The foundation of ecopsychology is that the wellness of the human, the planet, and the entire earth community are interdependent with one another. When one suffers, all suffer. Following from this primary premise, the main task of ecopsychology and ecotherapy is to nurture a healthy relationship to the natural world so that both the human and the earth can enjoy health and wellness. In this task, ecopsychology engages many areas of life, from psychological and physiological health, to individual, community and societal development, to agriculture and education, to science and religion, to moral obligations and social justice. All of these areas are engaged in ecopsychology through a regenerative principle that seeks to regenerate a conscious wholeness between human and nature, not only to heal but also to ensure that a healthy state is capable of regenerating itself.
In other words, ecopsychology aims to be a regenerative way of being on the earth. Ecotherapy is the practice of applied ecopsychology. It strives to heal and nurture the human relationship with nature and promote a regenerative way of being on the Earth. Along with the work on the farm, Jim is also a practicing ecotherapist – you can find out more about that at his web site at Root and Leaf.
Ecopsychology is at the core of our mission at CloudScape Hill. Not only our farm work but also workshops, facilitation, and research at Cloudscape Hill strive work along the same regenerative principles as ecopsychology. We are also currently developing programs to support ecopsychology and ecotherapy in Michigan. Stay tuned!