embodied ontologies: how embodied experience contributes...
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EmbodiedOntologies:Howembodiedexperiencecontributestoatransformedunderstandingoftheselfandit’sinterrelationwiththemore-than-
humanworld.
Supervisor:Dr.RussellHitchings
September2017
ThisresearchdissertationissubmittedfortheMScinEnvironment,Politicsand
SocietyatUniversityCollegeLondon
Abstract
Destructiontotheplanetcausedbyhumanactivityhasbecomethepressing
issueofourtime,whiledepressionandothermentalhealthissuesarerising
globally.Ithasbeenpositedthatthesetwofactorsareinfactintimately
interconnected,humanpsychologicalwellbeingisintricatelyentangledwith
planetarywellbeing.
Falseconceptionsoftheselfandtheself’srelationshiptoit’senvironmentare
arguedtobeattheheartofthisissue.
AnexaminationofEcopsychology’sconceptofthe‘ecologicalself’helpsusto
revaluatetheconceptofselfwithinanecologicalframework,andtoexplorethe
self’sinterconnectionwiththeenvironment.ThePhenomenologyofMerleau-
Ponty’slendsphilosophicalandmethodologicalassistancetothisendeavour.
Astudycarriedoutusingtheembodiedmethodadvocatedbyphenomenology
exploreshowembodiedexperiencecancontributetowardsatransformed
understandingoftheselfanditsrelationshiptothemore-than-humanworld,
andhowembodiedknowledgeleadstonewontologicalunderstandings,anda
desiretoprotecttheenvironment.
Wordcount:11965
Acknowledgements
Inthetime-honouredtraditionofofferingthanks,Iwouldliketosaydiolchyn
fawrtomysupervisor,RussellHitchings,forhisrigorousbutgood-humoured
attemptstoencouragemyworktocomplywithacademicstandards.Itwould
seemthatIandmywork,likemysubjectmatter,havealittlewildnessatheart.
IwouldliketoexpressmydeeplyfeltgratitudetotheNatureConnection
collectiveforallowingmetoparticipateinthecourse,whichwasconceivedof
andfacilitatedwithcareandagenuineloveandrespectfortheearth,fromwhich
allinspirationisdrawn.Andtomyintervieweeswhosharedtheirstories
openheartedly.ItwastrulyanhonourtoreceivethemandIcanonlyhopethis
workdoesjusticetoyourexperiences.
Finally,tomykin,themanyfriendswhohavegivenmesupportduringthis
processinamultitudeofways,tomytribe,andtomyfamily,whohavefedme
andsupportedmegenerouslyduringthisprocess,whotaughtmefrombirthto
lovetheearthanditscyclesandwhotrytolivebyitsteachingseveryday.And,
ofcourse,totheearthitself.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Abstract
Chapter1:Introduction1
1.1 Aimsandresearchquestions4
Chapter2:Literaryreview4
2.1Ecopsychology4
2.2Phenomenology9
2.3TheThreshold11
2.4Language12
Chapter3:Methodology14
3.1TheStudy16
Chapter4:Analysis19
4.1Thetransformativeeffectofedgeexperiences20
4.2Theselftransformedthroughsensoryexperience24
4.3BelongingandKinship27
4.4Thetrickinessoflanguage29
4.5Betweenconsciousnessandembodied32
Chapter5:Conclusion35
References38
Appendices44
Appendix1.Initialdissertationproposal44
Appendix2.ResearchDiary48
Appendix3.Lettertocourses51
Appendix4.NatureConnectionnotesphoto53
Appendix5.NatureConnectionnotestyped53
Appendix6.Interviewschedule58
Appendix7.ExampleInterviewTranscript62
1.Introduction
Environmentaldestructioncausedbyhumanactivityhasbecomean
internationalconcern.Issuesofhumanpsychologicalwell-beinghavealsocome
underscrutinyasglobalmentalhealthissuesrisesignificantlyandareestimated
tobe‘15%oftheglobalburdenofdisease’by2020,while‘depressionalonewill
constituteoneofthelargesthealthproblemsworldwide’(Mellar,etal:2005).
Ecopsychology,whichmergesthewisdomofecologyandpsychology,arguesthat
thesetwofactors,planetaryandpersonalheathandwellbeing,arenotunrelated
(Brown,1995)butratherthathumanpsychologyisintimatelyinterconnected
withtheecologicalsystemsofwhichweareapart,andthatfalseconceptionsof
whatconstitutesthe‘self’lieattherootoftheseissues.
Itisincreasinglysuggestedthat‘humanpsychologicaldistressisboundwiththe
ecologicaldestructioninflictedbyhumankinduponthenaturalworld’(Hinds
andJordan,2016:1).Inthewakeofthisrealisationitisimperativethatthe
natureofselfhood,andtherelationshipofhumanbeingstotheenvironment,be
examinedandrevaluatedifwearetolearntolivemoresustainablyontheplanet
thatsustainsus.
A2014studybyCapaldietalindicatesthat‘subjectivenature-connectedness’
notonlyleadstoincreasedhappinessandwellbeing,italsoleadstomore‘pro-
environmentalattitudes’(2014).Thisraisesquestionsabouthowthenatural
worldaffectsouremotionsandattitudes,andwhetheramoreintimate
relationshipwithit,ora‘somaticembedment’withinit,couldleadto
‘transpersonalhealing’(Burns,2012),benefittothehumanpsycheand
consequentlytothewiderecologicalcommunity.
Theconceptofnature,andtheusefulnessoftheterm,haslongbeendebated
(Cronon,1995,Lamb,1996).Inaworldwherehumaninfluencecanbeseen
almosteverywhere(Wapner,2010),andtheconstructivistideathatthe
environmentisexternaland‘bounded’(CrollandParkin,1992:7)isbeing
rejected,theword‘nature’isconsideredoutofdateandmisleadingbysome,and
toperpetuatedualismsbyothers(Carfore,2014).AnthropologistTimIngold
believesitistimeto‘replacethestaledichotomyofnatureandculturewiththe
dynamicsynergyoforganismandenvironment,inordertoregainagenuine
ecologyoflife’(2000:16).Hearguesagainstthetermnatureashebelievesit
createsafalseexternalisation,ratherhesaysthatorganismsplusthe
environmentequal‘oneindivisibletotality’(2000:19).Recentauthorsand
practitionersofEcotherapyhaveacknowledgedthedifficultyindefiningwhat
‘nature’is,notingthatit‘isbothmaterialinitsformandahistoricalconstruct’
(HindsandJordan,2016:2).
Nevertheless,thewordnaturearisesthroughoutthisresearchasitistheword
mostfrequentlyusedinthecontextthatmyresearchtookplacetodescribethis
‘indivisibletotality’,themore-than-humanworldandhumaninterconnection
withit.Inthisessay,theword‘nature’willbeusedtomeanthesystemof‘active’
organiclife,madeupof‘anentirefieldofrelations’intheprocessofacontinuous
‘creativeunfolding’(Ingold,2000),ofwhichhumansbeingsareapart,butwhich
continuestoexistandtounfoldinourabsence.
Ibelievethecontroversyaroundthisword,andthestruggletofindsatisfactory
alternatives,reflectssomeofthewiderissuesandchallengesthataccompany
ourevolvingrelationshipwithourenvironment.
Ithasbeenpositedthatitismisplacedvaluesystemsthathaveleadhumansto
viewnatureasaresource,andtodestructivetreatmentoftheenvironment
(Rawles,1998),butEcopsychologycontendsthatthismaybeanoversimplistic
view.Shepardarguesthatthesevaluesystems,andtheresultingbehaviours,are
‘notcausesbutresults’ofadeeper,morehistorichumanmadnessor
‘irrationality’,resultingfromdisconnectionfromthenaturalworldandtheway
thatourspeciesevolvedtobeinit(1995).EvenFreud,theforefatherof
psychology,suggestedthatcivilisation,orthewholehumanspecies,mayhave
become‘neurotic’insomeway(inShepard,1995:24).Inordertostandachance
ofcollectivehealing,Junginsiststhat‘wemustfindouthowtogeteverything
backintoconnectionwitheverythingelse’(JunginSabini,2008:209).
Individualismandthedominanceofhumanistthinkinghaveprompteda
backlashoftheorieschallengingthisself-centred,human-centredviewofthe
world.Advancesinecologicalsciencehaveforwardedtheunderstandingthatall
lifeisintricatelyinterconnectedandinterdependent(Krebs,2014).Manynew
disciplinesandconceptshavearisenwhoseaimitistodealwiththeevolving
understandingofthemore-than-humanworldandourrelationshiptoit.New
Materialismhasgonesomewaytore-animating,orrestoring‘agency’tomatter
(Bennett2010,CooleandFrost,2010),ActorNetworkTheoryexploresthe
connectionsbetweenhumansandnon-human,includingobjectsaspartofsocial
networks(Latour,2005),Posthumanismhasbeguntore-visionthenatureof
subjectivityas‘embeddedandembodied’(Braidotti,2013),andmore-than-
humangeographiesattempttogivevoiceandpoliticalagencytootherspecies
andtotheenvironment(Lorimer,2009).Theconceptofhybridityhasgonesome
waytowardsanunderstandingof‘thesocialandnaturalworldasintertwined
andimpossibletodisentangle’(Driessen,2017:1).
Yetmissingfromthesenarrativesisthenaturalworlditself,withitsown
independentenergyandlife,andwhathappensintheinterfacebetweenthis
widerlifesystemandthehumansubject.Thissuggeststhatanewlensisneeded
throughwhichtoexamineourinterdependencewiththemore-than-human
worldthatdoesnotlosesightofhumanagency,northeagencyofworld.
Ecopsychologycomprehensivelydevelopsanewontology,redefiningthehuman
relationshipwiththenaturalworld,andaddresseswhatthismightmeanfor
livedexperience.Tolendtheoreticalandmethodologicalassistancetotheaims
ofEcopsychology,thisessaywillemploy‘apractice-orientated’readingof
Merleau-Ponty’sphenomenology,whichfocusesonthebodyandthevalueof
embodiedexperienceasatoolandasiteforknowing,andwhichKirsten
Simonsenbelievescanaddresssomeoftheissuesofagencyandinterconnection.
1.1Aimsandresearchquestions
1. Howdoesembodiedexperienceinnaturecontributetoanexpanded
understandingoftheself,andfeelingsofkinshipandinterconnection
withthemore-than-humanworld?
2. Howdoesabodilyknowingofthisinterconnectionaffectpeople’s
ontologicalunderstanding?
2.LiteratureReview
Inordertoprovideatheoreticalframeworkformystudy,thischapterwill
exploretheliteratureonEcopsychology,whichseekstoredefineconceptsofthe
self,sanityandmadness,withamoreecologicalframework.Iwillthenlookat
thekeyconceptsthatarisefromthephenomenologyofMerleau-Pontywhich
showthebodyasavalidandvitalsiteofknowingandknowledgeproduction,to
seewhatthisinsightlendstoEcopsychology,bothphilosophicallyand
methodologically.
2.2Ecopsychology
Ecopsychologybeganasacounterculturalmovementinthe1990’swhen
TheodoreRoszak’sbook‘TheVoiceofTheEarth’suggestedthatwhatwehadfor
solongdefinedas‘sanity’and‘madness’mayinfactbebasedonamisplaced
ideaofthenatureofthehumanpsyche,orself,anditsrelationshiptootherliving
thingsandtheenvironment(Roszak,1992).Definitionsofmentalhealthand
madnessarepolitical(Foucault,1961),andShepardsuggeststhatthese
standardsservetomaskorrevealsocietyasawhole(1995).
Aneditedvolumeofessaysexploringthebreadthoftheoreticalandpractical
perspectivesthatcomeundertheumbrellaofEcopsychologyfollowedshortly
after.It’saimwasthreefold;toredefinesanityinanecologicalcontextand
addresshumanpsychologicalwellbeinginamoreholisticway,toimprove
‘ecologicalilliteracy’andmakethe‘healthofplanetintoapoliticalissue’,andto
promotetheunderstandingthatthesetwofactors,humanandplanetaryhealth,
areintimatelyinterconnected(Brown,1995:xiii).
Roszak’saimwasto‘bridgethegulfbetweenthepsychologicalandthe
ecological,toseetheneedsoftheplanetandthepersonasacontinuum’(1992:
14),todothisheproposestheideathathumanbeingshavean‘ecological
unconscious’(1992:13,1995:14).Thetheoryoftheecologicalunconscious
evolvedoutofJung’sconceptofthecollectiveunconscious,orcollectivepsyche,
whichhesaidwas‘identicalwithnature’(JunginSabini2008:14).This
extendedFreud’sindividualunconscious,whichproposedthathumanbeings
havesharedstructuresofmind,symbolsandinstinctsthattranscendcultures
(Roszak,1995:14,Aizenstat,1995:95).
ThisideaisechoedbyIngoldwhofollowsBateson’sclaimthatthereis‘afalse
separationofmindandnature’(1972),arguingthat‘mindshouldbeseenas
imminentinthewholesystemoforganism-environmentrelationsinwhichwe
humansarenecessarilyenmeshed,ratherthanconfinedwithinourindividual
bodiesasagainstaworld‘outthere’’(Ingold,2000:16).
Foroverninetypercentofhumanevolutionwelivedashunter-gatherersina
moreprimal,intimaterelationshipwithoursurrounding(Herman,2013:xx).
‘Psychoevolutionary’(Hartigetal,2014)theorypositsthat‘peoplearetosome
extentphysiologicallyandperhapspsychologicallyadaptedtonatural,as
opposedtourban,settings’(Berto,2014).Theecologicalunconsciousisthepart
ofthehumanmindthatisstillattachedand‘embedded’inthemore-than-human
environment.Thetheorysuggeststhatnotonlyisthephysicalmatterofwhich
humanbodiesareformedthesameasallotherphysicalmatter,butthatthe
humanpsycheisalsoembeddedandintertwinedwithallotherlifeonearth,and
indeedwiththeearthitself.Iwishtoexplorehowthisideaofanecological
unconsciousmightmanifestandbeexperiencedbypeopleinalivedsituation.
PsychologistJamesHillmanexplorestheideathattheecologicalunconsciousis
anextensionofJung’spsychoid,‘partlymaterial,partlypsychic,amergingof
psycheandmatter’(1995:xix).Hepositsthatthehumanpsycheisdeeply
affectedbythe‘ecologicalpsyche,thesouloftheworld’,theecologicalsystemof
whichweareapart.Thisinsightleadstotheunderstandingthat‘wecannotbe
studiedorcuredapartfromtheplanet’(1995:Xxii),humanwellbeingis
intimatelytangledupwiththewellbeingoftheplanetandtheotherlifeweshare
itwith.
SocialscientistGregoryBatesonarguedthatthe‘falsereificationoftheselfis
basictotheplanetaryecologicalcrisis’(1972).AccordingtoMacy‘theselfisa
metaphoricconstructofidentityandagency’(2009:238),butsheishopefulthat
thenarrowconstructisbeingreplacedbyawiderone,whatArneNaess,the
fatherofDeepEcology,callsan“ecologicalself”(1998),‘coextensivewithother
beingsandlifeontheplanet’(Macy,2009:238).
AccordingtoHillman,the‘arbitrarycut’madebytheforefathersofpsychology,
intheirdesiretohavethedisciplinetakenseriouslyasanempiricalscience,that
the‘me’endsattheskin,theego,andtheexperienceshadwithinthatnarrow
delaminationofabeing,hascreatedmanyofthepsychologicalissuesand
neurosisthatpsychologistsarenowattemptingtoheal;‘thesymptomscoming
backtotheconsultingroomarepreciselythoseitstheoryengenders’(1995:xx).
Commonamongthesearepersonalitydisorders,addictionsandnarcissism,
conditionsassociatedwithanobsessionwiththe‘self’orwithastruggletolimit
theselftothisnarrowconception.Hillmansuggestsradically‘re-placingthe
subjectbackintotheworld,orre-placingthesubjectaltogetherwiththeworld’
(1995:Xxi).Hissolutionisaredefinitionofpsychologywith‘nocuts’.Psychology
mustlettheworldinwhilstalsoenteringtheworld.Theworkofpsychologistsis
to‘lookandlistenwithpsychologicaleyesandears’(ibid).
Thesefindingspointtothefactthatamorephenomenologicalunderstandingof
theselfisneeded.If,asMacypointsout,‘Einsteinshowedthattheself’s
perceptionsaredeterminedbyitspositioninrelationtootherphenomena’
(2009:242),thenthereisnosubstituteforphysicalexperienceoftheselfinthe
worldforcreatingwhatPaulSheparddescribesasaselfwithapermeable
boundary’constantlydrawingonandinfluencingitssurroundings(Shepardin
Roszak,1995:13).
Itisthrough‘anever-wideningprocessofidentification’(Macy,2009:244)thata
feelingof‘sharedidentity’isproduced,whichinturnproduces,andinfactis,the
feelingoflove(Milton,2002:16),orwhatWilsoncalls‘biophilia’;theinnately
emotionalaffiliationofhumanbeingstootherlivingorganismswhichRoszak
believesresultsin‘spontaneousloyalty’(1995:4).Inhercomprehensiveenquiry
intowhysomepeoplehaveadesireto‘activelyprotect’naturewhileothersare
indifferentorevendestructive,KayMiltonsuggeststhatitisemotionsthatare
thedecidingfactor.Emotionsareakeytoolthoughwhichwelearnaboutthe
world.Loveisthekeymotivator.Sheidentifiestwokindsoflovingofnature,
‘enjoyment’and‘identificationwithnature’.Thosethatidentifywithitfeel
‘inclined’toprotectit(2002:74).
Thereisacyclicalnaturetothisprocessbecause,asMacypointsout,itisalso
‘throughthepowerofcaring’that‘theexperienceofselfexpandsfarbeyondthat
skin-encapsulatedego’(2009:239)toincorporateotherbodiesintooursenseof
community(Simonsen,2012),creatingwhatDonnaHarawaycallsafeelingof
‘kinship’(2015)withthemore-than-humanworld,a‘feltsenseofinterbeing’
whichresultsinloveandan‘affective-intuitiveembodiedknowingofthe
ecologicalpsyche’(Reinders,2017:17).
Kinshipcanrefertoa‘mutualityofbeing’or‘intersubjectiveparticipation’
wherebypeopleexperienceeachother’sjoysandsorrows(Sahlins,2011:10)or
simply‘veryclosebondsofassociation’(Castreeetal,2013),usuallyamong
humans.Haraway’suseofthetermisanintentionalprovocationtoextendthese
ties,whichare‘afundamentalelementofsociety’,(ibid),toincludethemore-
than-humanworld.
Manyarguethattheselfisentirelysociallyconstructed(BergerandLuckmann,
1966),‘nothingbutabundleorcollectionofdifferentperceptions’(Hume,2007:
132).Weundoubtedlyadoptthebehaviouralandcognitivenormsofoursociety,
butJungarguesthatwealsoprojectontothethingsaroundus,incorporating
thesethingsintooursenseofself;‘myselfisnotconfinedtomybody.Itextends
intoallthings’(JunginSabini,2008:13).Itisthiscapacitytoidentifythatallows
ustofeelasenseofkinshipandlove(Milton,2002).
PsychologistChrisRobertsonbelievesweareexperiencing‘shamebasedon
betrayalofkinship’(2013:55)causedbyour‘rupture’withthemore-than-
humanworld,acultural‘lossofwildness-bothinternalandexternal’leadingto
sufferingthe‘traumaofde-wilding’(2013:53).ThisechoesJung’sconceptof
‘collectiveguilt’,whichSabinibelieveswearesufferinginthefaceof
environmentaldegradation(2008:15).
Atitsinception,Ecopsychologycouldbecharacterisedbyit’scounterculture
nature,it’secocentricworld-view,it’sholisticattitudetowardstheneedsofthe
‘planetandtheperson’anditspromotionofanexperiential,‘sensuous
participationinnature’(Doherty,2009:2).Overthepasttwodecadesthefieldof
ecospychologyhasevolvedandgrowninpopularity,resultinginthe
establishmentofanEcopsychologyjournalin2009byecopsychologistThomas
Doherty,whichaimstoexplorethewidevarietyofresearchandpracticesbeing
undertakenunderthebannerofEcopsychology.Severalbookshavealsobeen
publishedonEcopsychologyandEcotherapy(BuzzellandChalquist,2009,Hinds
andJordan,2016,Duncan,2018).Ecotherapyisthe‘applied’orpractical
applicationofthetheoreticalbasethatEcopsychologyhassetup(Hindsand
Jordan,2016:1).Therehasalsobeenaproliferationofpracticescalling
themselvesEcotherapyorsimilar.
IaminterestedinthemethodsusedbyEcotherapytoachievethe‘deephealing’,
whichitdeclaresnecessaryinthefaceofthe‘deepmentalderangement’caused
byenvironmentaldestruction,whichisalsodestructiontoourownpsyches(Orr,
2009:15).Thissupposedneedforhealingortransformationraisesthequestion
ofhowexactlythisisachievedinpractice.
IntheEcophychologyjournal,Dohertywishestopromotethecollectionof
'originalresearchevidence'aimedattacklingtheseissues,asinthepast
Ecopsychologyhasseena'lowyield'ofactualdata.Thereisalsoaneedtodothis
withoutfallingintothetrapofpastpractice,which‘perpetuateddualism-
betweenresearchandpractice,theempiricalandtheintuitive,cognitionand
emotion’(2009:4).Itisforthisreasonthatmanyofthearticlesinthejournal
exploretheuseofphenomenologyasamethodofresearch(White,2011:2013,
Havic,ElandsandvanKoppen,2015).Thesestudiesrecognisetheimportanceof
dataforaneffective‘appliedimpact’butacknowledgethattherearea‘varietyof
modesofknowing’(Doherty,2009:5).Phenomenologyemphasisesexperience
astheprimaryformofknowing(Burns,2012).
2.3Phenomenology
Tothechallengeofdevelopinganexpandedandinterconnectedideaoftheself,
Phenomenologyofferssomepossibletheoreticalandmethodologicalanswers.
Phenomenologyisthephilosophicalstudyofhowthingsintheworldare
experiencedandhowmeaningsaregeneratedthroughthisexperience.In
oppositiontotheCartesiantraditionofthedualismofmindandbody,the
phenomenologyofMerleau-Pontyis‘anon-dualisticontologyofthebodyandits
environment’(Simonsen,2012:16).Inhisexplorationofthekeythemesof
Merleau-Ponty’sphenomenology,whichhedescribesasanexplorationof‘the
valueofbodilyexistenceastheprimarysiteofexperiencingandknowingthe
world’(Kuepers,2014:1),Kuepersarguesthatthe‘thelivingbody’,or‘situated
embodiment’,(2014:5)isthemaintoolthroughwhichperceptionand
knowledgeabouttheworldisgenerated,ratherthanbytherationalmind.
ItisforthisreasonthatthephenomenologyofMerleau-Pontyisnotonlyauseful
philosophicaltoolforthinkingthroughourembodiedrelationshipwithnature,
butalsoavitalmethodologicaltoolforresearcherswishingtogainamore
thoroughunderstandingofthisrelationship.ForMerleau-Ponty,thebodyand
whatitperceivescannotbeseparatedfromeachother,norcanenquiryandthe
searchformeaningbeseparatedfromtheworlditself(Kuepers,2014:2),this
impliesacontinuumofmeaningfromthehumanbody-mindthroughtothe
largerbody-mindcollectiveofbeingsandmatter.Inanechooftheselfexplored
byEcopsychology,thebodyasexploredbyMerleau-Pontyis‘aphenomenal,lived
body,adynamicunitythatchangesthroughinteractionwithanenvironmentto
whichitrespondsandthatitactivelystructures’(Simonsen,2012:16).
OneofMerleau-Ponty’skeyconceptsistheideaofthe‘fleshoftheworld’.All
matterandalllivingthingsarewovenfromthesame‘flesh’;‘Theembodiedself,
otherselves,andtheworldassymbiotic,interwoven,entangled,allcontributing
tothesynergyoflivingexperiencesandrealities.’(Kuepers,2014:5)For
Merleau-Pontythisintertwiningmeansthattheworld,andexperiencesand
understandingsabouttheworldare‘co-creative’,theyareconstantlyina
processofco-evolving.
Fleshis‘wild’becauseitisnotreducible;‘‘subject’and‘object’havenotbeen
tamedintoseparatecategories’,butareallwoventogetherintothefabricof
‘wildmeaning’(Kuepers,2014:9).Empiricismandneokantianintellectualism
havelurchedbetween‘absoluteobjectivityontheonehandandabsolute
subjectivityontheother’(Bengtsson,2013:45),butboththeoriesfailto
considertheimportanceoflivedexperienceasthestartingpointforhowpeople
learnabouttheworld.
InSimonsen’sunderstanding,thefactthat‘thefleshofthebody,thefleshof
othersandthefleshoftheworld’areintertwinedmeansthatwecan‘partially
inhabit’thefeelingsofothers.Thiswouldgiveusanempatheticbondingwiththe
worldandabreakingdownof‘thedistinctionbetween‘inner’and‘outer’(2012:
17),anideawhichhasinfluencedEcopsychology’smodeloftheecological
psyche.
2.3Thethreshold
FrequentlyarisingfromboththeliteratureonEcopsychologyand
phenomenologyistheconceptofthethresholdortheedge.Kuepersbelievesitis
thethresholdnatureofphenomenologicalexperiencethat‘providesaccesstoa
discourseofthein-between,theliminal,theambiguous’(2014:17).Itisthese
edgesand‘liminalspaces’that‘fromanecosystemicperspective’,Robertson
believes,‘openuptransformationalpotentials’andcanbethe‘rupturethatoffers
thepossibilityofhealing’(2013:57),thereforeunderstandingwhathappensin
theseruptures,howtheywork,iscrucialtounderstandinghowatransformed
senseofselfmightcomeabout.
Turner’sexplorationofthetransformativecapacitiesoftheliminalphaseofrites
ofpassagediscusseshowindividualsmustparticipateinabodilyexperience.
Bodilyexperiencehasadirecteffectonhowpeoplethinkandfeel.Itisthrough
experiencethat‘perception,knowledgeandunderstanding’aregenerated
(Milton,2002:148).Bymeansofperceptionthroughthesenses,alivedbodycan
incorporateobjectsandphenomenaintoitsconceptofself,itssubjectivity,and
inthiswaytheseobjectsbecomepartofthewaythatthesubjectactsinthe
worldandhowtheyexperiencetheworld(Bengtsson,2013).
Theculturesinwhichweareembeddedaffectour‘orientation’(Simonsen,2012:
19),orwhatweperceive,thereforeSimonsenbelievesthatthese‘sedimented’
(2012:18)orhabitualmeaningsmustbe‘ceaselesslyinterrogatedandopened
uptonewadventuresandexperiments’(2012:19).
Thisopeningupisachievedthrough‘momentsofdisorientation’thatactas
windowsthroughwhichchangeisabletooccur.Theseare‘productivemoments
leadingtonewhopesandnewdirections’(Simonsen,2012:20).ItisRobertson’s
beliefthat‘toreclaimsomethingofourspecieswildness,weneedsupportfrom
Trickster’(2013:55).
Thearchetypaltricksterfigureisasymbolic‘agentoftransformation’who
occupiesthresholdorliminalspaces,‘betwixtandbetween’(Herman,2013:230,
Turner,1964).Withtheirplayfulnessand‘disruptiveimagination’(Hyde,2008)
theyareboundary-crosser,ableto‘danceontheedge’(Robertson,2013:52)and
oftencausedisruptionsinthenormalrunningofthings.Theybothcreateand
destroymeaning.
Crapanzanosuggeststhatthepracticeofethnography,ofinterpretingculture,
fallsunderthejurisdictionofthearchetypaltricksterHermes,‘heofthestone
heap’,ortheboundarystone,asitbothcreatesboundariesandmarkersandisa
‘fertile’actofmeaningcreation(1986:52).Hermes,wholendshisnametothe
artoftranslationandinterpretation,mightalsobeputtousebetween
disciplines,asthereseemstobelittlecross-disciplinaryreferencingdespite
similaritiesoftheme.
2.4Language
Greenwayarguesthat‘bothecologyandpsychologyare,atbase,languages,and
thusthesearchforan“Ecopsychology”isasearchforlanguageaswell’(1995:
123).Asourunderstandingoftheselfandourrelationshiptomore-than-human
naturehasevolved,andaneed‘tocommunicatewhathappenedtopeople’when
theywereinnaturebecameapparent,ithasnecessitateda‘searchforlanguage
thatcouldrevealthedynamicsofthehuman-naturerelationship’(ibid).
Historicalnature/culturedualisminthewestmakestalkingaboutaconnection
tonaturetricky,sincethelanguageitselfcompoundsaseparation.ButGreenway
arguesthatifweare‘alerttothebridgesbetweennatureandcultureinevery
word,metaphor,andsymbol’(2009:134)thenlanguagecanhelpustonavigate
thisdifficultterrain.
Althoughlanguagehelpsusto‘storeexperiences’,italsoabstractsthem,it‘floats
inthefieldbetweencognitiveactivityandthecontextthroughwhichonemoves’
(ibid).Theambiguousterritorybetweenembodimentandcognitionisatricky
areaforlanguagetodealwithsinceitdoesnotfallwithinitsjurisdiction.
Kuepresbelievesthatphenomenologycanhelpustonavigatethisbecauseit
‘providesbridgestopre-reflectivedimensionsofexperienceandrealities’(2014:
17),anditdoesthiswithoutfallingintothetrapofregression.
Robertsonexpressesconcernthatlanguageandacademiamayinfactbe‘partof
theproblem,belongingtothedominantdiscoursethatabstractsexperienceand
reinforcesdomestication’(2013:58).Jungalsowarnsagainstthe‘tyrannyof
words’.Throughwordsweconstructourrealitiesandthroughwordsthe
consciousmindcanbecome‘thevictimofitsowndiscriminatingactivity’by
reducingeverythingdownuntil‘theoriginalfeelingofunity…islost’(inSabini,
2002:72).Thedrivetoarticulateembodiedexperiencesmayservetoundermine
theunderstandingthatthereare‘multiplemodesofknowing’(Greenwa,y2009:
134),cementingthehierarchythatvaluestheintellectualoverembodiedmodes
ofknowing.ItisforthisreasonthatIngoldarguesthatwemust‘descendfrom
theimaginaryheightsofabstractreasonandresituateourselvesinanactiveand
ongoingengagementwithourenvironment’(2000:16).
Languagehasbeendealtwithfarmorethoroughlyinthefieldoflinguistic
anthropology.Bourdieu’sexaminationof‘theroleoflanguageintheformationof
consciousness’(Hasan,1999:442)helpsusunderstandthebenefitsoftryingto
vocalisetheexperienceshadinnature.Mauss’sexplorationof‘habitus’andthe
culturallyinherited‘artofusingthehumanbody’(Mauss,1973:73),whichwas
latertakenupbothbyBourdieuandMerleau-Pontyin‘thephenomenological
ideasofhabitualityand"corporealschema"helpsustoexplorethebody,asnot
just‘sheerlyphysical’,butcontainingaconsciousnessofitself(Hanks,2005:69).
Throughmystudy,Iwillnowgoontoexplorethekeyquestionsarisingfromthe
literature,howtheconceptofan‘ecologicalself’mightbeachievedinpractice,
howembodiedexperienceofinterconnectionaffectspeople’sontological
understandings,andtherelationshipoftheseexperiencestolanguage.
3.Methodology
ForKueprestherearemethodologyimplicationsofMerleau-Ponty’sphilosophy.
Phenomenologyoffersameansofchallengingtraditionalmeaningsandhow
theyaregenerated,itopensupnewmethodsofresearch,whichfocusonthe
bodyanditsexperiencesintheworld.Thebodybecomesa‘validsourceof
knowledge’,ratherthan‘theorisingabout’bodies,itsuggests‘thinkingfromand
withbodiesandembodiment’,(Kuepers,2014:18)andoutwardstothebody’s
relationshipwiththe‘largercollective-systemicsphereofsocio-material
embodiment’.ForMerleau-Pontythereis‘asensualcontinuumofbodyand
world’(Kuepers,2014:11),andacontinuumofmeaningor‘embodiedknowing’
(Kuepers,2014:14).Phenomenologyasamethodrequitesa‘questioningbody’,
activelyopentotheworld(Simonsen,2012:19).Thebodyisthetoolthrough
whichquestionsareaskedandanswered.
TakingmymethodologicalcuefromthephilosophyitselfIwilladoptembodied
practiceasaresearchmethod.Iwillalsointerviewothersabouthowembodied
practicehasgeneratedmeaningforthem.
Inhisenquiryintoconnectiontonature,RobertWhitedescribes
phenomenology,inthecontextofhisresearchas‘theinterpretivestudyof
humanexperienceofaphenomenaasitislivedandreflecteduponinthefirst
person’(2013:243)His‘autophenomenographicalinvestigation’takesseriously
theideathat‘firsthandlivedexperience’can‘contributetoourcollective
knowingoftheworld’.Hesetsouttoexplorehowpersonalexperiencealters
feelingsofconnectionstonature,withhimselfassoleparticipant.Inanalysing
hisownwrittendescriptionsheadmitsthatitisimpossibletobeentirelyfreeof
one’sown‘sociocultural’bias(White,2013:244).
Interpretivephenomenology,andtoanevengreaterextent
autophenomenography,areanextensionofthemorewidelyrecognised
autoethnographywhich‘dissolvetosomeextenttheboundariesbetween
authorsandobjectsofrepresentation’bytheresearcherbecomingpartofwhat
theyarestudyingandtakingseriouslytheirfeelingsandexperience(Butzand
Besio,2009,1661).Whatsetsautophenomenographicalinquiryasidefrom
autoethnography,inwhichtheresearcherstudiestheirrelationshipwitha
particular‘culturalorsubculturalsocialplaceorgroup’,isitsfocusonthe
researcher’s‘ownfirsthandlivedexperiences,includingperceptions,feelings,
emotions,reflectionsandthoughts’(White,2013:243).
WhileWhitearguesthatautophenomenologyneedstofollowa‘setof
procedures’inorderfortheresultstobeconsideredvalid,in-depthreading
aroundthesubjectofecotherapeuticstudiessuggeststhatdesiretofitinto‘a
communityofresearchers’hastruncatedthebreadthandpossibilityofpast
researchinthisfield(Doherty,2009:1).Ibelievethataprescribedprocedure
wouldbeinoppositiontotheideaoflettingthephenomenaspeakfor
themselvesandtheexaminationofthespontaneousfeelingsandthoughtsthat
ariseingenuineresponsetothem.ThereforeIintendtorespondmore
organicallytotheexperiences,tofollowthestagesthat‘ariseoutofthe
phenomenon’(Laurier,2010:3),andtoapplyhissuggestedmethodtothe
proceedinganalysisprocess,using‘in-depth’readingsofmynotesandinterview
transcriptionsinorderto‘identifythemesandsubthemes’andthe‘meaningsof
theexperience’(White,2013:243).
Nevertheless,inspiredbyWhite’smethodofusing‘livedexperienceofa
phenomena’andthefeelingsandthoughtsthatarisefromthisasbothamethod
ofstudyandasubjecttobestudied,Iwillparticipateinacourseofactivities
whoseintentionistocreateafeelingofconnectednesstonatureThiswillallow
metouseanautophenomenographicalapproach,butalsotoextendWhite’s
methodtoincludethestudyofthephenomenologicalexperiencesofotherswho
participateinthesamecourse.This‘co-participation’and‘livedexperience’will
allowmetobe‘moreempathetic’(2013:243)oftheexperiencesofothers,and
hopefullyresultinexperiencesandfeelingswhichwillbecomparabletomyown
andeachothers.
Inordertoenhancethereliabilityoftheresults,Iwilltriangulatemyfindings
withexperiencesofothersbyconductingaseriesofinterviews.Thiswillallow
metoidentifycommonfactorsandpatternsthatwouldnotbediscernable
merelyfromthepersonalexperienceofoneperson.
Itisappropriatetouseanembodiedmethodtoexploreembodiedconnectionto
nature,becauseittakesseriously‘direct,individualhumanexperience’(White,
2013:243)asavalidformofknowingandknowledgeproduction.Usingthe
bodyasatoolaimstopreventtheresearchfrombecomingtoodistancedfrom
thesourceoftheknowledgebeingstudied,whichisthebodyitself.
3.1TheStudy
InordertouseanautophenomenologicalapproachIneededtofindacoursethat
Icouldtakepartinandgainsomefirsthandexperienceofembodiespracticein
action.DuetotheconfidentialnatureoftherapyIwasnotabletofindanyone
willingtoallowmetotakepartasaresearcher.InsteadIwasofferedaplaceona
weekendcoursethatoffersaseriesof‘natureconnection’activitiestostaff
membersofthechildren’soutdooreducationcharityForestSchoolCamps.
Havingattendedthiscourseasaparticipantbefore,andbeenpartofthe
collectivethatrunsthecourseforseveralyears,Iknowthatitsexplicitaimisnot
therapeuticbuttogivepeopleanexperienceofasetofactivitieswhichmayhelp
themconnecttonature,andwhichtheycanthenuseintheirworkwithchildren.
Peopledonotarriveattheweekendexpectingtherapyorhealing,thereforethis
increasesthelikelihoodofanytherapeuticoutcomesbeingtheby-productofthe
experiencesthemselves,ratherthanofpreconceivedtherapeuticexpectations.I
believethiswillgiveamoregenuineaccountofthetherapeuticcapacitiesof
beinginnature.
Thecourse,whichistitledNatureConnection,washeldinruralWestWalesin
earlyMayandrunbyanon-hierarchicalcollectiveoftwelvepeople.Ithasbeen
runningforsevenyearsanditsaimistoimmersepeopleinthenatural
environmentthroughaseriesofsensorygamesandactivities,tocreateaculture
withawarenessofnatureatitscoreandasafecommunitythatcouldsupport
whateveremotionsthatarose,withthenaturalworldasakeymemberofthat
community.Theweekendtooktheformofaseriesofhighlystructuredand
facilitatedactivitiesinterspersedwithtimetabledinquietmomentsfor
reflection,meditation,orobservationsofthesurroundings.
TheactivitiesatNatureConnectiontrytoreproducethesensoryexperiencesof
livingmoreprimitivelyinnature,forexampletheexperienceofhuntingorbeing
hunted.Survivalexperiencesinwhichoneisforcedtouseyoursensemore
intensely,listeningharder,walkingmorestealthily,andusingsensesthatwedo
notusuallyuse,sometimescalled‘extra-sensory’.OntheNatureConnection
coursethenecessityofsurvivalisreachedthroughplayfulness,throughframing
theactivitiesasgames,orthoughstoriesthatlendgravitasandpurposetothe
activity.
MyintentionwastowriteextensivenoteswhilstIwasinthefield,butIfounda
tensionbetweenremainingdetachedenoughtowriteandbeingimmersedinthe
activitiesthoroughlyenoughtofeeltheirintendedaffect.Thisisachallengethat
hasbeenfacedbymanyresearchersinthesocialsciences(Madden,2010).I
resolvedthisbyabandoningmynotebookfortheactivitiesandusingteabreaks
towritedownasmuchasIcould.ThisinitiallymademenervousthatIwould
misssomething,butIcametounderstandthatIwouldmissthepointofthe
wholeweekendifIwastotryandkeepupthenotetaking,andthismademe
relaxintojust‘beingthere’whichallowedmetofullyexperiencetheactivities.
Iusedmyownfirsthandexperiencetoexaminehowanembodiedrelationship
withnatureaffectsfeelingsaboutthenaturalworldandourplaceinit.Inorder
tomakethisamorethoroughinvestigationIalsoconductedaseriesof
interviews.
InitiallyIplannedtoconductfifteentotwentyinterviewsaboutanhourin
length,butthefirstfewinterviewsturnedouttobemuchshorterthanthat.In
ordertogenerate‘sufficientdata’(Mears,2009:23)Idecidedthatspeakingto
morepeopleforshorterlengthsoftimewasabettercombinationforgettinga
wideperspective.Theinterviewswerebetweenfifteenandfortyfiveminutes
longandweretranscribedverbatim.
Afterthefirstcoupleofinterviewsitbecameclearthatthesubjectmatterhada
complicatedrelationshiptolanguageastheintervieweesstruggledtoarticulate
thethingstheyhadexperiencedandhowtheyfeltaboutthem.Idecidedtoadda
questionwhichaddressedthisissuemoredirectlyasitseemedtolieatthecrux
ofwhatIwastryingtounderstandthroughthestudy.
Ilearnedthatmyquestionscouldbeinterpretedverydifferentlybydifferent
individualsandIoftenhadtonarrowdowntoquitespecific,detailedquestions
inordertogetpeopletotalkabouttheexperiencesinawaythatgeneratedthe
informationIneeded.Ialsoadaptedsomeofthequestionsforpeoplewhohad
beenfacilitatorsoftheweekendorothersimilarworkandwhowereabletogive
adifferentperspectiveontheactivities.
Iinterviewedthirtypeoplebetweentheagesoftwentyandseventy.Allofthe
intervieweeshadparticipatedintheweekendatleastonce,mostonthisyear’s
course,andseveralwerealsofacilitatorsoftheweekendordidthiskindofwork
asalivingandarehighlyexperiencedatdeliveringthis,orsimilarprograms.
Amongsttheparticipantstherewasawiderangeofexperienceofbeingin
natureandcamping,frompeoplewhohadonlydoneitoncebeforetopeople
whohadbeendoingittheirwholelives.
Thecourseisself-selectingwhichcouldbealimitingfactorsincethose
participatingalreadyhaveabeliefinthevalueofspendingtimeinnature,and
belongtothepre-existingcommunityofForestSchoolCampswhichbringswith
itssocialandbehaviouralnorms.Althoughsomeparticipantsexpressed
cynicismtowardscertainaspectsofthecourse,theunderlyingsharedethos
actedasbedrockforageneralfeelingoftrustandawillingnesstogoalongwith
whatwasbeingoffered.
Thisraisesquestionsaboutthetransferabilityofthefindings,butdespitethis
possiblelimitation,thewiderangeofagesandexperiencesofmyinterviewees
reducesthepossibilityoftheresultsbeingtoonarrow.Interviewswithpeople
whofacilitatethisworkwithmorediversegroupssuggestthatresultsare
similar,ifnotmoredramaticforthosewithlesspriorexperienceofbeingin
nature.
EcopsychologyandPhenomenologyprovidesaconceptualframeworkforthe
analysisofthedata.Inkeepingwiththephenomenologicalmethod,and
followingWhite’ssuggestion,analysiswasdonemanually,usingin-depth
readingstoidentifythemesemergingfromthestudyandtoexploretheir
meanings,creatingmyowncodesbasedontheseobservations.Thebenefitof
usingthisgroundedtheorymethodisthatitallowsthedatatoleadtheway
ratherthantryingtosqueezethefindingsintopreconceivedtheories(Castreeet
al,2013),‘acorechallengeforphenomenologists’(White,2013:224)istoavoid
fallingintothetrapofonesownassumptions,expectationsandbiases.Although
Whiteacknowledgesthatithasbeenwidelyacceptedthatitisimpossibleto
entirelyescapetheinfluenceofones‘sociocultural’backgroundwhenmaking
interpretations,Whitebelievesitispossibletoproduce‘rigorous’researchifone
paysheedto‘neutrality,reliabilityandtrustworthiness’(2013:244)when
analysingresearchfindings.
4.Analysis
Groundedanalysisofmyinterviewsshowedthatpeople’sexperiencescouldbe
organisedintoseveralthemes.Someofthesewereexpected,suchasfeelingsof
happinessandwell-beinginvokedbyspendingtimeinnature.Someeventalked
aboutfeelingsof‘bliss’.Amajorityofpeoplereportedafeelingof‘lettinggo’,of
allowingthemselvestobeguidedbythefacilitators,andlettinggoofemotions
theymaybefeeling.Thiswasaccompaniedbyfeelingsof‘release’and‘relief’.
Therewasreliefinallowingtheirmindtoswitchoffsothattheycouldbe‘inthe
moment’.Mostintervieweesreportedaquietingofthemind,bringingattention
intothebodyandinducingameditativestateandfeelingsofpeaceandcalm.
Severalpeoplespokeofbeingrelaxedandalertatthesametime,asifinanactive
meditation.Manyreportedfeelingsof‘expansiveness’andheightened
engagementwithwhattheyweredoing,theplaceandthepeopletheywerewith.
Sincethesefindingscollaboratewithanalreadysignificantbodyofresearch
(Berto,2014,Capaldietal,2014,Hartigetal,2014,KaplanandKaplan,1989,
Nisbetetal2011),Ihaveonlybrieflytouchedonthemhere.InsteadIwillnow
lookindetailatsomeofthemoreunexpected,orlesswellresearched,findings
thatarosefrommystudy,asIbelievethiswillbemoreusefultofurtheringthe
understandingofthehumanrelationshipwiththemore-than-humanworld.
4.1Thetransformativeeffectofedgeexperiences
Throughparticipatingintheactivitiesandaskingquestionsofotherswhohave
experiencedthem,Ihavetriedtoidentifythe‘how’ofnatureconnection.
Onetechniqueidentifiablefromtheinterviewsistheuseof‘edge’experiences.
ManyofthepeopleIinterviewedrecountedoccasionsontheweekendcourse,or
otherexperiencesinnature,wheretheyhadfeltchallengedoroutsideoftheir
comfortzone.Thosewhohadexperienceasfacilitatorsspokeexplicitlyaboutthe
ideaofedgeexperiences,believingthemtobeofgreatvalueandimportance,‘I
thinkaspeopleweinhabitoursafezone…edgeexperiencesallowgrowthas
people,butalsogrowthinthespaceswefeelsafe’(Holly).
Facilitatorsoftendescribededgesas‘fertile’,usingthemetaphoroftheedgeof
ecologicalsystems,placesofgrowthanddiversitycausedbydisruptionand
challenge:
Myunderstandingofthemisbasedinecology,whichisthestudyofhow
lifeinteractswithotherlife.Whenyouareontheedge,that’swherethings
change….whereoneecosystemmeetsanotherecosystem,whereyoufind
allthelife.Thereissomethingaboutchangethatalsohasdestructioninit,
andit’soutofthedestructionthatthelifecomes….That’swherethingsare
revealed,ifIcanputitthatway…Ittakesthatconflictofedgetoreally
bringout,toreallyseethelife.Sothatiswhyedgesinnatureconnection
aresoimportant,becausetheyhelptouncoverthethingsthataremaybe
goingonallthetime,tobecomemoreawareofthem,andthereforegrow
(Dora).
ThisanalogycorrespondstotheEcopsychologyconceptofthe‘ecologicalpsyche’
orecologicalself,andalsolinkstoRobertson’sargumentthatliminalspaces,
‘fromanecosystemicperspective’(2013:57),openuppossibilitiesfor
transformationandhealing.
Manyparticipantsrecountedexperiencesthathadbeenchallengingtothemin
onewayoranotherandshowedanawarenessthatgoingthroughthis
experienceandovercomingithadmadethemstrongerormoreabletodealwith
situationsthataroseintheirwiderlife.Asoneexperiencedfacilitatorsaid,these
experiencesare‘vital’forbuildingpersonal‘resilience’;‘Iseehugeshiftsin
youngpeoplewhenyouofferthemtheresponsibilityandchancetohavethose
edges’(Naomi).
Everyone’sedgeisdifferent,‘theskillofafacilitatorisgaugingthat’(Naomi)and
creatinga‘safecontainer’forholdinganystrongemotionsthatcomeup.Most
peopleexpressedafeelingofbeing‘held’,notonlybythefacilitators,butalsoby
thecommunity,andthelandscapeitself.
Overcomingfearexpandstheselftoincorporatethenewexperienceandnew
phenomena:
Wetestourselvesandwerealiseweareokay…sowehavegrowninwhere
weareabletogoaspeopleandthatgivesyouasenseofconfidence.There
issuchpowerinmovingthroughthefearandrealisingthatit’snot
somethingyouneedtobeafraidof(Holly).
Manypeopleexpressedafeelingthattherewasawidercultural‘lackof
knowledge’(Zoe)aboutourrelationshiptonature.Onefacilitatordescribed
whattheybelievedtobethehistoricalrootsofthisdisconnect:
It’slinkedtoawholemassivehistoricalseriesofevents,fromthe
demonisingofpaganismandtheburningofthewitches,andthiswhole
thingofusnotbeingallowedtohavethatconnectionwithnatureunder
Christianity,itwasbasicallykilledoff(May).
AsSimonsenpointsout,certainwaysofknowingtheworldhavebeenelevated
andbecome‘sedimented’(2012),whileothershavebeenshamedoractively
discouraged.Rawlesarguesthatitistheseinheritedvaluessystemsthathave
leadtothedestructionoftheenvironmentandthatweshouldthereforebring
themintothelightofconsciousnesssothattheycanbemadeaccountableand
questioned(1998).
Participatinginthecoursegavemanypeopleasenseofdistancefromtheir‘day-
to-day’livesthatallowedforanewperspectiveontheirpositionintheworld,a
‘reflexivity’(Giddens,1984:3)thatoftengaverisetocritiqueofthe‘so-called-
civilisation’,asoneoftheparticipantcalledit,inwhichtheywereusually
embedded.Robertson’sclaimthathumanityhasbecome‘tame’andlostits
connectiontowildness,bothinternalandexternal,wasechoedinafeelingof
frustrationthatthewiderculturethatweinhabit‘insulates’(Andy)usfromthe
naturalworld.Mostpeopleexpressedreliefathavingachancetoexperience
livinginawaythatfelt‘fundamental’tohumanwellbeing.
Thetamenessofourculturemeansthatweliveina‘systemthathassuccessfully
gotridofmostedges’(Naomi)inourdailylives.Forthisreason,manyofthe
activitiesontheweekendattempttoinduceafeelingofnecessity.Frommy
experienceasaparticipantIfoundthattheuseofblindfoldstoremovethe
dominantsensedoesthisveryeffectively.Ithadtheimmediateeffectofbringing
peopleintoawarenessoftheirbodies,theirothersenses,andthegrounddirectly
underneaththeirfeet.
Thedesignofthecoursedevelopededgeexperiencesfortheparticipants.
Blindfoldsandtheremovalofsighthelptoinduceafeelingofsteppingintothe
unknown.Theknownbecomesutterlyunfamiliar,oneisliterallyand
metaphoricallymovingthroughthedarkness.Itisdiscombobulating.These
momentsactasSimonsen’s‘momentsofdisorientation’,ambiguousmoments
whichreplicatetheliminalepisodeofariteofpassage,oneis‘betwixtand
between’,netheronethingnoranother,amomentofpurepotentialwhichcanbe
anopportunityfortransformation.Oneparticipantreportedtheheighteningof
othersensesbroughtonbylossofsight:
It’salmostlikemyfeetgotbigger,andmyearsgotbigger,andmyfeargot
smaller.It’salmostlikechangingshape,andtheexperiencethenbecamea
sensateone(David).
Necessity,whichmakestheactivitiesmeaningful,bringsyouintoyourbodyand
‘ahyperawarenessofyoursenses’,servingtoconnectyouwith‘youranimalself’
(Theo),asenseofbeing‘alivingsentientcreatureoftheearth’(Tiff).Comingto
feelathomeinthebodyinducedrelief,itincreasedpeoplesconfidenceandtrust
intheirownsenses.Itconnectsusto‘otheranimalswhousetheirbodiesinthe
samewayandaremotivatedbythesameneeds’(Theo),anditconnectswith
somethingprimal:
Ifeltlikethiswaswhatwewereevolvedtodo.Ihaveabodythatiscapable
ofstalking.Capableofbeingagile,oftheturningandtwisting,andIdon’t
doanyofthat(Nelis).
Theseexperiencessupportevolutionarypsychologytheorythathumansare
betteradaptedtothenaturalworld.Substantialnumbersofpeoplespokeof
feelingsofexpansion,physicalwideningofsensesandlevelsofperceptionthat
leadtofeelingsofemotionalexpansion.Thiscorrelateswithmyownexperience
ofadeepfocusonmysensesleadingtofeelingsofelation.Participantsare
describingaPhenomenologicalexperienceofanembodiedself.
Thistrustofonessensesandtransformedunderstandingofonescapabilities
extendsbeyondthephysical.Alotofpeoplereportedexperiencesofsensingthe
approachofpeopleorobjectswhentheywereblindfolded:
Ofknowingthatatreewascomingup,andthenthatbeingthecase,andme
beinglike‘ahhIknowthis,thisisinmealready,andIdon’tknowhowI
knowthisandIdon’tunderstand,butit’sthere(May).
Oneofthemostfrequentlymentionedgameswasan‘extrasensory’gamethat
involvedfeelingwhensomeonewasfocusingonyou.Thisgameopenedupthe
ideathatwemighthave‘morebandwidth’(David)thanwethink,andignited
feelingsofcuriositytoexplorethispotentialfurther.
4.2Theselftransformedthroughsensoryexperience
ThecycleofperceptiondescribedbySimonsenandalsobyBengtsson,was
echoedbythedescriptionof‘brainpatterning’givenonthecourse.Thisidea
helpsustounderstandhowthesesensoryexperiencesareabletoaffectour
understandingoftheworld.AsBengtssonputit‘Iperceivewithmybodyandmy
senses,andthereinisincludedmyhabitualknowledgeoftheworld,whichcan
alsobedescribedasanimplicitorsedimentedbodyofknowledge’(2013:48).As
articulatedbyoneofmyintervieweeswhoisafacilitatorofnatureconnection
activitiesandwhoseesherroleasprovidingsensorylevelinputthattheneffects
people’sorientations;
Wehavesensoryexperiencesandourperceptionoftheworldisshapedby
sensoryexperiences,andourperceptionoftheworldinfluenceshowwe
behave,whichinturnaffectsoursensoryperceptions,anditgoesaround
inacycle(May).
AsSimonsenputsit,itis‘throughengagementsignificanceappears’(2012:16).
Sensoryinputaffectsourbehaviourandourworldview.Itisacyclethat
hopefullybecomesself-perpetuating.
Milton’sexplorationofemotionsaddsanotherlayertothisunderstanding.She
says;‘howwefeelduringanexperienceinfluenceswhatwerememberaboutit,
andthereforehowitaffectsourfuturethoughts,feelingsandactions’(2002:
149).Thishelpstoexplainwhythefeelingsandemotionscausedby
participatingintheweekend’sactivitiescontributetowardsanunderstandingof
onesplaceinnature.AsMiltonsays‘emotions(orfeelings)andunderstandings
(orknowledge)supporteachother’(2001:7).
Understandingofthispatternliesattheheartofthemotivationtofacilitatethis
kindofwork:
Ihavebeenexposedtoexperienceswhichhaveshapedmyperception
whichmakemebelievethatthat’simportant.SoifI’mworriedthatpeople
aren’tactingwithotherpeople’sinterestsatheartand,withthefutureof
theplanetatheart,thenthewaythatIcanhelpthemactdifferentlyisto
provideopportunitiesforthemtohavethatexperience.Iguessit’slinked
towantingtohelppeopletomaketheworldbetter(May).
Havingspenttimeinnaturehasencouragedafeelingofresponsibilityandcare
towardstheearth,ithelpedsomepeopletounderstandtheirpersonalimpacton
theirenvironment;‘Listeningtomyselfmovingandtotheothersounds,being
myselfandrecognisingmyimpactontheotherthingsIcanheararoundme.’
(Holly).
Severalpeoplesaidthatparticipatingintheactivitieshadhelpedthemto
processthingsthatweregoingonintheirlives.Theyactedasacatalystfor
catharticrelease,‘areleasingofsomanyexperiencetheyhavehadandnotbeen
abletoreleaseemotionsabout’(Naomi).Thereisadeepfeelingofhealingthat
accompaniesgoingthroughsomethingbodilyandemotionally.Itisthisemotion,
accordingtoMilton,thatisacrucialfactorinshapinghowweconnectwithour
environment.
Theactivitiesoftenactedasametaphorforwiderlifeexperiences.Asone
intervieweereported;
‘thesituationwasreflectiveofsomanyothersituationsinmylifethatwere
everydayproblemsofpanickingandfeelingtrapped.KnowingthatIcould
getmyselfoutofthebramblepatchwassotransferable.Itouched
somethingdeepemotionallyandallowedmetowalkthoughitandpastit.’
(Naomi).
Theexperiencesofgoingthroughthedrumstalk(SeeAppendix5)causedashift
intheconceptionoftheself,ithelpedequippeoplewithskillsandconfidence
thatwastransferable:
Itwassobeautifullyimmediate,goodphysicalandnon-intellectual,itfelt
dangerousandchallenging…IfI’monlyinteractingwiththeobstacle
immediatelyinfrontofme,andIdon’tseethepotentiallyimmeasurable
obstaclesthatliebeyondthat,thenextbush,ortheforest,orthe
mountain…I’mjustlivingintheimmediatemomentandeachchallengeis
overcomeinitssingularity,andthatisquiteempowering,becauseinlifeit
canbequiteoverwhelming,andtoremembertogoonestepatatime.To
giveyourselfcompletelytoeachchallengeasitpresentsitself(Tiff).
Thesereflectionsshowthattheactivitiesoffernewphenomenological
experiencesthatprovideopportunitiestodevelopnewcapabilities,whichcanbe
incorporatedintothepersonalityinthewaythatBengtssondescribes.Thisleads
toafeelingofgrowth,ofbothphysicalskillsandpsychologically.Oneparticipant
describedthisprocessas‘illuminatingnewterritoriesofthepsyche’(Tiff).
Anotherspokeofedgeexperiencesofferingtheopportunitytomeetpartsofthe
selfthathavebeen‘banished’,deniedordeemedunacceptable,andto‘welcome
thembackhome’,leadingtoafeelingof‘wholeness’(Amy).
Feelingsof‘home’cameupinseveralcontexts.Asoneintervieweeputit;‘asan
individual,themoreyoufeelathomeinnature,themoreyoufeelathomein
yourownbody’(Lisa).Frommanyoftheinterviewsitwasclearthatoneofthe
strongtherapeuticeffectsofnatureisthatit‘reflectsbacktouswhoweareor
ourplaceinit’.Insocialsituationswearereflectedbymanypeopleandbecome
‘fragmented’,but‘inthewoodsthereisonlyyouyourselfandyourrelationship
withyoursurroundings’.Thissimplicityinduces‘arealconfidence,acoming
backtoyourself’(Holly).Beinginnaturehasthecapacitytochangeoursenseof
self,andourunderstandingofourselvesinrelationtoourenvironment.
4.3BelongingandKinship
Beingimmersedinthenaturalworldledmanypeopletoperceivethatthey
belongtosomethingbiggerthanthemselves,thattheyarepartofawider
ecologicalsystem.Beingsensorallyandemotionallypresentinnature,one
participantsaid:
Makesmefeeltheoppositeoflonely….Ifeelwelcomedandacceptedand
thatI’menoughandthatIhaveaplaceandapurpose.Notaplacelikea
hierarchalplace,butlikeIampartofsomething(Dora).
Observationsofnaturalcyclesgaveanawarenessofabiggerpicture,thewider
cyclesoflifeanddeaththatwearecontainedwithin,gavemanyafeelingofplace
andaperspectiveon‘symbioticrelationshipofeverything’(Zoe).
Theresultsofthisstudyindicatethatthefeelingofkinshiptowardsthemore-
than-humanworldthatisadvocatedbyHarawayisachievedthroughspending
timeandcloseobservationinthenaturalworld;
‘beforeIgotintothisstuffIwouldlookatawoodoraskylineoftrees,andI
wouldjustseetrees….Butafterspendingtimeimmersedintrees,gettingto
knowthedifferentspeciesandthedifferentcharacters…Ihavea
relationshipwiththosedifferentcharacters…soit’slikelookingoutata
wholegroupoffriends,withalltheirdifferentnuances…andthatmakes
mefeellikeIbelongandampartofabiggercommunity’(Dora).
Forsome,atheoreticalunderstandingofecologyleadtocloserobservations,a
newwayoflookingandbeinginnature.Forothersthisunderstandinghappened
lessintellectually,butinbothcasesitwasfamiliarityandabodilyexperience
whichleadtothefeelingofbeingpartofsomethinggreaterthatonesself,toa
senseofbelonging.
Familiaritydoesnotmeananintellectualknowing,butratherafeelingof
intimacy.Asoneparticipantpointedout‘I’mnotabotanist,Idon’tknowthe
namesofalltheplants,butIcanlovetheseplantswithoutknowingtheirnames’
(Andy).Roszak’shopethatfamiliarityandafeelingofinterconnectioninduce
loveandloyaltyisstronglysupportedbythesefindings.Asoneinterviewee
reported:
Ifeelsomekindofprotectivenessoverit…Havinganemotionalfeeling
aboutitdoesn’tfeelmisplaced,itfeelsgenuineandlikeIammeanttofeel
likethat(Lotte).
Forothersthisgaveastrongsenseofpurpose.Oneparticipantwhoisinvolved
inenvironmentalactivismsaid:
Mydesiretoactfor,toprotecttheplanetandtodostuffforthegreater
good…it’salltiedupwithfeelingconnectedtoabiggerwebofconnection,
abiggerweboflife,andbeingpartofsomething(May).
Whatarosefrommanyoftheinterviews,andfromthereading,isthatthisideaof
aconnectiontonatureisawholewayofbeing,notjustasetofactivitiesthatcan
bedoneonceandthenyouare‘connected’.Itisa‘toolkit’thatfacilitatesawayof
being-in-the-worldthatmustbepracticedandlived.Asoneparticipantputit,it
isawayofbeingthatpromotesa‘worldview’thatiscompatiblewitha‘spiritual
orientationaroundtheearth’(Andy).
4.4Thetrickinessoflanguage
Itbecameclearduringtheinterviewprocessthattheexperiencesandfeelings
thatparticipantshadontheNatureConnectionweekendwerenoteasily
expressedinwords.Peoplestruggledtofindwordsthattheyweresatisfiedwith
todescribewhathadhappenedtothemandwerefrustratedattheinabilityof
wordstodojusticetotheirexperiences.
Therewasageneralfeelingthatlanguageandwordsmadetheexperience
‘smaller’,diminishedor‘simplified’it.Asoneintervieweeputit
Ifindthatthedistillationsomethingsovastintosymbolsisreductionist,
anditsubtractssomanythingsthatarecontainedwithinthatexperience
whichareuncommunicable(Tiff).
Languageprovedtobetrickyorunsatisfactoryinanumberofways.
Therewasacknowledgmentthatthechoiceoflanguagewasimportant,and
concernthatitcouldactasabarrierthatmightstopsomepeopleengagingwith
theexperience.Therewasastrongawareness,particularlyamongthosepeople
whohadexperienceoffacilitatingthiskindofwork,aroundtheirchoiceof
languageandthecomplexityofthesubjectmatter.Somespokeofthecarethey
tookintailoringthelanguagetheyusedinordertomaketheirworkaccessible
fordifferentgroupsofpeople;
ItalkaboutthingsinawaythatIhopeotherpeoplewillunderstand,I
guesswealldothat,dependingonwhoI’mwithIwillusephrasesinsome
contextsthatIjustwouldn’tuseinothercontexts(May).
Culturalvalueshaveledtoaconnectionwithnaturebeing‘unfashionable’and
therefore‘embarrassing’totalkabout;‘it’ssomethingIfeelwedumbdown,like
everyoneisabitscaredofitoralmostashamedofit’(May).Concernsforhow
theycameacross,worriesabout‘soundingclichédorcheesy’(Noam),or
whetheritwouldbesociallyacceptablebywidersociety,didshapethewaythat
somepeoplespokeabouttheirexperiences,occasionallycausingpeopleto
belittletheirownfeelingsormakethemintohumorousstories:
WhenIwastalkingtofriendsabouttheweekendIfoundmyselfmaking
lightandmakingjokesofsomeofit,andnotinanywaytalkingaboutanyof
thereallyquitespiritualmoments.Maybethat’sjustthekindofguyIam,
weliketoavoidvulnerability(Pete).
Theactivitiesandtheculturecreatedbytheweekendareabletopenetrate
throughculturallyacceptableideasoftheselfthatwepresenttotheworld.This
experiencecanbedisarmingandmakepeoplefeelvulnerable,butitalsooffers
theopportunityforatransformedconceptionoftheself.
Therewasconcernthatiftheyweretospeakabouttheirexperiences,andthe
feelingsthatarosefromthem,theywouldbedismissedas‘treehuggers’or
‘hippies’,labelsfelttobe‘disparaging’(Andy).Thisarousedfeelingsof
indignationinsome,andresignationoradesireforprivacyinothers.
Forsometheexperiencestheyhadhadweresimplytoopersonaltodiscus.A
numberofpeopleexpressedunwillingnesstotalkaboutsomeoftheir
experiences,feelingthattheyweretoo‘private’.
Severalsaidtheywerehappytotalktome,feelingthatassomebodywhohad
hadtheseexperiencesmyself,Iwould‘getit’,buttheyfeltthatitwouldbe
exposingtospeaktomostpeople,‘Talkingtoyouisfine,buttalkingtosome
peopleaboutitislikeshowingoffmyknickersinpublic!’(Julie).Mystatusasan
‘insider’,or‘co-participant’provedtobeaveryusefulethnographictoolinthis
regard,because,asWhitesuggested,peopleassumedthatIwouldbeempathetic
havinggonethroughtheembodiedprocessmyself(2013).
Momentsoftheself-realisationwerecommon,someminorrealisationsalso
occurredduringtheprocessofrecountingtheirexperiencestomeasithelped
themtonoticepatternsinwhattheyweretalkingabout,inhowtheyhad
behavedorhowtheyhadfelt,
Lookingbackoveritandreflectingonit,andrealisingthatsomuchofitisa
metaphorformylife.ItteachesmesomanythingsaboutthewayI
approachthings,howIexperiencethings(May).
Metaphorisathemethatreoccursthroughouttheinterviews.Eventhemost
articulatehadtosometimessearchlongandhardforasatisfactorywordor
phraseandmanypeoplereliedheavilyonmetaphor,bothexplicitlyand
implicitly,forattemptingtoarticulate‘experiencesthatareuncontainable’in
everydaylanguage(Tiff).Formanypeople,nature,andtheexperienceshadin
nature‘offerareallysimplemetaphorthatistangibleandphysical’thatcanhelp
makesenseofcomplicatedemotionswithoutbelittlingthem.Forinstance
likeningtheinneremotionallandscapetoaflowingriver,heldbyitsbanks
(Amy).
If,asGibbsetal’sresearchsuggests,‘metaphorisfundamentallygroundedin
embodiment’(2004:1189)thenthesemetaphorsareperhapsthemostuseful
linguistictoolwehaveforcommunicatingtheessenceofbodilyexperience.This
isnotjustaprojectionofhumanideasontonature,becausethereisa
reciprocity,thenaturalworldisalsoprojectingbackatusifwecanlisten
(Robertson,2013,Allora,CalzadillaandChiang,2014).
Gibbsetalalsoarguethat‘poetrydeliversavitallymetaphoricalwayofthinking,
muchofwhichliesbelowthesurfaceofoureverydayconsciousness’(2004:
1190).Theirfindingscorrelatewithwhatmanyofmyintervieweesseemedto
knowinstinctively.Feelingthatitrequiredonetobe‘moreartisticorfreewith
yourlanguage’thanthe‘traditionalmethods’(Holly)ofeverydayoracademic
language,severalpeoplesuggestedthatartorpoetrymightbeamoreaffective
waystocommunicatetheirexperiencesandtheessenceofanembodied
relationshiptothemore-than-humanworld;‘That’swhatgreatartdoes…It
makesusabletosharethosekindsofmoments’(Noam).Theimmediacyof
visualartwasalsoseenasanaffectivetoolas‘itputsyououtofthecategorising
partofyourbrainandintothemoreemotional,feelingpartofyourbrain’(Julie).
ThisrelatestoHyde’sideathatartists,orart,canperformtheroleofthe
tricksterfigurebyopeningupliminalspacesinwhichitispossibletoactoutside
ofthenormalrulesofaculture,thuscreatingroomfortransformationtooccur
(2008).
4.5Betweenconsciousnessandembodied
Languageitselfcanacttocompoundtheseparationwiththemore-than-human
worldbecauseitisawashwithbinaries.Someparticipantsexpressedawareness
ofthisissue;
Wetalkaboutconnectionwithnature,wearenature,sowearetalking
aboutconnectionwithourselves,andconnectionwitheachother,and
connectionwiththeplanet(Tiff).
Forsomethiswascauseforfrustration;‘somethinginmereactsagainstthe
wordnatureasthoughit’sdifferentfromme’(Lotte),andafeelingthattheidea
ofhumansas‘alien’fromnaturewasaveryunhelpfulone,servingtocompound
thetraumacausedbyalienationfromnaturewhichsoconcernsRobertson
(2013).
Inattemptingtorecounttheirexperiencestome,severalpeoplecametothe
realisationthat‘memoriesofthatweekend…haven’treallybeenshapedinto
language,intodefinitionsofthings….It’ssomethingthatisinme…It’svery
sensual’(Feimatta).Thispresentedachallengeformanypeoplewhofoundit
‘hardtolocatetheactualemotionsandnamethem…’(Daniel).Oneperson
suggesteditwaseasiertorememberwhattheyhadsaidabouttheexperience
afterward,thantheexperienceitself;‘TalkingaboutitnowIthinkit’sreallyeasy
topostrationaliseit…butIthinkatthetimeyou’rejustlearningdirectlythough
yourbody’(Brendan).
Articulatingembodiedexperienceisnotalwayseasy,orevenpossible;
‘Idon’tprocessthoseexperiencesveryconsciously,Imusthavedonesome
processinginsomewaybutIdon’tparticularlyremembertheprocessor
howIfeltaboutit.Itstayswithyouforseveraldays…inthattimeyou’re
kindofIguessintegratingit,processingitinternallyanditbecomesmore
andmorepartofyou…ithappenssonaturallyIdon’tfeellikeI’ve
consciouslydoneanythinginparticulartomakeithappeninthatway,to
maketheintegrationhappen’(Daniel).
Theexperiences,andthethingsthataroseoutofthem,wereoftennotinthe
realmoftheconsciousandthereforetrickytovocalise.
Frompeople’sdifficultyinexpressingwhattheyhavebeenthrough,wecaninfer
thattheseexperiencesexistinalimbo,orliminalspacebetweentheembodied
andtheconscious.Vocalisingtheminvolvesaprocessoftranslationfromthe
physicalintotheconceptual.Itisthisrolethatmetaphoroftenserved.Inkeeping
withthethemeoftricksters,hereagainwefindHermes,thegodofspeechand
writing,translationandinterpretation.Languageitselfprovesatrickycharacter,
bothservinganddetractingfromtheambitionofafeelingofconnection.
Inits‘fertile’form(Crapanzano,1986),languageoftenhelpedtoconsolidate
experience,theinterviewprocesshelpedtobringsthingsintoconsciousness
(Hitchings,2012),andmanyfacilitatorsbelievedthatwell-timedandwellheld
‘tellingyourstory’wasanimportantwaytointegratetheexperiencesandbe
witnessedbythecommunity.Wordscanservetobringtheseexperiences,
feelingsandunderstandingsintothelight;‘Thewindneedsaflagtomakeit
visibleandyouarefindingawaytomakethesethingsvisible’(Naomi).
Despitethesebenefits,itwasclearthatlanguagewasnotadequateatgettingat
theessenceoftheexperience.Thissuggestsalimitationinbothmynotetaking
andtheinterviewprocess.Bothoftheseexercisesrequirethetranslationofthe
embodied,livedexperienceintowords,aprocesswhichclearlydetracts
something,orfailstocommunicatethefundamentalnatureoftheexperience,
theessenceislost.Thereisatensionbetweenthisnon-intellectualorembodied
processandwayofknowing,andlanguage,particularlytheintellectuallanguage
usedbyacademia.Ingoldarguesthatanecologyoflife‘comprisesakindof
knowledgethatisfundamentallyresistanttotransmissioninanauthorised
textualform,independentlyofthecontextsofitsinstantiationintheworld’
(2000:16).
Therewasacommonfeelingthattheactivities,orthewayofbeingintheworld
thatwaspromotedbytheweekend,couldtranscendthelanguageifgiventhe
opportunity,andthisreassuredpeople;‘ThethingthatIthinkisreassuring,is
thatitisafeltthing’howeveryoutalkaboutit‘thefeelingisstillthesame’(May).
Theessenceoftheactivitiestranscendshowitwastalkedabout;
Itssonecessaryandsofundamentalthatwehavethisrelationshipwithour
naturalenvironmentandthatgoesoverandabovehowyoutalkaboutit,or
howyouputitintoworks,orwhatyoucallitorhowyoujustifyit
(Brendan).
Itisclearfrommyownexperienceandfromtheexperiencesreportedbymy
interviewees,thatthereisnosubstituteforexperiencingthingsbodilyfor
helpingpeopleto‘know’theirplaceintheecologicalsystem.Havingan
embodiedexperienceofonesownplaceinnaturecangobeyondaconceptual
understandingtoalivedknowing,aknowledgethatthereareotherwaysto
‘know’thantheintellectualknowingthatisstoredinlanguage.
‘itisbiggeranddifferentfromknowingitinyourhead…notknowinghow
youknowit,butjustknowingit….theknowingonasensorylevelthatis
moreancientandmore…itshardtoexplainit,itsmorevitalinsomeways.
Formeit’saboutbeingconnected,aboutknowingoutsideofthehuman
world.Imeanthehumanworldisinsideit….itenlargesmyworldview,and
itgivespossibilityofunderstandingthingsthatwedon’tevenhavea
chanceofknowingjustinourheads’(Dora).
Contact,beingbodilypresentandwithinthenaturalworldwithsensesand
awarenessheightened,leadstoaphenomenologicalwayofknowingthatisthe
keytorealisationsofbelongingandconnectedness,tofeelingofonesselfas
physicallyandpsychologicallyinterconnected,reallyembeddedandapartofa
widerecologicalsystem.Thisknowledgeisstoredinthebodyandtransforms
whatwebelievewearecapableof;
‘althoughwhenweleavethosespacestheymayrecedeslightlyand
diminish,stillweretainwithinustheembodiedknowingofthepossibility
ofenteringaspacelikethat.Evenifwe’renotinit,weknowthatwe’ve
beenthere.Wedon’tthinkthatit’spossible,weknow,wehaveembodied
thesensationofexistinginthatspace,andthatisareallyimportantguiding
tool’(Tiff).
Itispossibletogainatheoreticalunderstandingofthiswithoutbeingimmersed,
butnotthebodily‘identificationwith’,thesensationofbeingpartofsomething,
thatisfundamentaltothefeelingofgenuinekinshipandlovethatleadstocare
andadesireto‘activelyproject’(Milton,2002).Thisfindingcouldbenefitfrom
furtherresearch,asitseemstolieattheheartofanygenuine,longlasting
solutiontoenvironmentalissues.
5.Conclusion
Inthefaceofongoingdestructiontotheenvironmentcausedbyhumanactivity,
andtheriseofmentalheathissuescausedbydisconnectionfromnature,this
studyaimstocontributetowardsanunderstandingofhowwemightpractically
achieveanalteredrelationshiptothemore-than-humanworldthatcouldleadto
areciprocalincreaseinthewellbeingofboth.
Thereareclearbenefitstohumanmentalwellbeingbroughtaboutbya
connectiontonature.Thereisa‘relief’thatcomesfromthefeelingof
interconnectedness,theextensionoftheselfoutwardsfromthe‘skin
encapsulatedego’toincorporatethemore-than-humanworld(Macy,2009),
indicatingthatthisisatruerunderstandingofselfhoodthanthenarrow
definitionourculturerequiresustoconformtoandwhichhasbeenresultingin
theneurosesanddepressionthatHillmanclaimsisbeingbroughttothe
counsellingroom.
ItisclearfromparticipatingintheNatureConnectioncourseandfromthe
testimoniesofmyintervieweesthattherearesomecrucialfactorsthat
contributetowardsafeelingofanexpandedselfandanunderstandingofthe
self’srelationshipwithitsenvironment.
Embodiedsensoryexperienceinnatureallowsustoinhabitour‘animalbodies’,
amoreprimalwayofbeingwhichismoreinkeepingwithourevolution(Berto,
2014,Hartigetal,2014).Closeobservationsofthenaturalworldleadtoan
understandingofoursimilaritieswithit,ofourinterconnectednesswithit,and
subsequentlytoourinterdependencewithit.Thiscanleadtoafeelingof
belonging,anunderstandingofones‘place’inthewiderecosystem.The
understandingof‘mutualityofbeing’alsoleadstoempatheticfeelingsof
protectiveness(Milton2002).
Challengingor‘edge’experiences,whichprovideanopportunityforpeopleto
enteranambiguousorliminalspace,whereculturalandpersonalbehavioural
normsaresuspended,allowpeopletotransformandexpandtheirexperience
andconceptoftheirownselfhood.
Brainpatterninghelpsustounderstandhowthistakesplace.AsBengtsson
shows,byperceivingwiththesensesweareabletointegrateobjectsand
theoriesintooursenseofselfandour‘habitualknowledgeoftheworld’(2013).
Ifthesesensoryexperiencestakeplaceinnature,thenitisnaturethatwill
becomeincorporatedintotheperson’sunderstandingoftheirownsubjectivity.
Itisimportantthatwecometoappreciatethevalueofembodiedmodesof
knowing.Theenlightenmentworshipof‘abstractreason’(Ingold,2000:16,Jung
inSabini,2008)andrationalityhascausedtheWesttodiscreditmuchofthe
indigenousknowledgethatmighthavepreventedusfrombecomingso
disconnectedfromourenvironmentinthefirstplace.
Althoughlanguagecanservetovalidateandintegrateexperience,anditisvital
thatwefindlanguagetotalkaboutloveandinterconnectionwiththeearththat
doesnotpropagatethesenseofshameorembarrassmentthathascometobe
associatedwiththisfeeling,atthesametimeitisalsovitalthatwerecognisethat
wordsarenottheonlyworthwhilemeansofexpressingorcommunicatingthese
understandings.Indeed,theunderstandingsgainedthroughbodilyexperience
neednotbecommunicatedatall,butremainvalidintheformofbodily
knowledge.
TheissueoflanguageanditsusesaroseintheliteratureonEcopsychologyand
Phenomenology,butwasnotexploredingreatdepth.ForthisreasonIwas
surprisedtofinditsuchaprevalentconcernduringtheinterviewprocess.
Thereappearstobeagapinourlanguage,alackofsatisfactorywaystodiscuss
andexpressourrelationshipandfeelingstowardsnature.Theculturallackof
vocabularytodealwithourrelationshipwithnatureandtheassociatedfeelings
thataccompanyitwouldalsobenefitfurtherstudy.Greenway’s‘searchfor
language’(1995:123)has,asyet,notcometofruition.Thevalueofcreative
practiceasaneffectivetoolforexpressingorsharingembodiedexperiencecould
alsoprovearichseamforfutureresearch.
Ontologicalunderstandingsarebornoutofembodiedexperienceoftheworld
andheldinthebody.Itisalivedknowingofanexperienceofreality.Itis
essentialthatwelearntovalueembodiedexperience,becausethereisno
substituteforembodiedknowingforgeneratingfeelingsofkinship,loveand
‘identificationwithnature’thatleadstoadesireto‘activelyprotect’it(Milton,
2002).Thisunderstandingcouldlendassistancetoanypoliticalpolicythatseeks
toencouragemorepro-environmentalbehaviours.Itisessentialthatpeopleare
giventheopportunitytohaveembodiedexperiencesinthenatureworldifwe
aretocreatesubjectswithasustainabledesiretoprotecttheplanetthatwelive
on.
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