world, such as pollution, the loss of green space to industrialization and urban expansion, and the threat of global climate change. Roszak attributes at least some aspects of mental health issues to an "ecological unconscious" that is troubled by the changes in the natural world.

Similar theories have been espoused by others, including Richard Louv, whose 2005 book Last Child in the Woods attributed many childhood behavioral problems to what he called "nature deficit disorder." Louv claimed that decreased time outdoors is responsible for many children's issues with focus and attention and could be detrimental to their cognitive and emotional development. While the emphasis in his book was on the effects of nature deficit on children, Louv and others believe the situation affects teens and adults as well.

Based on these theories, ecopsychologists go beyond the traditional therapy techniques used by mainstream psychologists. They may still use talk therapy, but they will also recommend practices such as taking nature walks and attending outdoor retreats. Interacting with plants and animals is often recommended, and the use of natural, plant-based remedies may be endorsed. In addition, ecopsychologists may recommend that their patients shift away from a highly structured day and from consumer behaviors as much as possible.

Some experts recommend beginning a blending of the practices of the Western world with those of Indigenous groups who live more closely with nature. Some, such as Canadian environmental educator Gregory Lowan-Trudeau, endorse finding a way to integrate Indigenous practices into Western science and behaviors by finding common ground and expanding it without unfairly appropriating one another's cultures.

Ecopsychology as a science and discipline continues to grow in the twenty-first century. It is, in some ways, behind the early twenty-first-century trend of trying to live simpler, minimalistic lifestyles and the increased interest in eco-friendly structures and tiny homes. It is also behind growing movements, some backed by state and federal acts, to increase American schoolchildren's amount of outdoor time. Ecopsychology continued to be promoted as an interdisciplinary approach to mental health and well-being and integral to addressing such conditions as climate-related anxiety. Research into ecopsychology continued as well. A 2024 study by the University of Utah found that spending as little as ten minutes daily in nature significantly improved mental health.

Bibliography

Cortez, Marjorie. “Even as Little as 10 Minutes in Nature Can Relieve Mental Illness Symptoms, Study Finds.” Deseret News, 25 July 2024, www.deseret.com/education/2024/07/25/mental-illness-nature-university-utah-study-published-ecopsychology-ten-minutes. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Louv, Richard. "No More 'Nature Deficit Disorder.'" Psychology Today, 28 Jan. 2009, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/people-in-nature/200901/no-more-nature-deficit-disorder. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Parry, Glenn Aparicio. “Ecopsychology: Remembering the True Source of Our Consciousness.” Cosmos & History, vol. 12, no. 2, July 2016, pp. 226–36. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=119372913&site=ehost-live. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Patchen, Amie K., et al. "Supporting Children’s Wellbeing through Outdoor Time: Opportunities to Integrate Consistent Outdoor Time into the Elementary School Day." Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 12, 2024, p. 1483862, doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1483862. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Roszak, Theodore. "The Nature of Sanity." Psychology Today, 9 June 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199601/the-nature-sanity. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Roszak, Theodore, et al., editors. Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. Sierra Club Books, 1995.