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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