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"The trees were our cathedral" - A narrative inquiry into healing from addiction through a relationship with nature

“THE TREES WERE OUR CATHEDRAL”—A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO

HEALING FROM ADDICTION THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP

WITH NATURE

Michelle Black

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty

of the California Institute of Integral Studies

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology

California Institute of Integral Studies

San Francisco, CA

2015

ProQuest Number: 3743749

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CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

I certify that I have read “THE TREES WERE OUR CATHEDRAL”—A

NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO HEALING FROM ADDICTION THROUGH A

RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE by Michelle Black and that in my opinion this

work meets the criteria for approving a dissertation submitted in partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical

Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

_____________________________________

Kaisa Puhakka, Ph.D., Chair

Core Faculty, Clinical Psychology

_____________________________________

Raymond Buscemi, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist PSY 22036

Michelle Black

California Institute of Integral Studies, 2015

Kaisa Puhakka, Ph.D., Committee Chair

“THE TREES WERE OUR CATHEDRAL”—A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

INTO HEALING FROM ADDICTION THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP

WITH NATURE

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explored and analyzed the narrative experiences of

individuals whose spiritual relationships with nature have supported them in

overcoming addiction. This project sought to investigate the sparsely researched

intersection of ecopsychology and addiction recovery. Semi-structured interviews

were conducted among six participants to shed light on the question: How can

ecopsychological values and approaches help addicts to achieve and sustain

recovery?

I implemented a thematic analysis of the interview material, using a

multiphasic coding process to organize the common themes that surfaced across

participants’ narratives, as well as highlight distinct experiences. The results

yielded a total of 11 subthemes distributed among the following three master

themes: Evolving Relationship with Nature, Levels of Integration with Nature,

and Healing Effects of the Relationship.

Key findings from the study include the following: (a) all participants

reported feeling an innate connection with nature that began in childhood, which

in some cases, became less important as the years passed; (b) in seeking sobriety,

each of the participants connected with nature to serve as the higher power they

needed in order to apply the 12-step approach in their lives; (c) this relationship

with nature has been central in helping participants to be successful in recovery;

over time, the relationship transcended the utilitarian purpose of “working the

program” and led to significant shifts in participants’ lifestyles and value systems;

(d) in sustaining this relationship, participants have woven nature into their lives

to varying degrees; many expressed that they generally yearn for more contact

with nature than their current lifestyle permits; and (e) participants found that

their relationships with nature resulted in deep healing that extended far beyond

addiction, and across physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual realms.

It is my hope that this initial study will lead to further research exploring

the value of incorporating nature into addiction treatment, as well as seeking

effective solutions to humankind’s increasingly addictive and exploitative

relationship with the natural world.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who have

supported me during my journey on this long and winding road.

Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the six participants of the

study, who made this research possible. Each participant offered a unique

perspective and shared memories of some very profound and moving experiences,

which greatly contributed to the richness of this project. To each of the

participants, I am deeply grateful for your willingness to openly and courageously

share your stories, and I hope to make this study available to a wider audience so

your experiences will inspire others.

From the beginning, it was my intention that this project would reflect my

highest values and best work. I was able to accomplish this thanks to a number of

tremendously supportive professional and personal relationships.

As my chair and advisor, Kaisa Puhakka guided me and helped me

connect with my own intuition throughout the dissertation process. Even before

the project began, I knew Kaisa as the professor who had enough faith in me to

hold me to unfathomably high standards, which caused me to push myself to my

limit and then take a few steps further. Kaisa, thank you for supporting me, and

above all thank you for challenging me in ways that have helped me grow

profoundly during grad school, and will continue to impact me for the rest of my

life.

As the external reviewer of this dissertation, Raymond Buscemi offered

valuable insights rooted in his many years of experience in addiction treatment.

Raymond, thank you for contributing your dynamic thinking and sharp insights to

this project. Your deep appreciation for the subject matter truly enriched the final

result.

I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to my family and friends.

To Ashley, my wonderful and loving partner, I’m profoundly grateful every day

to be walking beside you in this life, and learning and growing together. To my

sister and best friend Kathryn, thank you for being my partner in crime, making

me laugh when I’ve needed it most, and always being up for an adventure. I

would also like to thank my mother and father for supporting every wacky

endeavor I’ve ever taken on. I am grateful that from a young age you taught me

the value of education, and cheered me on at every milestone throughout grad

school. And to my dear friends Amy, Victoria, and Gus, I am so grateful for my

relationships with each of you. Thank you for walking with me on a spiritual path

and reminding me to stay connected with what’s most important.

vii

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this dissertation to all stewards of the Earth: Those

who are working to restore balance to the planet, those who live in reciprocal

relationship with the natural world, and those who practice the value of leaving

enough for the next several generations in order to ensure the survival of

humankind.

viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………...iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………..vi

DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………..viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………1

Research Topic and Purpose………………………………………………1

Definition of Terms……………………………………………………….3

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE………………………………..5

Part I: The Environmental Crisis and Ecopsychology…………………….5

The Emergence of Ecopsychology………………………………..5

The Contemporary Influence of Ancient Wisdom………………...8

Humans and Nature: Separation and Domination……………….12

Attachment Disorder with the Natural World……………………15

Psycho-Spiritual, Emotional, and Social Impacts………………..17

Research on The Human-Nature Relationship…………………..20

Applied Ecotherapy……………………………………………...22

Attachment Healing Through Contact…………………………...24

Culture-Wide Addiction & Its Environmental Impacts………….26

Part II: Addiction and Recovery…………………………………………28

The Cultural Context of Individual Addiction…………………...28

Scope, Diagnosis, and Progression of Addiction………………...29

Etiology of Addiction……………………………………………32

Recovery: More Than Abstinence……………………………….37

The 12-Step Recovery Model……………………………………38

Healing Mechanisms & Outcomes of Recovery…………………39

Part III: Integrating Ecopsychology and Addiction Healing…………….42

Research on Ecotherapy and Addiction………………………….42

Addressing Root Causes of Addiction through Ecopsychology…43

Research Question……………………………………………….48

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY…………………………………….…………50

Narrative Research……………………………………………………….50

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria…………………………………………51

Procedure………………………………………………………………...53

Recruitment………………………………………………………53

Informed Consent & Participant Bill of Rights………………….54

Ethical Considerations…………………………………………...55

Data Collection…………………………………………………..55

Data Analysis & Interpretation…………………………………..56

Validity…………………………………………………………..58

Delimitations……………………………………………………..58

Limitations……………………………………………………….59

Assumptions……………………………………………………...60

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS……………………………………………………..….62

Participant Demographics………………………………………………..63

Theme I: Evolving Relationship with Nature…………………………....63

Initial Connection with Nature………………………………...…64

Separation from Nature…………………………………………..67

Reconnection Through Recovery………………………………..68

Transcending Recovery………………………………………….74

Theme II: Levels of Integration with Nature…………………………….77

Bringing Nature to Me…………………………………………...77

“Into the Wild”…………………………………………………...83

Reflections on the Relationship………………………………….85

Theme III: Healing Effects of the Relationship……………………...…..87

Physical…………………………………………………………..87

Intellectual and Philosophical………………………………...….93

Emotional and Psychological…………………………………...101

Spiritual……………………………………………………..…..107

Conclusion…………………………………………………………...…115

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION…………………………………………………...110

Summary of Findings…………………………………………………...118

Transcendence and Attachment Healing……………………….119

Ecotherapy, Ritual, and Wanting More……………………..….123

Deeper Healing……………………………………………...….126

Implications for Future Research…………………………………….....130

Concluding Narrative……………………………………………...……133

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………...….137

APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT…………………………………...…151

APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT BILL OF RIGHTS…………………………..154

APPENDIX C: CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT…………………….…..155

APPENDIX D: FLYER……………………………………………………...…156

APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL………………………………...….157

xii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

There is a natural link between addiction recovery and ecopsychology,

though initially this connection may not seem apparent and has scarcely been

explored or researched. Ecopsychologists have cited population growth and our

addictive and exploitative relationship with the natural environment as the two

most impactful factors in the current ecological crisis (Erlich, 1995). Our culture

reinforces dissociation, and many of us remain “asleep at the wheel” in the face of

a dilemma that increasingly threatens the survival of our species (Glendinning,

1994).

As modernization has taken hold and swept us into the technological era,

feelings of dissatisfaction and meaninglessness along with mental illness and

addiction have become increasingly widespread (Hillman & Ventura, 1993).

Confusion abounds in Western culture, where certain addictive behaviors such as

consumerism and materialism are promoted (at the cost of decimating the natural

world), yet other types of addiction such as substance use are stigmatized. No

longer can we continue to address mental health and addiction issues solely as

problems of the individual, for we may in fact be helping individuals adjust to a

sick society (Fromm, 1990).

Research Topic and Purpose

Research in the newly emergent fields of ecopsychology, ecotherapy, and

ecospirituality have explored how these approaches can benefit individuals

struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, psychosis, dementia, and a slew of

other disorders, finding nature-based interventions to be highly effective

(Chalquist, 2009). Only a handful of studies have explored how ecopsychology

and similar nature-based approaches to healing might benefit individuals

struggling with substance and behavioral addictions, and this research tends to be

narrowly focused in terms of population and intervention (Annerstedt &

Wahrborg, 2011; Cornille et al., 1987; Haubenhofer et al, 2010; Selhub & Logan,

2012).

The interaction between ecopsychology and addiction recovery has yet to

be explored from a depth psychology–oriented, spiritual perspective. Sobriety-

based recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous

hold a spiritual component as central to their healing process, and whereas most

individuals in recovery believe in a traditional notion of God, many others create

their own unique conceptualizations of a “higher power” (Alcoholics Anonymous

[AA], 1939 / 2001). Among the more frequently identified alternative higher

powers are nature, music, the universe, and the recovery community at large

(Hazel & Mohatt, 2001).

The purpose of this narrative study is to explore the connection between

recovery and ecopsychological values and approaches, by collecting and

presenting personal stories from individuals in recovery who identify nature as

their higher power. This inquiry will offer a unique contribution to the field by

interviewing individuals in recovery who cite an emotional or spiritual

relationship with nature as a central facet of their healing process. The study seeks

to explore what we might learn from these individuals regarding overcoming

substance and behavioral addictions, as well as how, as a culture, we might

address our addictive, exploitative relationship with the natural world.

Definition of Terms

Ecopsychology: The study of the relationship between humans and the rest

of the natural world through both ecological and psychological principles for the

purpose of facilitating reconnection, thereby assisting individuals in developing

sustainable lifestyles and remedying alienation from nature (Roszak, 1992).

Ecotherapy: The applied practice of ecopsychological principles and

values for the sake of alleviating mental health issues; an umbrella term for

several types of nature-based therapy such as wilderness therapy, horticultural

therapy, and animal-assisted therapy (Clinebell, 2013).

Ecospirituality: Ecospirituality connects the science of ecology with

spirituality, bringing together spiritual practices and environmental activism.

Ecospirituality seeks to help people experience "the holy" in the natural world and

to recognize the relationship between human beings and all creation (Gore, 1993).

It shares much in common with indigenous beliefs, paganism, animism, and other

nature-based spiritual traditions.

Addiction: The continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse

consequences. The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-

5) recognizes substance addictions, such as drugs and alcohol, as well as

behavioral addictions, such as eating, gambling, sex, and shopping (American

Psychiatric Association, 2012; Jellinek, 1960).

Recovery: A process of community-supported transformation in which an

individual achieves abstinence from addictive behaviors, improved health,

increased well-being, newfound abilities, a different form of consciousness, and a

spiritual connection (White & Kurtz, 2006).

Higher Power: A term coined by Alcoholics Anonymous which refers to

an open-ended conceptualization of God, a spiritual force, or any tangible or

intangible entity greater than oneself (Anonymous, 1939 / 2001).

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The following chapter provides a comprehensive review of the current

research on ecopsychology, addiction, and the intersection of these areas. The

literature review has been divided into three primary sections: The Environmental

Crisis and Ecopsychology, Addiction and Recovery, and Integrating

Ecopsychology and Addiction Healing.

Part I: The Environmental Crisis and Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology and ecospirituality have arisen relatively recently in

response to the contemporary emotional and ecological challenges with which we

are confronted. They hold that there is a “synergistic interplay between planetary

and personal well-being” (Roszak, 1992, p. 23). Mental health professionals have

been pivotal in creating psychologically informed solutions to the ecological

crisis, believing that reconnecting with the natural world is central to healing

ourselves and meaningfully addressing ever-intensifying environmental

challenges (Roszak, 2009).

The Emergence of Ecopsychology

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano

Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father

took him to discover ice. At that time, Macondo was a village of

twenty adobe houses, built on the bank of a river of clear water that

ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and

enormous, like prehistoric eggs. (Marquez, 2006, p. 1)

In the evocative first lines of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One

Hundred Years of Solitude, moments before his death a man reflects on a culture-

wide death experienced in his community when he was a child. The seemingly

harmless arrival of manufactured ice in his idyllic tropical village in fact marked

the onset of a dramatic shift. In a relatively short period of time, Macondo

transformed from a harmonious indigenous village to an industrialized, urbanized,

capitalist society—and in the process, their community, traditions, and

interrelatedness with nature unraveled.

Such a drastic turning point may sound personally unfamiliar to many of

us, yet nearly every culture across the globe has experienced a similar shift

relatively recently in human history. During the 10,000−15,000 years that Homo

sapiens have existed, we have evolved to live in direct relationship with nature

predominantly as hunter-gatherers and more recently as agriculturists (Frumkin,

2001; Herman, 2013). If a distance of 100 feet (approximately the length of a

basketball court) represents the entirety of human ancestry, only one-fifth of an

inch on this hundred-foot timeline marks the amount of time that we have lived in

industrial and technological civilizations (Glendinning, 1994). The assumptions

about life, reality, and the nature of man that today we accept as normal are in fact

severely misaligned with the ways in which we evolved during the past million

years (Glendinning, 1994; Herman, 2013).

“The astounding material success of the human endeavor hasn’t brought

happiness, wisdom, or enlightenment; instead, there’s a profound disturbance in

our collective human psyche. The best evidence of that disturbance is to be found

in our suicidal abuse of nature” (Anderson, 2009). The natural world is currently

being decimated at unprecedented rates, due to the increasingly global

consumerist value system demanding that we extract raw materials from nature

and transform them into saleable forms (Mander, 1992). We live dissociated from

the reality that what goes up must come down, believing in the capitalist promise

of indefinite growth rather than accepting the stark reality that our planet’s

resources are limited (Gray, 1995).

Some ecopsychologists have argued that engaging in therapy without

addressing the ecological crisis of our times and its impact on our wellness is, at

best, a harm reduction approach: “I felt as if I were a therapist on the Titanic. We

might be doing fine work in the therapy room, but nobody was mentioning the

sinking of the ship” (Rust, 2009, p. 39).

We are inseparable from the rest of nature, as a part of the greater

organism that is planet Earth (Buzzell & Chalquist, 2009; Hillman, 1995). “Salt

remnants of ancient oceans flow through our veins, ashes of expired stars rekindle

in our genetic chemistry” (Roszak, 1992, p. 319). Ecopsychology seeks to repair

the separation between humankind and the natural world, which requires an

“awakening to beauty, which often comes in the company of defeat and loss and

grief” (Robinson, 2009, p. 28), and would lead to a “fundamentally non-dual,

seamless unity in which both nature and psyche flow as expressions of the same

ground or source” (Harris, 2009, p. 87).

Seeking healing by living in direct relationship with plants and animals

has been encourages across eras and cultures (Dyer, 2002). Indigenous peoples

have used plant-based medicines for millennia, and Ayurvedic and traditional

Chinese medicine practices remain in use today. Even during the Victorian era, a

trip to the seaside was often prescribed as a factor in addressing physical and

emotional problems. Trees, plants, wild animals, and bodies of water have long

been considered to be filled with vital, healing energy that can be transferred to a

person (Selhub & Logan, 2012). “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength

to body and soul alike” (Muir, 1912, p. 256).

The Contemporary Influence of Ancient Wisdom

Time was not passing...it was turning in a circle. (Marquez, 2006, p. 272)

It is important to appreciate that while ecopsychology and ecospirituality

may be at the cutting edge of the mental health field, they are in fact a return to

the approaches and value systems of indigenous, nature-based peoples—cultures

who have lived in relationship with the forces and cycles of the natural world,

who have sustained themselves through a combination of hunting, fishing,

gathering, and scattering seeds, and who practice the value that the Earth is a

sacred place (Glendinning, 1994). In an attempt to legitimize itself as a science,

the nascent field of psychology cast out spirituality and traditional healing

methods. It is only during the past decade that there has been movement toward

reintegrating some of the nature-based approaches that were interwoven with

human culture for millennia (Abram, 1996; Roszak, 1992). Ecopsychology and

ecospirituality seek to integrate the deepest indigenous wisdom with the latest

scientific understandings of our universe (Buzzell & Chalquist, 2009).

Indigenous cultures existed across the planet for tens of thousands of years

(and in some remote corners, still exist today) without hierarchical classes or

slavery, and in relative comfort compared with many parts of the industrialized

world. Australian Aboriginal culture, for example, existed for at least 40,000

years unchanged prior to European colonization (Cowan, 1992). Indigenous

peoples live in solidarity with the lands they inhabit, and feel a reverence toward

the plants and animals with which they coexist (Abram, 1996). The first Neolithic

civilizations of Europe were peaceful, egalitarian, nature-worshipping and

goddess-worshiping societies (Herman, 2013). These cultures, which were much

smaller in scale and far less centralized than modern Western civilization,

maintained a relatively homeostatic relation with their local ecologies for vast

periods of time (Abram, 1996).

The practice of living in balance with the natural world and taking only

what one needs is fundamental to the indigenous way of life. Other central values

include respect for life in all forms, harmony with nature’s cycles, gratitude,

balance, and reciprocity (Gray, 1995). The Hopi believe that nature’s laws

mandate that land mustn’t be opened up for the sake of taking anything from

within in, and certainly must never be bought or sold (Mander, 1992). Alaska

Natives personify their surroundings, believing that the natural world feels, can be

offended, and must be treated with appropriate respect (Abram, 1996).

Perhaps most central to the indigenous way of life is the acute awareness

that nothing exists in isolation, and all is interconnected. The indigenous concept

of the self sees humans as inhabiting a larger living body (Rust, 2009). Australian

Aboriginals see land and self not as separate entities, but as a relationship in

which the more-than-human world is incorporated as part of an ecological self

(Ward & Styles, 2007). Similarly, Native American cosmology views the

individual as a part of all creation, living life as one system rather than in separate

units that are objectively relating with each other (Duran & Duran, 1995).

Relationships with the self, family, community, and the environment must

all be in balance in order to experience physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual

health (Gray, 1995). In !Kung society, if someone falls ill or a marriage unravels,

the responsibility does not fall on the individual; rather it’s an indication that

something is amiss between the community and the entire cosmos (Glendinning,

1994). Indigenous peoples make little distinction between levels of healing—

physical, spiritual, social, and cosmic. Health is achieved through the rebalancing

of what is imbalanced, and the reconnection of what has been separated. A

healthy mind requires a healthy body, which together depend on a healthy society

in harmonious relation to heaven and earth (Herman, 2013). Through this lens,

psychological dysfunction and the ecological crisis are one and the same

(Glendinning, 1994).

It is clear that this integrative, non-dual belief system lies in stark contrast

with Western, technological society. The Yurok people of Northern California

believe that nature’s balance was disrupted by people’s greed, which is the root

cause of most of the problems we face today (Glendinning, 1994). The idea of a

world existing for the purpose of human dominion and exploitation is a notion

that is absent in indigenous thinking (Duran & Duran, 1995). Natives traditionally

engaged in cooperative production, viewed nature as a living being, did not

practice private ownership of land, and had goals of subsistence. Technological

societies compete with one another, view nature as a resource to exploit,

commodify land, and seek to create a surplus for profit (Mander, 1992).

Colonization certainly played a role in this imbalance, forcing the value system of

“the conquering, displacing pioneer who moves around a lot but soaks up little

and tends even less” (Berry, 2003). Decolonization through the adoption of a

starkly different value system is essential to healing the planet as well as

ourselves (Glendinning, 2005b).

Today, human survival may depend on our ability to step lightly on the

planet, and observe its natural rules and modes of organization (Mander, 1992).

Ideally, we might integrate the wisdom of nature-based societies with the

achievement of the classical civilizations and the past 400 years of science and

industry (Herman, 2013). Michael Serres (1995) suggests creating a contract with

nature that acknowledges its rights as a living being with equal protection under

the law. Such an agreement would enforce a mutually beneficial, symbiotic

relationship between humankind and nature, putting an end to the parasitic

relationship that humanity currently holds with the natural world.

According to the Dalai Lama, only a spiritual revolution will enable us to

face the destruction of the planet without succumbing to cynicism, anger, burnout,

and despair (Thornton, 1996). For nature-based cultures, spirituality cannot be

separated from everyday life. Perhaps once we rediscover the spiritual

significance of nature, we will bring about a peaceful and harmonious relationship

with the natural world (Nasr, 1997).

Humans and Nature: Separation and Domination

The shift away from a nature-based way of life has had many

repercussions for humankind as well as the planet itself. The ecological

emergency we are faced with today is largely the result of our epidemic

dissociation from the impact of environmental issues—our implicit belief that we

somehow exist independently of nature rather than being immersed in and

interwoven with it (Clinebell, 2013). Ecopsychologists seek to understand the

origins of this separation from nature and ensuing superior attitude toward to the

rest of the natural world, for the purpose of learning how to repair this damaged

bond (Buzzell & Chalquist, 2009).

Some theorists suggest that the original separation between humans and

nature was marked by the transition from hunter-gatherer to agrarian societies.

Cultivating land and domesticating animals allowed people to remain in one

location rather than follow the migration of herds, which resulted in the creation

of more permanent shelters. A stark duality was established between “indoor” and

“outdoor.” Over time, the outdoors became associated with the wild, chaotic,

dangerous, soiled, and evil, whereas the indoors was perceived as tame, orderly,

safe, clean, and good (Glendinning, 1994; Shephard, 1992).

Dualities of this nature tend to be very tantalizing to humans, as we are a

self-conscious animal that lives “simultaneously as worms and Gods” (Becker,

1997, p. 51). Our animal bodies require nourishment and protection, yet our

higher consciousness is capable of transcending animal instincts, and is the point

of contact with God (Bunge, 2001). Our own death anxiety causes us to over-

identify with the God-like facets of ourselves, and to dissociate from decay, death,

and destruction not only within ourselves, but also in the natural world at large

(Becker, 1997; Matthews, 1994). Humans in permanent shelters were more

protected from the elements and wild animals, and it felt as if the threatening

facets of nature could finally be kept at bay. Land ownership and the development

of formal numbering and measurement systems resulted in the quantification of

land, which shifted our relationship with it and ultimately led to the

commodification of land and resources (Abram, 1996; Rousseau, 1992).

The rise of monotheistic religions replaced humankind’s belief in earthly

Gods—animal Gods, plant Gods, rock and water Gods, male and female Gods—

with a belief in one deity who resembles humans, and is perfect (Ehrenreich,

2014; Mander, 1992). The Book of Genesis in the Old Testament gives humans

dominion over the plants and animals on earth. Some have interpreted this

passage as a call to act as stewards of the earth, whereas others have used it to

justify anthropogenic abuses of the environment such as pollution and resource

exploitation: “We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said,

‘Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours’” (Coulter, 2008, p. 104). One might

argue that such a detached and superior relationship with the natural world has all

the markings of narcissistic personality disorder (Robinson, 2009).

The Age of Enlightenment further complicated humankind’s relationship

with nature by favoring reason and skepticism over tradition, including

indigenous, nature-based practices (Kors, 2003). Touting the scientific method as

the only method came at a cost, for indigenous peoples had been using an

experimental trial-and-error approach for millennia. While some of their

approaches were superstitious, most were time-tested and highly effective (Gray,

1995). Indigenous people were painted as primitive, childlike, and savage

(Glendinning, 1994), and the dichotomy of civilized meaning “good” and “safe,”

and wild indicating “danger” and “evil” became more deeply carved in the

mainstream praxis. Today the pendulum has swung back to the center, and we see

that we are capable of rigorous thinking without forfeiting our sensory and

intuitive knowledge, our “animal kinship with the world around us” (Abram,

1996, p. 264).

After the Enlightenment, Darwin’s discoveries of natural selection and

evolution arose. While most scientists accepted these theories, the public was

“reluctant to relinquish the assumption of human specialness” (Abram, 1996, p.

78). Today we continue to cling to the belief that we are superior to all other

species on earth, in spite of ever-mounting evidence that certain animals possess

advanced cognitive, linguistic, and sensorial abilities, which in some cases

surpass those of humans (Chalquist, 2009).

The Industrial Revolution replaced farming with indoor work, causing

people to be more isolated from nature than ever before in human history. The

shift from local barter economies to consumerist, market economies resulted in

natural resources being exploited at unprecedented rates (Mander, 1992). “The

natural rhythms of our reactions gave way to industrial rhythms. We learned to

interact with mechanical speeds, as assembly line workers and most auto drivers

know. Now that machines move at electronic speeds, the wheel of activity turns

faster, with us on it” (p. 65).

Today in the age of corporate cyber globalism, “the system” permeates

everything but appears to be located nowhere, leaving individuals feeling

confused, unsettled, and helpless (Berman, 2001). Freud (1962) argued that

modern civilization is largely responsible for our misery, saying we would be

much happier if we returned to a primitive, land-based culture. He forewarned

that our greatest suffering would ironically be rooted in our attempts to avoid the

threats of nature.

Attachment Disorder with the Natural World

Original trauma is the disorientation we experience, however

consciously or unconsciously, because we do not live in the natural

world. It is the psychic displacement, the exile, that is inherent to

civilized life. It is our homelessness. (Glendinning, 2005b, p. 94)

Interwoven with this history of drastic cultural shifts is an extraordinarily

powerful psychological component. More than 99 percent of human evolution

occurred embedded in the natural world, in relationship with local plants, animals,

and terrain. Consequently, nature continues to have a fundamental role in our

cognitive, emotional, and spiritual development (Frumkin, 2001; Kellert &

Wilson, 1993). Similar to the bond between an infant and a primary caregiver, an

equally complex biological, psychological, and emotional attachment exists

between humans and the natural world (Louv, 2005; Shepard, 1992).

Psychologist Harold Searles argued that Freud’s writings (and those of his

successors) neglected to account for the influence of the environment on the

development of the human psyche (Searles, 1960). The relationship between

infant and caregiver is held within the even greater caregiving and holding force

of the natural world, which provides the sustenance that furthers life.

In the evolution of humankind this setting took the form of living plants,

wild birds, rain, wind, mud and the taste and texture of earth, and bark, the

sounds of animals and insects….These surroundings were swallowed,

internalized, incorporated as the self (Shepard, 1995, p. 27).

A secure attachment with the environment provides us with a sense of meaning

and of belonging (Louv, 2005).

Attachment theory indicates that one’s early attachment style strongly

shapes relationships later in life (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). In

the ideal case of a secure attachment, consistent care and stimulation help an

infant learn to regulate feelings, and when ruptures in the bond occur they are

soon repaired (Bowlby, 1983). Unfortunately, the aforementioned ruptures in

humankind’s relationship with the environment resulted in the deterioration of

what once was a secure attachment with the natural world. Illuminating this inter-

generationally experienced disorganized attachment enables us to more deeply

understand our own “disregard for the very air we breathe,” (Abram, 1996, p.

260).

Avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles lead to trust issues, difficulty

relying on and feeling close with others, fears of abandonment, and a fundamental

belief that one’s basic needs will not be met (Klein, 1987). In the face of

helplessness, argues Klein, an infant will strive to feel almighty in order to gain a

sense of power and control in the midst of a terrifying situation. “The West is a

vast testimony to childhood botched to serve its own purposes, where history,

masquerading as myth, authorizes men of action to alter the world to match their

regressive moods of omnipotence and insecurity” (Shephard, 1992, p. 126).

Through an attachment lens, our attempts to dominate nature are an

enactment of our defenses. “If humankind is to flourish without destroying the

living world that sustains us, then we must grow out of our adolescent aspiration

to encompass and control all that is” (Abram, 1996, p. 272). Our deepest

vulnerabilities in the face of our dependence on nature and its indifference toward

us are reflected in our attempts to bring nature under our total control (Jordan,

2009). This deep wound prevents us from opening to our innate interdependence

with the natural world, as well as with one another.

Psycho-Spiritual, Emotional, and Social Impacts

This disturbance in our attachment with nature continues to be transmitted

inter-generationally throughout the world today, and is manifested broadly on a

cultural level as well as deeply on an individual basis. “Since 1600AD, and most

visibly since the Industrial Revolution, the West has been in a perpetual crisis, an

unstable society in a state of extreme alarm” (Berman, 1981, p. 297).

Ecopsychologist Paul Shepherd believes that Western industrialized humans

possess a flimsy identity structure that by Paleolithic standards would be

considered childish, and the consequence is a “readiness to strike back at a natural

world that we dimly perceive as having failed us” (Shephard, 1992, p.124).

Cultural and individual issues as diverse as crises of values, spiritual

confuse, social and economic inequities, racism and injustice, violence toward

one another and toward the environment, community and family dysfunction, and

mental illness and addiction can be traced back to our collective original trauma—

our division from the natural world (Clinebell, 2013; Glendinning, 1994). In

repressing nature’s destructive capacity and favoring light, reason, and

civilization, we attempt to suppress our own dark side. It seeps through the cracks

manifesting in human violence and destructiveness, often projected out onto the

environment (Matthews, 1994; Shepard, 1995). Our culture-wide denial enables

many of the global crises we face including famine, deforestation, pollution, and

extinction.

Without a secure attachment to nature, an inevitably resulting “ontogenetic

crippling,” or handicapping of our ability to reach our full developmental

potential freezes us in states of adolescent narcissism, oedipal fears, ambivalence,

and inconsistency (Louv, 2005; Shepard, 1995, p. 15). The absence of a feeling of

belonging and connection with our environment leads to profound

disembodiment, repression, loneliness, and disorientation (Glendinning, 2005b).

Feeling alienated from the self, community, and nature is dehumanizing and

breeds the insecurity, anxiety and guilt that inevitably arise “when human

separateness cannot be overcome” (Fromm, 1956, p. 80). These qualities are

witnessed in Sherry Turkle’s ongoing studies on children and teenagers who have

grown up in networked culture. Her research consistently finds that in spite of

technology’s promises to bring greater connection, an underlying fear of isolation

and abandonment pervades the lives of today’s youth (Turkle, 2011).

Dissociation seems to be the central defense mechanism that has enabled

us to move forward in spite of these deeply felt emotional and spiritual wounds.

Erich Fromm believes that a person who has remained sensitive and human rather

than become a cog in the great machinery of our capitalist, industrialist,

materialist culture will be unable to help but feel lonely, powerless, and isolated

in present-day society (Fromm, 1956). Ecopsychologist Larry Robinson asks,

“Why do these human machines keep breaking down, why do they develop

symptoms such as substance abuse, antisocial behavior, anxiety, phobias, and

depression?…Because human beings are not machines” (Robinson, 2009, p. 25).

There is a tendency in contemporary mental health to focus on symptom reduction

in individuals; however as clinicians we must be wary of the possibility that we

are helping clients adjust to a sick society rather than addressing the underlying

culture-wide illness that is at the root of individual distress. This shift might occur

one-on-one in therapy rooms, or could take shape as a greater socio-cultural

movement or even a revolution. A paradigm shift as such would seek to reshape

societal norms to support the qualities that are most fundamentally human, rather

than continuing to quash our humanness to become further enmeshed with

industry and technology.

Attachment disorder and dissociation also result in disembodiment. By

alienating ourselves from our natural state, “we have created a chasm between

ourselves and our own bodies. Like our relationship to the rest of the Earth, our

relationship to our bodies has become one of function and utility rather than one

of reverence and respect” (Morrison, 2009, p. 102). Sensation and perception are

gateways to our engagement with the “wild and animate earth,” and our fixation

with technology has led us to collapse the “sensorial reciprocity between our

breathing bodies and the bodily terrain” (Abram, 1996, p. 267). For example, each

time we cross a city street when the “walk” sign is displayed without looking to

see whether danger is approaching, we are relying on technology at the expense of

dulling our senses. Human awareness has folded in upon itself, as is witnessed in

our denial regarding our current ecological catastrophe which does not feel

personally impactful until it intensifies enough to be perceived by our senses.

Perhaps most painful of all are the oppressive dualities that have replaced

what was once a deep sense of interconnectedness, fluidity, and embeddedness in

the world: “matter and spirit, feelings and thoughts, yours and ours, us and them.

Walls around the heart parallel walls around the Other, barricading our experience

against what we fear and cannot tolerate” (Chalquist, 2009, p. 82). We are coming

to understand that “falling asleep” to our problems only exacerbates them, and our

only way out of this mess is to take an honest look at the heart of the matter.

Research on The Human-Nature Relationship & its Impact on Mental Health

In response to these struggles, ecopsychology and ecospirituality research

seeks to rigorously support the intuitive sense that spending time around plants

and animals brings feelings of balance and relief from everyday stressors,

alleviates a range of mental health symptoms, and rekindles a sense of belonging

in the natural world (Chalquist, 2009).

Research consistently finds that our environments have a tremendous

impact on our physical, emotional, and psychological state. The presence of trees

and plants, particularly in wilderness environments untouched by the humans, are

found to enhance mental health, while manicured environments have the opposite

effect (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; O’Brien, 2005). When urban children were asked

to make a drawing of their favorite place, nearly all the drawings were of outdoor

spaces such as lawns, playgrounds, trees, parks, and gardens (Moore, 1986).

Several studies have found that contact with nature is central to our ability to

maintain and restore positive psychological mood states (Kaplan, 1995; Shibata &

Suzuki, 2001, 2004; Van den Berg, Hartig, & Staats, 2007).

Incorporating facets of nature into human-made environments has shown

positive results. For example, adding plants to an office boosts creativity and

decreases the amount of sick leave employees take (Selhub & Logan, 2012). In

hospital settings, the presence of interior plants, or a window that looks out onto

natural scenery led patients to experience less anxiety, a shorter recovery time,

and declined painkiller use (Chalquist, 2009; Herman, 2013).

Many studies have focused specifically on depression, finding that outdoor

exercise proves as effective as taking anti-depressants, whereas walking through a

shopping mall has been shown to raise stress and lower self-esteem (Chalquist,

2009). Participants who took vacations in the wilderness demonstrated positive

affective states, improved cognitive performance, and calm physiological states,

as compared with people who took urban vacations or no vacation at all (Hartig,

Meng, & Evans, 1991).

Nature counters the emotional and physiological effects of stress. Simply

looking at a photograph of a nature scene as opposed to an urban scene for 20

minutes lowers heart rate (Selhub & Logan, 2012). Completing mental activities

in a garden results in significantly lower levels of cortisol being released than

doing mental activities in an indoor classroom (Selhub & Logan, 2012). Several

studies found that after taking a stressful exam, looking at photos of nature

decreased muscle tension and feelings of anger and aggression in students,

whereas looking at urban scenes had the opposite effect (Ulrich et al., 1991). One

study found that the presence of plants in a room enhanced recovery from

watching a stressful video, helping to bring EEG beta wave activity back to

normal (Selhub & Logan, 2012). Depression and stress accelerate the aging

process of the brain, and being exposed to nature reshapes our plastic brain and

can influence the production of neurotransmitters responsible for maintaining

cognitive health throughout the lifespan (Selhub & Logan, 2012).

Environmental psychology supports the harmonious design of buildings,

rooms and landscapes, but many theorists believe this type of band-aid approach

is more often the problem than the solution when it comes to our alienation from

nature (Roszak, 2009). Having potted plants in the office as opposed to immersing

oneself among wild plants and animals might be considered a harm reduction

intervention. Regardless, the research finds time and again that increasing the

presence of plants and animals in any environment facilitates healing and fosters

well-being.

Applied Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy is defined as the practical application of ecopsychological and

ecospiritual research and theory. It is an umbrella term for nature-based methods

of physical and psychological healing that are founded in healthy interaction with

the earth (Buzzell & Chalquist, 2009; Clinebell, 2013).

In wilderness therapy, a group expedition into the wilderness serves as a

mental health intervention. Meta-analyses indicate a high efficacy of wilderness

therapy, finding that it improves self-esteem and clinical functioning, increases

internal locus of control, and decreases problem behaviors (Cason & Gilis, 1994).

Specifically in studies with juvenile delinquents, wilderness therapy has proven

more effective than traditional therapeutic programs in promoting self-esteem,

positive behavior changes, and interpersonal skills (Chalquist, 2009).

The efficacy of horticultural therapy, which involves participating in

gardening projects to achieve specific therapeutic treatment goals, has been

supported by numerous studies (Chalquist, 2009). It has been found to curtail

stress and obesity, aid in treating alcoholism and substance abuse, foster

emotional restoration, enhance self-esteem in partially blind adults and children,

ease the shock of displacement and resettlement for refugees, support healthcare

providers struggling with burnout, and diminish social isolation and enhance

emotional expressiveness in the elderly (Annerstedt & Währborg, 2011; Gigliotti,

Jarrott, & Yorgason, 2004).

Animal-assisted therapy is stemmed in the biophilia theory. Biophilia

suggests that our attachment to animals is rooted in the history of human survival

as being partly dependent on signals from animals in the environment, who

helped us to determine whether an environment was safe or threatening (Kellert &

Wilson, 1993). After spending time with a dog, Alzheimer’s patients experienced

decreased loneliness, agitation, aggression, and lethargy, and better nutritional

habits, healthy weight gain, and greater alertness and social interaction (Chalquist,

2009). Equine therapy has proven effective in addressing symptoms of depression

and anxiety, helping children with autism to better communicate, and alleviating

PTSD symptoms (Burgon, 2014; DeMayo, 2009). Dolphin therapy, involving

playing and snorkeling with dolphins and relaxing on the beach, showed a

significant decrease in depression compared with a control group who relaxed on

the beach and snorkeled (Antonioli & Reveley, 2005). After working with farm

animals twice a week for 12 weeks, clients diagnosed with a range of disorders

including schizophrenia, anxiety, affective disorders, and personality disorders

showed improvement in coping ability, self-efficacy, symptom reduction, and

improved quality of life (Chalquist, 2009).

In sum, direct contact with plants and animals alleviates unpleasant

emotional and psychological symptoms, and enhances well being. Incorporating

plants and animals into the human-made world yields positive results; however

most effective are the approaches that foster a relationship between humans and

the wilderness, so that we may experience a sense of reconnection and more

deeply heal our severed bond with the natural world.

Attachment Healing Through Contact

I feel like I am spread out over the landscape and inside things, and

am myself living in every tree, in the splashing of the waves, in the

clouds and the animals that come and go, in the procession of the

seasons. (Jung, 1965, p. 252)

Attachment research has found that an insecure attachment can be healed

through intimate contact, by experiencing a secure attachment in a holding

environment (Solomon, 2003). It is only by repairing our disrupted attachment

with nature that we will be able to reestablish harmony with the natural world and

with our own deep selves (Hillman, 1995). A self rooted in healthy attachments to

human and nonhuman worlds leads to emotional wellness and stable adjustment,

and this positive contact with nature facilitates symbiotic healing (Clinebell,

2013; Spitzform, 2001).

Opening ourselves to a deeper relationship with the natural world comes

with significant psychological and emotional challenges. The Hindu goddess Kali

is a more appropriate archetypal image for the natural world than that of the

attuned caregiver, for nature does not privilege life over death and is equally

likely to destroy life as it is to sustain it (Puhakka, 2013). Similar to arriving at

Klein’s “depressive position,” (Klein, 2002) we must come to terms with the

destructive and dangerous facets of nature and integrate them with its creative,

life sustaining aspects. We must also accept our vulnerability, mortality, and

relative insignificance as individuals and even as a species.

Refining our senses and becoming re-embodied is one of the most simple

and straightforward ways we can open up the process of reconnection, as our

bodies are the most direct link to the natural world: “It takes an awakening of the

senses, which is only possible when we fully inhabit the body. An effective

ecotherapy must continually engage the body, because that is the basis of our life

and the source of our connection” (Robinson, 2009, p. 28).

Simply put, it is time that we stop behaving as if we are nature’s damaged

children, and take responsibility for our own healing and maturation processes.

We must develop what Martin Buber would call an “I-thou” relationship with the

natural world (Buber, 1970), in which we live in a realm of interacting

subjectivities rather than exploiting the environment as an inanimate object. “In

such a relationship, we and the world come alive and neurosis melts away”

(Robinson, 2009, p. 28).

Culture-Wide Addiction & Its Environmental Impacts

As ecopsychology and indigenous transitions indicate, in order to reach

our full potential as humans we must live embedded in a community, be in

relationship with plants and animals, and feel connected to a place. We can

survive without these bonds, but we often feel a sense of profound emptiness that

we attempt to fill in a variety of unhealthy ways (Buzzell, 2009). In the Western

modernized world (and other areas of the globe that are rapidly Westernizing), we

are bombarded with messages that teach us to fill this void by consuming: “Man’s

happiness today consists of having fun, and having fun lies in the satisfaction of

consuming and taking in....Spiritual as well as material objects become objects of

exchange and of consumption” (Fromm, 1956, p. 80). Americans are urged

through ubiquitous advertising to construct their identities and be positive

economic actors through consumerism (Acker, 1993). We are constantly

delivered messages that the feeling of something missing or lacking can be

remedied by acquiring products and experiences. When the fulfillment derived

from these acquisitions proves to be only temporary, feelings of emptiness return

and the cycle perpetuates (Robinson, 2009).

Anne Wilson Schaef first presented the radical idea that the society in

which we live is an “addictive system” (Schaef, 1987, p. 4). Indeed, our culture-

wide obsession with consumerism and materialism bears all the markings of an

addiction: insatiability, compulsivity, denial, omnipotence, and an implicit belief

in limitless supply (Campbell, 2010).

The overwhelming ‘need’ in the West for non-essential consumables, with

the ensuing loss of personal well being, increasing environmental

degradation, and the loss of native land-based lifestyles worldwide,

does…qualify as addiction, as much as the misuse or abuse of drugs or

alcohol (Fish, 2009, p. 47).

Similar to an alcoholic or drug user destroying his or her own body in the

throes of addiction, consumerism has wreaked havoc on our earth home. “The

disharmony in our relationship to the earth, which stems in part from our

addiction to a pattern of consuming ever-larger quantities of the resources of the

earth, is now manifest in successive crises” (Gore, 1993, p. 223). He goes on to

cite the loss of acres of rain forest every second, the acceleration of the natural

extinction rate, the thinning of the ozone layer, and the possible destruction of the

climate balance that makes our earth livable. Given this cultural and global

context, attempting to explain addiction as an isolated problem experienced by

certain individuals would be incomprehensive. To understand the ecological crisis

as well as individual addiction, we must take into account our culturally

sanctioned addictive behaviors and their dire impact on the natural world on

which we so intimately depend.

Part II: Addiction and Recovery

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the

victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven

or hell” (Byrom, 2011, p. 8).

The Cultural Context of Individual Addiction

Our embeddedness in a culture that essentially encourages addiction to

consumption lays the groundwork, to a large degree, for addictions in individuals.

In a society that expects its members to be effective consumers, messages pushing

unregulated consumption and out-of-control behavior resonate powerfully (Acker,

1993, p. 203). Acknowledging that substance and behavioral addictions are more

extreme versions of modern-day consumerism illuminates the unconscious

dynamics underlying addiction (Zoja, 1989).

In addition to explicitly promoting addictive behavior, Western free-

market societies inevitably dislocate people from traditional sources of

psychological, social, and spiritual support. The resulting isolation is a central

precursor to addiction (Alexander, 2000). Similarly, Victor Frankl suggested that

drug and alcohol abuse are symptoms of a collective sense of meaninglessness

and purposelessness (Frankl, 1985). The existential crisis he depicts is ubiquitous

in industrial and technological societies.

Regardless of the tremendous cultural shifts experienced in recent

centuries, certain aspects of a nature-based way of life remain with us—one in

particular is the need for rituals. In most traditional societies including indigenous

Europe, the primary functions of consciousness-altering substances have been

positive, symbolic, and generally restricted for ceremonial use (Jellinek, 1977).

The symbolic or ritualistic quality of drinking and drug use practices are still

prevalent in Western society today, though without the structure and support

necessary to facilitate a spiritual experience (Adler, 1991). Our ancient need for

sacred rituals remains, yet there has been a loss of division between the sacred

and the profane (Zoja, 1989). We no longer uphold the communal systems that in

the past “provided context and ritual whereby life was given meaning and reason”

(Severns, 2004, p. 162), leading our relationship with substances to devolve into

one of abuse and imbalance.

Scope, Diagnosis, and Progression of Addiction

Addiction is running from reality…the reality you have that

something is stronger. Something that’s greater than you. Instead

of admitting it and saying that something scares me—this thing

scares me, or I don’t know how to do this, or I don’t know how to

live—instead of just saying that, you do drugs. So you coexist with

the people that are nonexistent. (Maté, 2010, p. 344)

Addiction is a disease that leads to a process of “nonliving” that is

progressively death-oriented (Schaef, 1987). The Narcotics Anonymous basic text

describes addiction as surrendering one’s life to a substance with the dedication of

a servant to a master (Anonymous, 1988). Put simply, addiction is an excessive,

unhealthy, dependency that disintegrates and destroys (Maté, 2010). Addiction

ultimately results in a life completely out of control—vacillating between feeling

worthless and feeling invincible; being unable to acknowledge and express

feelings appropriately; prioritizing addictive behaviors over family, job, and

health; and failing to take personal responsibility for one’s problems

(Glendinning, 1994).

Approximately 16.7%, or 22 million individuals in the United States

develop a drug or alcohol problem at some point in their lives (Regier et al.,1990;

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2011).

Over a third of these individuals are dually diagnosed, meaning they have a co-

occurring mental health disorder (Regier et al., 1990).

Alcoholics Anonymous defines addiction (to drugs or alcohol) as an

inability to control the amount an individual consumes, and a powerlessness to

maintain abstinence even with knowledge of loss of control (Anonymous, 1939 /

2001). The World Health Organization divides problematic and non-problematic

substance use into four categories: “Unsanctioned Use” is the use of a substance

that is not approved by one’s society. “Hazardous Use” is the use of a substance

that involves risky behavior and will probably lead to harmful consequences for

the user, such as smoking one pack of cigarettes a day. “Dysfunctional Use” is the

use of a substance that leads to impaired psychological or social functioning, such

as marital problems or being fired from a job. At the most extreme end of the

spectrum, “Harmful Use” is the use of a substance that is known to cause tissue

damage or mental illness (Kleber, 1990, p. 59).

The DSM-5 expanded the definition of addiction to include non-substance

related behavioral addictions such as shopping, gambling, and internet use.

Additionally, it replaced the prior categories of substance abuse and substance

dependence with a spectrum of measures of severity: mild (two to three

symptoms), moderate (four to five symptoms), and severe (six or more

symptoms) (American Psychological Association [APA], 2012).

The 11 substance use criteria are as follows: taking the substance in larger

amounts or for longer than the you meant to; wanting to cut down or stop using

the substance but being unable to; spending a lot of time getting, using, or

recovering from use of the substance; feeling cravings and urges to use the

substance; failing to take care of your work, home or school responsibilities due

to substance use; continuing to use when it causes problems in relationships;

giving up important social, occupational or recreational activities because of

substance use; repeatedly finding yourself in dangerous situations relating to

substance use; continued use with the awareness that you have a physical or

psychological problem that might have been caused or made worse by the

substance; needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance);

and development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be alleviated by taking

more of the substance (APA, 2012).

The expansion of the definition of addiction includes any drug associated

with compulsive use or dependence, as well as any kind of impulsive or

destructive behavior (Milkman & Sunderwirth 1987). Behavioral addictions are

similarly destructive to physical health, psychological well-being, and

interpersonal relationships (Maté, 2010). This more-encompassing definition also

helps to address the issue of transfer addictions, in which a person achieves

sobriety from one specific addiction but suddenly develops another type of

addiction. It also accounts for the fact that all addictions, whether to substances or

to behaviors, involve the same brain circuitry and chemicals (Maté, 2010).

Research clearly indicates that problematic substance consumption

inevitably results in progression of use (Jellinek, 1960). In relatively rare cases,

addicts have been able to control or lessen their substance use or addictive

behavior. However this phenomenon has occurred specifically among those who

have shown mild to moderate symptoms (previously referred to as substance

abuse), rather than severe symptoms (also known as substance dependence)

(Vaillant, 2003).

Research clearly indicates that symptoms worsen over time unless one

becomes completely abstinent. As use progresses, there is a symbolic line that,

once crossed, renders one incapable of using substances in moderation at any

point in the future (Vaillant, 2003). This is predominantly due to alterations in the

brain that occur as a direct result of addiction. Repeated drug use results in lasting

changes in the brain that undermine choice and control (Volkow & Li, 2004).

Recreational drug use may be volitional, but once a more deep-seated addiction

develops, control diminishes.

Etiology of Addiction

Neurological research has found that humans and animals have an

intoxication drive that is as fundamental to human functioning as is the sex drive

(Siegel, 1989). However whereas most people are able to moderate their

intoxication experiences, some are far more likely to develop an addiction. The

DSM-5 recognizes that people are not all equally vulnerable to developing

substance related disorders, and that some individuals have neurological

differences that predispose them to developing an addiction (APA, 2012).

Through the mid 1900s, it was believed that alcoholics were simply

morally depraved people who intentionally existed on the fringes of society in a

state of perpetually altered consciousness (Schaef, 1987). Dr. Benjamin Rush first

introduced the disease concept of alcoholism in the 1870s, asserting that chronic

drunkenness is a progressive medical condition (White, 1998). To some degree, it

served to depathologize addiction as a moral issue. However it wasn’t until 1960

that physician Jellinek’s research on addiction more thoroughly supported the

disease concept of alcoholism. For the next several decades, his findings informed

much of the research on and treatment of addiction (Jellinek, 1977). More

recently, neurobiologists have found addiction to be a dysfunction of the reward

circuitry of the brain, adding a new dimension to the disease model (Erickson,

2009; Nestler & Malenka, 2004).

A long-standing debate in the field of addiction studies has sought to

determine whether the biological basis of addiction is rooted in genetics, or in

brain differences shaped by one’s early childhood environment. Extensive

research (including twin studies) indicates that like most nature-nurture debates,

both genetics and environment play significant roles in brain development (Maté,

2010). In many cases these factors compound one another, for an individual

growing up with family members who struggle with addiction is more likely to

experience trauma such as abuse, or neglect (Hogan, 1998; Jaudes, Ekwo, & Van

Voorhis, 1995). Childhood trauma is highly correlated with diminished executive

functioning and impulse control, resulting in a susceptibility to addiction (Schore,

2001).

The environment undoubtedly plays a significant role in shaping brain

development and ability to self-regulate, particularly in early childhood (Siegel,

2007). A child’s newly forming capacity to handle psychological stress is

completely dependent upon its relationship with its caregivers, which in turn

depends upon the ability of the caregivers to self-regulate (Perry & Pollard, 1998).

A consistently misattuned caregiver will lead an infant to ultimately

possess a diminished capacity for self-regulation, which is a direct precursor to

addiction (Felitti, 2003; Rado, 1933). “The three dominant brain systems in

addiction—the opioid attachment-reward system, the dopamine-based incentive-

motivation apparatus, and the self-regulation areas of the prefrontal cortex—are

all exquisitely fine-tuned by the environment” (Maté, 2010, p. 197). In adulthood,

those who historically struggled to establish emotionally regulating attachments

are more inclined to turn to drugs and alcohol to experience relief from their

deficiency in intimacy (Flores, 2011).

Trauma experienced at any point in life can contribute to the development

of an addiction. Both animals and humans have been found to use drugs in order

to cope with inhuman conditions, regardless of their psychological inclination

toward addiction or the addictive properties of the substance (Alexander, Coambs,

& Hadaway, 1978; Alexander, Hadaway, & Coambs, 1980). In the aftermath of a

traumatic experience, if the psyche cannot find its way to healing it searches for

any way to self-medicate in order to numb PTSD symptoms and avoid emotional

pain (Glendinning, 2005a; Herman, 1992; Khantzian, 1985).

In the 1950s, the newly emergent school of behaviorism explained

addiction purely in terms of social learning and operant conditioning (Skinner,

1953). Whereas today we understand addiction through a wider lens, there are

undeniably many behavioral factors at play. Researchers have found that many of

the environmental cues surrounding ones addiction trigger dopamine release,

which leads users to feel a rush simply from obtaining and preparing the

substance (Maté, 2010). Indeed, many addicts report that they are equally afraid

of giving up the activities and relationships surrounding drug use as they are of

giving up the substances themselves. As previously mentioned, behavioral

addictions such as gambling, sex, or shopping alter brain chemicals even though

no substances are ingested (Maté, 2010).

Many sociologists have tended to favor a more socio-cultural explanation

for addiction rather the disease model (Szasz, 1985). These theorists have

highlighted our culture’s tendency to encourage certain addictive behaviors such

as consumerism, yet shun others such as substance use (Room, 1983). These

contributions led to the integration of several addiction theories, resulting in the

biopsychosocial model. This model, which is widely accepted and utilized in

addiction research and treatment today, sees addiction as a resulting from a

combination of genetic, environmental, and societal factors (Engel, 1977; Peele,

1986). Similar to the diathesis-stress model of mental illness, the biopsychosocial

model paints the “addiction syndrome” as a genetic vulnerability to addiction that

is activated by various psychological and social factors (Shaffer et al., 2004). The

biopsychosocial model is supported by the APA, and is applicable to behavioral

addictions as well as substance addictions.

From a phenomenological standpoint, addiction has long been explained

as a misguided attempt to fill a deep spiritual void within. This perspective sees

incompleteness as the basic state of the addict—a feeling of being ill-equipped to

face life’s demands (Maté, 2010). Carl Jung, who heavily influenced the

philosophy of AA through his letters with founder Bill Wilson, believed that

when Gods are banished, they return as symptoms (Addenbrooke, 2011). Other

theorists have described addiction as a hunger for ecstatic connectedness and

wholeness (Wilshire 1998); a spiritual emergency that contains within it the seeds

of transformation (Grof, 1994); and a quest similar to that of a mystic in his

search for enlightenment (Zoja, 1989). “Alcoholics want to know who they are,

what life is about, whether they have a divine origin, and whether there is a

system of cosmic justice and love” (Grof, 1994, p. 105).

Unfortunately due to the inevitable tendency of any addiction to spin out

of control, what might have begun as an impulse toward personal and spiritual

growth becomes obscured by “a growing self-destructive and misguided

obsession with a substitute” (Grof, 1994, p. 107). Whereas the object of the

addiction may have initially felt fulfilling, it can never provide the deeper

satisfaction and sense of wholeness the seeker initially longed for. This

disappointing reality combined with the self-perpetuating nature of addiction

leads many people to continue down the addiction spiral, still holding onto the

illusion that wholeness and spiritual connection will one day be delivered, yet

accelerating in the wrong direction. This tragic compulsion is shielded from

awareness by denial: pretending everything is normal, being unable to admit pain

or vulnerability, and holding up appearances at all costs (Glendinning, 1994).

Recovery: More Than Abstinence

Healing from a severe addiction involves engaging in a lifelong process

known as recovery, which entails far more than simply achieving abstinence from

substances or addictive behaviors. The harm reduction approach seeks to achieve

some semblance of safety for people who are active in their addiction (Denning &

Little, 2011), and the moderation management approach aids individuals with

mild to moderate addictions in decreasing their use (Humphreys, 2003). This

study will focus exclusively on the recovery approach, which is most appropriate

for individuals with severe cases of addiction hoping to achieve lifelong sobriety

(White & Kurtz, 2006).

An addict who stops using substances without achieving the deeper

transformations brought about by recovery is colloquially referred to as “dry,” and

is considered to be at a high risk of relapse because they have addressed the

underlying causes of the addiction (McLellan, McKay, Forman, Cacciola, &

Kemp, 2005; Metzger, 1988). Recovery is a process of community-supported

transformation in which an individual achieves abstinence, improved health,

increased well-being, newfound abilities, a different form of consciousness, and a

spiritual connection (Anonymous, 1939 / 2001; SAMHSA, 2007).

Researchers have explored different phases of recovery, finding that the

recovery process mirrors an individual’s prior decline into addiction in reverse,

with changes occurring across several dimensions (Bacon, 1973; Brown, 1985).

Some researchers have delineated phases such as early recovery and sustained

recovery (Bean, 1975), whereas others have created a series of specific stages,

specifically pretreatment, stabilization, early recovery, middle recovery, late

recovery, and maintenance (Gorski, 1986). Progression through the stages leads to

marked physical, behavioral, and psychological changes.

The 12-Step Recovery Model

Alcoholics Anonymous pioneered the recovery model and the 12-step

sobriety-based approach. Since its founding in 1935 it has grown into a loose-knit

worldwide organization, and has branched off into similarly structured groups

centered around addiction to narcotics, overeating, sex, gambling, and other

substance and behavioral addictions (Zweben, 1995). Whereas some of these

groups have modernized the original language, the 12 steps and focus on

spirituality remain the same. There are currently approximately 1.3 million

members participating in 12-step groups in the United States (Anonymous, 2012,

p. 1).

Whereas having a spiritual connection is central to the 12-step approach,

the concept of “higher power” may be loosely defined based on individual

preferences (Anonymous, 1939 / 2001). The membership includes followers of all

major world religions, as well as significant numbers of atheists and agnostics

(Kurtz, 1979; Zwebin, 1995). Some frequently used conceptualizations of “higher

power” include God, the universe, humanity, nature, music, and the 12-step

community. This open interpretation of higher power is a centrally held value of

AA, in addition to values of inclusivity and non-judgment as well as

encouragement of self-discovery and personal process.

Healing Mechanisms & Outcomes of Recovery

In his communications with Bill Wilson, the founder of AA, Carl Jung

wrote that treating a chronic alcoholic is hopeless. He believed that in rare cases,

recovery could be possible if the alcoholic underwent a spiritual transformation

(Jung, 2006). Jung’s words struck a chord with Wilson, along with the writings of

William James, and he ultimately underwent his own spiritual transformation and

overcame his alcoholism. In a letter, Wilson wrote:

It is the experience of many of us in early stages of drinking to feel

that we have had glimpses of the Absolute and a heightened

feeling of identification with the cosmos. While these glimpses and

feelings doubtless have a validity, they are deformed and finally

swept away in the chemical, spiritual, and emotional damage

wrought by alcohol itself (as cited in Grof, 2004, p. 105).

After experiencing his own transformation, Wilson created the 12-step approach

as a guide to recovery and spiritual reconnection (Finlay, 2000).

Dante Alighieri’s work The Divine Comedy, an epic journey to hell and

back, is an allegory for the devastating experience of addiction, the arduous

process of recovery and healing, and the experience of ultimately uniting with a

divine presence (Alghieri, 2003). Perhaps most central to the recovery process is

the addict’s ability to transcend his/her own ego as well as the addictive substance

by cultivating a personal relationship with a “higher power” which is greater than

both the individual and the addiction (Metzger, 1988). The 12-step program is

designed to address the “soul sickness” or “spiritual bankruptcy” of the addict by

facilitating a personally transformative spiritual experience (Grof, 1994; Haynes,

1988; Moran, 2003; Washton, 1995).

Indeed, having a spiritual life is a significant facet of what it means to be

human, as is evidenced across world cultures. “Throughout history, the

connection between the divine and the individual or the community has been

encouraged and celebrated in a multitude of ways, through various forms of

spiritual practice, rituals, and creative expression” (Grof, 1994, p. 15). Psychiatrist

and social critic Thomas Szasz (1985) has pointed out the commonalities between

addiction rituals and sacred or religious rituals, further supporting the theory that

addiction is an attempt to fill the spiritual void created by our modern way of life.

If addiction is a journey into spiritual death, recovery is a spiritual rebirth (Zoja,

1989).

Research on the process of achieving long-term sobriety has found AA’s

spiritual component to be most central to its success as the most effective

approach to facilitating sustained recovery (Kelly, Stout, Magill, Tonigan, &

Pagano, 2011). Hansen, Ganley, & Carlucci (2008) identified the interaction

between the factors of spirituality and community support to be at the core of the

12-step model’s transformative ability. Recovering addicts who participated in

12-step groups and reported higher levels of spiritual connectivity were found to

be more optimistic, experience less stress and anxiety, and have greater social

support (Pardini, Plante, Sherman, & Stump, 2000).

In addition to the spiritual facet, 12-step groups foster healing by

providing unwavering community support as well as encouragement to change

problematic behaviors. The 12-step program draws from oral traditions, featuring

storytelling as the main component of meetings (Humphreys, 2000). Sharing

personal stories aids individuals in integrating spiritual experiences, asking for

help and advice, experiencing non-judgment, and practicing inter-dependence

(Cheever, 2005; Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992).

Over time, the supportive interpersonal connections experienced in 12-

step groups serve to heal the attachment and self-regulation issues that addicts so

frequently suffer. An interpersonal landscape that was previously defined by

isolation or codependence can evolve into one of healthy attachment, inter-

dependence, and self-regulation (Flores, 2011).

The development of an increased capacity for self-regulation is greatly

aided by mindfulness, an approach that has been adopted by many 12-step groups

in recent years (Witkiewitz, Marlatt, & Walker, 2005). Recent neurological

research indicates that neuroplasticity continues throughout the lifespan and

though it declines with age, is never completely lost (Kempermann, Kuhn, &

Gage, 1998). Positive brain development can be induced through an enriched

external environment (Kolb & Whishaw, 1998), or by modifying the internal

landscape—specifically through mindful awareness. Mindfulness, or a meta-

cognitive ability to step outside of one’s thoughts and observe them, unlocks the

automatic patterns that encumber the addicted brain (Maté, 2010) and aids addicts

in developing the ability to self-soothe without the aid of substances.

In addition to regular 12-step meetings, many recovering addicts also

attend individual therapy. A therapeutic relationship provides a more

individualized space for healing, and can be fundamental in helping an addict to

resolve past trauma, address early childhood attachment disorders, develop the

ability to self-regulate, and expand capacity to tolerate a range of emotions.

The healing effects of reconnecting with the natural world, as described by

ecopsychology theorists and practitioners, mirror the most fundamental needs of

addicts: spiritual connectivity, healing from attachment disorder and trauma, and

experiencing re-embodiment through self-regulation. Given that addiction is one

of the many mental health issues that have emerged as a result of our disrupted

relationship with the natural world, incorporating ecopsychology into the recovery

process is an intuitive next step.

Part III: Integrating Ecopsychology and Addiction Healing

“Humankind’s relationship to wilderness is strained and ambiguous. I

think that addictions stem from breaking the participatory bond our species has

had with a regenerative source, with wild nature” (Wilshire, 1998, p. x).

Research on Ecotherapy and Addiction

Ecopsychological research has explored the beneficial effects of spending

time around plants and animals on a variety of mental health issues and emotional

states including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, stress, and self-

esteem (Chalquist, 2009). However there is a dearth of research exploring the

intersection between ecopsychology or ecospirituality, and addiction.

The few existing studies on ecopsychology and addiction have typically

quantitatively assessed the efficacy of particular nature-based interventions

among specific populations. One study found that wilderness therapy was highly

effective in reducing problematic substance use and depression in adolescents

(Cohen, 1995). Several studies found that among adult alcoholics and addicts,

regularly engaging in horticultural therapy led to decreased cravings and a greater

likelihood of maintaining long-term sobriety (Annerstedt & Wahrborg, 2011;

Cornille et al., 1987; Haubenhofer et al., 2010). A neuropsychological study

found that viewing nature scenes (as opposed to urban scenes) activated the areas

of the brain governing addictions and rewards, confirming the existence of a

direct neurological link between nature and addiction recovery (Selhub & Logan,

2012).

These studies have illuminated the efficacy of nature-based interventions

in alleviating certain symptoms of addiction. However there is no existing

research on the deeper healing that occurs among individuals who sustain their

recovery through a self-created relationship with nature. Such a study has the

potential to shed light on the healing mechanisms that impact the underlying

causes of addiction, specifically trauma, disorganized attachment, disembodiment,

absence of culturally held rituals, and embeddedness in a culture that promotes

certain types of addiction. Because ecopsychology innately addresses so many of

these areas, it is an intuitive approach in addiction healing.

Addressing the Root Causes of Addiction through Ecopsychology

Chellis Glendinning (1994) has named humankind’s separation from the

natural world our “original trauma,” suggesting that the profound loss resulting

from this broken bond manifests in individuals in a multitude of ways,

particularly addiction. Lorraine Fish (2009) sees addiction as rooted in a culture-

wide dysfunctional relationship with self, community, and the natural world—the

aftereffects of massive social upheaval and geographical dislocation. It is

unsurprising that the culture-wide issues stemmed in our separation from the earth

parallel the symptoms underlying addiction. Through an intimate relationship

with the natural world, it is possible to experience healing from trauma and

attachment issues, increased ability to self-regulate, reembodiment, and

reestablishment of ritual

Perhaps this journey begins by acknowledging that our original trauma has

had a drastic impact. Glendinning (1994) suggests that the effects of this original

trauma are witnessed in our dissociation, emotional numbing, and tendency to

retraumatize ourselves through exposure to violence and destruction. Given that

addicts typically achieve long-term sobriety only after healing from their past

trauma (Maté, 2010), it seems prudent to give significant weight to the original

trauma of our separation from the natural world as a factor in addiction recovery.

As nature-based cultures have believed for millennia, it is impossible to heal an

individual without rebalancing the greater spheres within which that individual

exists, namely family, community, and the natural world (Duran & Duran, 1995).

Healing from the collective “original trauma" of having severed our emotional

and spiritual connection with the earth has the potential to impact the healing

journeys of individuals struggling with substance and behavioral addictions.

Attachment healing is experienced interpersonally, and can also occur in

relationship with the natural world—a greater source of holding and containment

on which we vitally depend. Speaking to attachment issues, Gabor Maté (2010)

understands substance and behavioral addiction as an attempt to address “the

problem of isolation from our true selves and from the rest of creation” (p. 396).

Seeking to heal our disorganized attachment with our greater “earth body”

provides an opportunity through which individuals can experience secure

attachment, which in turn fosters healthy self-regulation and interconnectivity. In

Kleinian terms, such a shift would require leaving behind our current paranoid-

schizoid position in which nature is experienced in black-and-white extremes such

as threatening and dangerous or healing and tranquil. This stance has led us to

sever our connection with nature and seek to control it, undermining our ability to

feel a deep sense of belonging and embeddedness in something greater.

A graduation to Klein’s depressive position would entail fully accepting

nature’s capacity to caretake as well as to destroy us, and being willing to heal

from hurt rather than lash out in anger or terminate the relationship (Klein, 2002).

Carving out one’s own relationship with nature allows a process of discovery and

growth to unfold that is in many ways similar to an infant exploring the world.

Direct contact is the straightest path to a secure attachment with nature, and leads

to the feeling perhaps most sought out by addicts—belonging as a tiny yet

significant part of the grand fabric of the universe.

Attachment healing brings about an increased ability to self-regulate

(Strong, Bean, & Feinauer, 2010). Self-regulation is a significant struggle of

addicts that typically results from adverse early childhood experiences or

adulthood trauma. On a physiological level, substances frequently serve to self-

medicate this condition (Maté, 2010). Like addiction, a central symptom of

ADD/ADHD is an affect-regulation problem (Wasserstein, 2005). Whereas

research has not yet examined the impact of ecopsychology on self-regulation

specifically in addicts, several recent ecopsychological studies on ADD/ADHD

have illuminated nature’s ability to aid in self-regulation (Burgon, 2014; Stein,

2003). Robert Louv renamed attention deficit disorder “nature deficit disorder”

after finding that children who do not have the opportunity to spend time in the

wilderness are more prone to anxiety, depression, and difficulty self-regulating

(Louv, 2005). Another groundbreaking study found that daily 20 minute walks in

nature (as compared with an urban setting or suburban neighborhood) help to self-

regulate and alleviate ADD/ADHD symptoms. These nature walks were found to

be more effective than typically prescribed medications (Taylor & Kuo, 2009).

The research to date supports the idea that that nature-based interventions would

have similarly positive self-regulating effects on addicts.

Among individuals who experience attachment disorder and difficulty

self-regulating, the experience of being present in one’s body can feel threatening

or even intolerable. In a roundabout way, many drugs provide a self-medicating

feeling of reembodiment and heightened senses, which provide temporary respite

from the dissociation and disembodiment experienced by addicts (Herman, 1992).

However, these self-medicating qualities quickly decline due to tolerance, and

what once enlivened the body and sharpened awareness ultimately dulls

perception. Cocaine, for example, can never provide the same quality of alertness

that hunter-gatherers experienced in the wild (Glendinning, 1994).

The body is the channel through which we can most directly reconnect

with the natural world (Berman, 1990). Reembodiment enables us to experience

mutuality with nature, by getting our own needs met and simultaneously

perceiving the needs of nature: “It is only at the scale of our direct, sensory

interactions with the land around us that we can appropriately notice and respond

to the immediate needs of the living world” (Abram, 1996, p. 268). Becoming

reembodied and awakening the senses also fosters mindfulness (Michalak, Burg,

& Heidenreich, 2012), which, according to neurological research, moderates the

intrusive urges and repetitive behaviors connected with addiction (Siegel, 2007).

Thomas Szasz (1985) chronicles the devolution of sacred communal

rituals (sometimes involving consciousness-altering substances) into rituals

surrounding addiction such as acquiring substances, using and maintaining

paraphernalia, and designating the time and place of use. We are descended from

thousands of generations who practiced rituals acknowledging our

interconnectedness with the earth (Seed, Macy, Fleming, & Naess, 2007), and it is

only relatively recently in human history that altered states have been pursued

outside of a culturally supported ritual container.

Historically and today, indigenous cultures have affirmed their intricate

bond with the environment through rituals and ceremonies (Jensen, 2004). “When

explored within a container of ceremonial rites, altered states have been crucial to

humanity for their contributions to individual development, collective survival,

and species evolution” (Glendinning, 2005a, p. 60). In addressing addiction in

individuals, replacing the rituals affiliated with addictive behaviors with nature-

based healing rituals is an intuitive fit. Ceremonies and rituals performed in

relationship with nature affirm our connectivity with the earth and with one

another, leading to an authentic experience of wholeness that substances may

have promised but never delivered (Grof, 1994; Seed et al., 2007).

Reconnecting with nature also has the potential to moderate our culture-

wide addiction to consumerism, as intentionally being in relationship with the

earth means holding our needs equal with nature’s needs. Psychologist Bruce

Alexander (2000) asserts that wherever free-market capitalism goes, addiction

follows in its wake. An attitude of mutuality, reciprocity, and balance in relation

to nature is the antidote to the current status quo in which resources are

overexploited and addictive consumerism is promoted.

An orientation toward sobriety in regards to our culture-wide addiction to

consumerism and materialism would acknowledge that nature’s precious

resources exist in limited supply. According to Native American tradition, in

taking from nature we must be mindful to leave enough for the next seven

generations (Duran & Duran, 1995). Adopting this value system would provide a

parallel process of culture-wide recovery for addicts seeking to heal from

substance or behavioral addictions.

Research Question

Glendinning (1994) calls attention to certain attributes present in nature-

based peoples, that “manifest the very qualities that contemporary psychotherapy,

the recovery movement, and spiritual practices continually aim for: a visible sense

of inner peace, unselfconscious humility, an urge to communal cooperation, and

heartfelt appreciation for the world around them” (p. 197). Could these qualities

be cultivated in contemporary addicts by restoring their lost connection with

nature? There is a need for research that seeks to understand the ways in which

reconnecting with nature has the potential to heal substance and behavioral

addictions in individuals, as well as moderate our culture-wide addictive and

exploitative tendencies. By utilizing a narrative approach to interview individuals

in recovery who identify nature as their “higher power,” the proposed study will

explore the following overarching question: How can ecopsychological values

and approaches help addicts to achieve and sustain recovery?

This question potentially covers a number of considerations: How does an

emotional or spiritual connection with the natural world facilitate recovery? Does

a self-created relationship with nature have a different impact than organized

ecotherapeutic approaches such as wilderness therapy or horticultural therapy?

What are the nature-based healing mechanisms that affect the root causes of

addiction, namely trauma, disorganized attachment, and difficulty self-regulating?

How can the natural world facilitate reembodiment, and what role does this play

in recovery? How does the practice of nature-based rituals aid in recovery? And

finally, how might the wisdom of addicts in recovery help to shift our culture-

wide exploitative relationship with the natural world?

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

The intention of this study was to see what emerged in an expansive space

where participants’ stories could unfold organically, rather than to collect

measurable data. The research question sought to explore and conceptualize

theories about the quality of individuals’ relationships with nature, and how this

particular connection aids in addiction recovery.

Narrative Research

The narrative approach to qualitative research was utilized in this study.

Drawn from the field of humanities, the narrative approach focuses research on

lived human experience. This strategy of inquiry entails a process of collecting

personal stories about events, their causes, and effects, and is most useful when

the intention of the study is to investigate the ways in which people story their

experiences and the themes that arise (Creswell, 2007). A narrative inquiry

supports the researcher’s intention to collect and present personal stories about the

ways in which addicts have found that being in relationship with nature facilitates

their recovery.

This study was founded upon the researcher’s worldview, central to which

is an ontological assumption that there is no single objective truth or experience

of reality. In accordance with this perspective, the study used the epistemological

approaches of postpositivism and constructivism to support the stance that

“gender, race, class, culture, and economics are not merely lenses through which

we see reality, they are agents shaping how we construct our visions of what

constitutes our individual realities” (Campbell & Wasco, 2000, p. 780). The

narrative approach supported the goal of “gathering rich data from the

perspective of those who have traditionally been marginalized within the culture

and excluded from their own documented representation” (Hesse-Biber & Leavy,

2011, p. 159)—in this case, individuals struggling with addiction.

Narrative research is in alignment with both ecopsychological values and

recovery-based traditions. The narrative approach honors the oral traditions of

nature-based peoples, given that interpersonal communication occurred face-to-

face for the vast majority of human history (Abram, 1996). Additionally, a

storytelling component is central in 12-step literature and meetings (Jensen, 2000;

Kurtz, 1979). Meetings typically involve one individual sharing a personal story

of struggling with and overcoming addiction, followed by attendees commenting

and sharing experiences of their own (Humphreys, 2000).

Research has found that sharing one’s experiences directly with another

aid in integration and meaning-making, pointing to a healing component

embedded in the storytelling process itself (Mehl-Madrona, 2005). In a manner

that is familiar and comfortable to research participants who have regularly

attended 12-step meetings, this study’s narrative approach facilitated the

collection of rich data derived from experiences and perceptions not previously

explored or documented.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Criterion based sampling, in which participants are screened based on

select criteria designed to determine eligibility (Creswell, 2007), was utilized in

recruiting participants for this study. No exclusions based on age, ethnicity,

gender, sexuality, or socio-economic status were made.

Participants were chosen based on meeting the following three criteria: (a)

Self identify as being in continuous recovery (specifically including consistent

participation in sobriety-based 12-step groups) for a period of at least one year;

(b) Identify nature or a synonymous term (i.e. the natural world, Mother Earth,

planet Earth) as their “higher power” and be willing to discuss how this

connection has impacted their recovery and everyday life; (c) Consent to allow

the interview to be used and presented for this study, with all identifying

information deleted.

The first criterion was necessarily based on self-definition. “Being in

recovery” is a subjective experience that is difficult to define, but is generally

understood as completely abstaining from illicit and non-prescribed substances

and all addictive behaviors, in addition to engaging in an ongoing process of

personal growth and transformation (Laudet, 2008). The stipulation of one year of

continuous abstinence from substances and addictive behaviors was chosen

because within the recovery community, one year is considered to a be a

significant milestone and a marker of stable recovery (Berensen, 1987). This

parameter also serves to exclude individuals who have recently relapsed or are in

the earlier (and less stable) stages of recovery.

The second criterion was also based on self-definition, and sought to draw

individuals who identify nature or a synonymous term as their “higher power.”

This conceptualization of a higher power is in contrast with more conventional

notions of God stemmed in organized religion, or a different non-traditional

higher power such as music, humanity, or the 12-step community. Hearing from

addicts in recovery who identify nature as their higher power facilitated the

exploration of a unique approach to recovery that parallels and incorporates

ecopsychological and ecospiritual values and traditions.

To ensure that participants met the third criterion, they were read the

Informed Consent, Participant Bill of Rights, and Confidentiality Statement forms

during the initial phone contact, and were provided with written copies of these

documents at the time of meeting (Appendices A, B, and C). The initial phone

call also served to ensure that the participant fulfilled the first two inclusion

criteria.

The exclusion criteria of the study included serious mental illness and

suicidality. Potential participants who self-reported having been hospitalized for

serious mental illness or who had made a suicide attempt within the past two

years were excluded from the study. I utilized the initial phone contact as an

opportunity to screen for these exclusion criteria.

Procedure

The following section provides an in-depth look into the design of the

study. It illustrates how the participant interviews were carried out, as well as how

the results were subsequently analyzed and interpreted.

Recruitment

Recruitment was conducted within the San Francisco Bay Area through

two techniques: posting flyers, and “snowball” or “chain” sampling (Patton, 2001,

p. 182). Flyers seeking participants (Appendix D) were posted at several 12-step

meeting locations, as well as on Facebook. Additionally, through the snowball

sampling process, I approached personally known individuals in recovery, and

asked for the names of several other people who might be interested in

participating. These individuals were contacted to see if they met the eligibility

requirements, and if so, were invited to participate in the study (Atkinson & Flint,

2001).

At any point throughout the recruitment process, each potential participant

had the opportunity to inquire about the qualifications of the researcher, the nature

and intention of the study, and other relevant questions. Recruiting was complete

once interviews had been scheduled with six participants who appropriately

satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Informed Consent & Participant Bill of Rights

Participants who met all eligibility requirements and agreed to participate

in the study were informed that the research is to be conducted via a 60- to 90-

minute in-person interview by this researcher. To address concerns about

participant confidentiality, all identifying information was changed and

participants’ shared personal experiences were used exclusively for research

purposes (Appendix A).

Before the interview began, each participant was read and given a copy of

the Informed Consent form, Participant Bill of Rights, and Confidentiality

Statement (Appendices A, B, and C). Any questions they had about the study, the

interview process, or confidentiality were addressed.

Ethical Considerations

As the researcher, it is my responsibility to anticipate any ethical issues

that might arise during the research process (Creswell, 2007). Researchers must

protect their research participants by establishing trust with them, promoting the

integrity of the research, guarding against misconduct, and coping with challenges

as they arise (Creswell, 2007). Qualitative research can touch on sensitive and

deep material, and I acknowledge an obligation to support the rights, needs, and

values, of the research participants. At the close of the interview, participants

were offered referrals to therapy, a crisis hotline, and local AA meetings. Therapy

referrals were directed to The Liberation Institute, a collective of therapists who

provide sliding scale therapy for as low as $1 (The Liberation Institute [withheld

for privacy]). The crisis hotline that was provided is the 24 hour San Francisco

crisis hotline, [withheld for privacy].

Data Collection

Within the framework of this study six participants were interviewed

about their relationship with nature and how it has impacted their recovery. The

in-person interview lasted between 60 and 90 minutes. Care was taken to create

an atmosphere that facilitated openness and trust, and ensure that interview

procedures were comfortable for each participant. I refrained from taking notes

and focused my attention completely on empathic listening. A digital recorder

was used to record the interviews.

The interview protocol (Appendix E) was designed in the tradition of a

semi-structured interview. A semi-structured interview enables the researcher to

plan the specific topics that will be covered in the interview, making data

collection both systematic and conversational (Patton, 2001). Structured questions

can be followed up with open-ended inquires as deemed appropriate by the

researcher (Creswell, 2007). I chose to keep these interventions at a minimum so

as to allow the narrative to flow organically.

I transcribed each interview within one week, then read the transcript

while listening to the interview in order to ensure accuracy. Any information that

could have potentially identified the participant was altered or deleted from the

written record, and the audio recording was securely stored and will be erased

after one year elapses. Audio files and transcribed interviews were labeled

according to participants’ initials, and were password protected on the

researcher’s personal computer. Once all interviews were conducted and

transcribed, data analysis and interpretation began.

Data Analysis & Interpretation

Consistent with the study’s narrative strategy, the analysis reports the

experiences of individuals, restorying them into a framework that accounts for

commonalities, and analyzes them for overlapping as well as distinct elements

(Creswell, 2007).

The main research question and sub-questions of the study informed the

data analysis and interpretation. Most central was the question, How can

ecopsychological values and approaches help addicts to achieve and sustain

recovery? This study was designed to let the narrative experiences of the

participants flow, and to see what elements emerge from that process that might

address the central question. More specific interview questions shed light on

multiple facets of the main question, seeking to explore areas such as emotional

and spiritual connectivity with nature, healing from trauma and attachment issues,

reembodiment, the role of ritual, and examining addiction through a culture-wide

lens.

A thematic analysis of narrative data allows elements to emerge naturally

(Creswell, 2007; Riessman, 2008). It facilitates the understanding of major events

in the narrative, and the effect those events have had on the individual

constructing the narrative (Labov, 1972). I used a multiphasic coding process to

organize the common themes that surfaced across participants’ narratives (Chase,

2003).

In Phase 1, I re-read the interviews several times and began to formulate

preliminary codes. Phase 2 entailed collapsing the data into labels in order to

create categories, and renaming or combining preliminary codes to more

accurately represent the data. In Phase 3, codes were interpreted and combined

into overarching themes that captured the data. Data that did not fit into the

themes was also noted. Phase 4 involved assessing to what degree the themes

supported the overall data and told an accurate story about the data. If the analysis

seemed incomplete, I returned to Phase 3 for a more thorough examination. In

Phase 5, I prepared each theme for presentation to the readers by labeling and

defining the themes, providing illustrative quotes for each theme, and explaining

the meaning and significance of the themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

After developing codes and themes, I collaborated with two colleagues

(internship-level doctoral students) who served as readers. They looked over the

data and corroborated the procedure and findings of the coding process. Once the

coding process was complete and the results and discussion of the research were

written up, the interview transcripts were deleted.

Validity

Validity determines whether the research truly measures that which it was

intended to measure, and how truthful the research results are (Creswell, 2007).

The application of the notion of rigor in qualitative research should differ from

that in quantitative research by reconceptualizing rigor to include exploring

subjectivity, reflexivity, and the social interaction of interviewing (Davies &

Dodd, 2002, p. 281). The intention of this study was to learn how a self-created

relationship with nature impacts recovery, and what ecopsychological principles

or practices might be extrapolated from these stories to inform a union of

ecopsychology and addiction treatment.

The co-researchers who analyzed the process of coding and developing

themes provided fresh perspectives and helped to illuminate “blind spots” in the

coding process, adding to the overall validity of the study.

Delimitations

In order to make this investigation as effective as possible, the research

was delimited in several ways. The project focused specifically on individuals in

recovery who adhere to a sobriety-based, 12-step approach. This study did not

include individuals that practice other approaches to recovery or sobriety such as

harm reduction methods. By recruiting participants who identify their higher

power as nature or some variation of it, the study sought to explore the healing

properties of a connection with nature, not taking into account other notions of

higher power or other types of emotional or spiritual connection that foster

recovery.

To facilitate a thorough and in-depth analysis of all findings, I chose to

gather and present data from a workable number of subjects (six participants). By

design this inquiry was very homogeneous, which set up a particular delimitation

to the study in that it is very narrow in its scope.

Because this study was designed as a qualitative inquiry seeking to

explore a specific topic in depth, there are limits to the replicability and

generalizability of the study. This research was not intended to result in

declarative and generalizable findings; rather it was meant to be an explorative

pilot study that would lead to several new questions that might be explored

through further research. To have a significant or widespread impact on addiction

treatment, extensive follow-up research would have to be conducted.

Limitations

There are several limitations to this research project. The study did not

seek to control for different demographics, characteristics, or degrees of addiction

in participants. This led to a wide variety in age, gender identity, culture,

ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and other demographics.

Participants self-identified as individuals who had experienced a significant

struggle with an addictive substance or behavior, and the study did not seek to

deeply explore the etiology, nature, or extent of participants’ addictions.

Participants also self-identified as individuals who have a meaningful

relationship with nature. No moderators explored whether participants live in

urban or rural areas, how much time they spend in nature, if they are alone or with

others when in nature, or if their interactions with nature are structured or free-

form.

These limitations did not detract from the study because the participants

were united by the central and most salient factors the research seeks to examine:

being in recovery for a significant period of time, and having an emotional or

spiritual relationship with nature that is central to maintaining recovery.

Assumptions

Assumptions serve as the basic foundation for any proposed research and

constitute what the researcher takes for granted (Leedy & Ormrod, 2005). The

researcher’s view and interpretation of the stories collected may have been

informed or biased by current understandings, previous experiences, and

expectations for the future of this topic. The central assumption of the study was

that a connection with nature can contribute to one’s recovery process. Several

additional assumptions were: (a) Participants will openly and honestly respond to

interview questions; (b) Narrative inquiry is an effective method of acquiring and

understanding the material which I sought to explore in this study; (c)

Ecopsychology and ecospirituality are appropriate lenses through which to

interpret and understand participants’ connections with nature.

My own perspective, informed by life experiences, is that the 12-step

approach facilitates healing from addiction, and that being in relationship with the

natural world facilitates psychological and spiritual healing as well as

interconnectedness. In interpreting the data, I was sure to remain aware of how

my subjective beliefs might influence the ways in which I coded and thematically

analyzed the data. I was vigilant to remain as objective as possible and, when

appropriate, acknowledge the role my subjectivity played in the analysis.

The aforementioned assumptions did not threaten the validity or detract

from the value of this research, because it was not the intent of this study to prove

or disprove a theory, provide results that are replicable or generalizable, or create

a new model for addiction treatment. Rather, the purpose was to explore the self-

reported experiences of individuals in recovery who identity nature as their higher

power, and to see what qualitative data emerged from their stories.

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS

The following research findings are the results of interviews conducted in

the winter and spring of 2015, with six selected participants of this study. Given

that all participants have been successful in maintaining their recovery through a

spiritual relationship with nature, their responses to the interview questions served

to shed light on the central research question, How can ecopsychological values

and approaches help addicts to achieve and sustain recovery?

Carrying out the qualitative data analysis described in the previous chapter

resulted in the emergence of a number of themes and subthemes derived from

participants’ narratives, organized into three primary sections. The first section,

Evolving Relationship with Nature, delves into participants’ stories regarding the

ways in their relationships with nature have shifted, grown, and transformed over

time. The second section, Levels of Integration with Nature, depicts the ways in

which participants have incorporated nature into their lives in a manner that

supports recovery and well-being. The third master theme, Healing Effects of the

Relationship, explores how participants’ relationships with nature helped them to

overcome many of the issues and root causes underpinning addiction, and

enhanced life in unexpected ways.

In addition to these three overarching themes, a total of 11 subthemes

arose from participants’ narratives. The themes and subthemes are described in

more detail below, re-storied into a framework that accounts for shared as well as

distinct experiences across participants.

Participant Demographics

In alignment with the recruitment strategies outlined in the Procedures

section of Chapter Three, all participants adhere to a sobriety-based, 12-step

approach to overcoming addiction, and identify nature as their higher power. All

participants have been in recovery for at least one year, and live in urban or

suburban areas. The participants include three women and three men, of mixed

backgrounds. Participants range in age from 30 to 76, and their time in recovery

ranges from two years to 33 years. Various excerpts from participants’ responses

are provided to demonstrate each theme and subtheme. In reporting the results

that follow, participants’ names have been excluded to protect their

confidentiality.

In conducting the interviews, it was the researcher’s intent to capture the

participants’ lived experiences of overcoming addiction through a spiritual

relationship with nature, exploring the ways in which this relationship has served

as a higher power and ultimately led to unanticipated healing and personal

growth. All of the participants were gracious and open in sharing their personal

narratives. Many expressed gratitude for the opportunity to reflect in-depth on

their healing journeys, and voiced a hope to make a positive contribution toward

addiction research and support.

Theme I: Evolving Relationship with Nature

In this section I explore the material that emerged pertaining to each

participant’s relationship with nature as it evolved over time. This theme delves

into the history and essence of participants’ relationships with nature across the

lifespan, from childhood to the present. Participants described several factors that

influenced their degree of connectivity with nature at various times, including

family values, geographic location, addiction, and recovery. One participant

captured the dynamism of his relationship with nature by saying, “I think I was

born into it, and I think my recovery’s been about trying to get back to it. Over

and over again” (Participant 6). Subthemes more deeply explore phases of this

evolution, specifically: Initial Connection With Nature, Separation from Nature,

Reconnection Through Recovery, and ultimately, Transcending Recovery.

Initial Connection with Nature

Participants were asked to describe their initial connection with nature,

and how it came about. All six participants referenced childhood, sharing stories

of spending time in the wilderness and how it made them feel. Participants

became animated and enlivened when sharing their memories of discovering a

connection with nature as children and adolescents.

Three out of six participants felt a special relationship with the woods,

often spending time alone among the trees. “The woods around my house were

very important to me…a place to get out of the house, a place to go and be alone,

a place to read, a place to play with my friends” (Participant 1). Another

participant said,

I found myself, as a child, wandering the woods near my house. It was

woods on three sides, and I’m an only child so I had a lot of time with the

dog….and my thing was about wandering as far as I could go, and seeing

what was out there, and finding things, and, you know, just kind of

exploring (Participant 6).

He went on to add, “I used to climb trees all the time as a kid. Cause I was by

myself in the woods. What do monkeys do? They climb into trees! It’s what they

do. So trees, trees, all about the trees.” Another participant discovered a

connection with the woods in early adolescence, after her family moved across

the country:

I grew up in the desert, and then when I was 12 I moved to the East Coast.

And I was really excited to be in a place that had so many trees, because

before that, there was only golf courses; that was the greenest thing

around. So I got really, really excited about nature…because I really

hadn't had any exposure to it before that (Participant 2).

She went on to explain that before her addiction got out of control, some of the

substances she was using enhanced her connection with nature:

I started smoking a lot of weed and taking a lot of hallucinogens, in my

early to mid to late teens…so it all just got wrapped up in a lot of ritual

and a lot of reverence…Ironically, my connection with nature came from

all the drugs I was doing that preceded me getting into recovery.

Another participant depicted summers with his family, traveling to seek

out novel geographical features:

I grew up in the Midwest, and we didn’t have a lot as far as mountains and

nature, so we would go traveling to the west to go skiing and to find

mountains. I really enjoyed going towards more elevated spaces, that had

more animals and more connections (Participant 5).

Two participants described feeling calm and at ease when in nature during

their childhood and adolescence. “From the time I was young, I just felt better

when I was in nature…Whenever I needed to get calm, which was pretty frequent,

I’d go on long drives. By myself, just in the middle of nowhere” (Participant 3).

Another participant said,

I’ve always had a connection with nature on the level of, feeling calmed

when I would go to the beach…in the beginnings of my life…or when I

would go traveling to different countries and go on a hike or a walk

through some kind of trail in the jungle. There was always something in

me that felt really called to that, and really at home in those places

(Participant 4).

One participant shared a memory of intentionally relating with nature

during his childhood:

I remember there was a huge willow tree near my house growing up, and I

would go out, and the branches—they hang straight down and they brush

along the ground. And I would gather them and I would braid them, and I

would braid the whole tree, as much as I could (Participant 6).

He went on to describe the sense of wonderment that the natural world instilled in

him as a child:

My earliest memory of nature, really, is laying on the grass and staring

down into the grass, down inside the blades of grass. And this is very

vivid, I always remember this—watching the insects and the ants down

inside, and the whole world that’s embedded just under your feet. There’s

an entire universe. And so that was amazing to me, it was captivating.

Separation from Nature

Though they weren’t asked directly, three participants mentioned that they

had experienced a period of feeling separated from nature, due to factors

including addiction, entering adulthood, and moving to an urban area.

As I got older that connection became a little less important. We were in

the same house so I was surrounded by the woods, which, looking back I

think is a wonderful thing, but I don’t think it really was important to me

at the time necessarily. And then I moved to a very urban place for

college, and then for my job after that, and was very disconnected from

nature. I never really went out into nature (Participant 1).

The same participant reflected on how her substance use led her to feel cut

off from nature, whereas presently in her life, she has cultivated a more

intentional connection:

Mother Earth is nurturing us, and all the food in my refrigerator came

from these farmers, and what am I doing to give back to that? That’s

what’s important. And I definitely wasn’t thinking about any of that when

I was drinking. None of it was important to me. Everything that was

important was immediate in my head.

One participant said that as an adult, he came to rely on substances in an

attempt to approximate the tranquility he felt in nature as a child:

I used to use drugs to get to those spaces. I used to use alcohol to calm me,

to soothe me, to make me happy. To relieve my stress enough so that I

could let it go. And feel free (Participant 6).

He continued,

I still value that experience of pleasure. And the thing about addicts—

seeking relief is sane. Seeking pleasure and seeking peace through a

substance—the impetus for that is a lovely thing. There’s nothing wrong

with it. It’s actually the right thing to do. The substance, the vehicle that

you’re using to get that is the problem. And it’s just not close enough to

the truth. It clouds and gets in the way. And it messes with your body

attunement.

Similarly, another participant recalled how difficult it was to connect with

nature when she was in the midst of her addiction: “When I was at the most ill, I

suppose, I would have to be out in the middle of the woods, and be there using all

my energy to kind of tap in to what was around me” (Participant 1).

Reconnection Through Recovery

All six participants described returning to their previously established

relationships with nature when seeking sobriety. They reconnected with nature for

the sake of fostering a spiritual relationship in which nature served as higher

power. All participants reported that sustaining and deepening this relationship

over the years has been central in maintaining recovery.

All six participants reported that they turned to nature when first seeking

sobriety, once they realized that their addiction was out of control and that they

needed help.

I was drinking and definitely knew there was a problem. And then there

was a time when I was like, ok, I need to get serious about not

drinking…that was kind of the turning point for me…I found such a big

connection then to nature, where I could find it (Participant 1).

She reflected on how she was able to return to her relationship with nature at that

time, saying: “Being in that park, and spending the time that I spent there when I

was 22, that really brought me back to something or led me to see something.”

Another participant worked through the struggles of early recovery by

creating a sanctuary garden:

My first year of recovery was putting all my frustration, all my pain, all

my anger that came up after I got sober—channeling it into the ground,

into the dirt, into making my environment a safe sanctuary. And that was

all about nature (Participant 6).

He said the garden was central to his recovery process, explaining, “That garden

gave me a productive outlet. It was an estimable act. Cleaning the dirt and

growing things, growing things. That’s my higher power, is that creative part of

me, that artist, that garden.”

Other participants elaborated on the ways in which using nature as a

higher power provided a doorway to recovery.

Coming into recovery, I had to get over a hurdle, because…I am not a

religious person in the sense of, say, I am not affiliated with a particular

religious group. That’s not part of me. I was, and maybe in a way still am,

a confirmed avoider. So I had a challenge with what in Alcoholics

Anonymous is called the higher power (Participant 3).

He explained that he initially shied away from Alcoholics Anonymous due to its

Protestant Christian roots. He went on to share an excerpt from the Alcoholics

Anonymous Big Book in which William James’ The Varieties of Religious

Experience is quoted, explaining that this passage validated for him that nature

was an acceptable higher power:

Apart from anything acutely religious, we all have moments when the

universal life seems to wrap us round with friendliness. In youth and

health, in summer in the woods or in the mountains, there come days when

the weather seems all whispering with peace, hours when the goodness

and beauty of existence enfold us like a dry warm climate, or chime

through us as if our inner ears were subtly ringing with the world’s

security.

Similarly, another participant spoke to her uncertainty regarding beliefs

stemmed in organized religion:

There’s a part of me still that really wants to believe there is an actual

heaven that is in the clouds. There’s so much I don’t know, and I’m kind

of at a place, religiously, where it’s like, I just don't know anything…I

don’t know that I can come to an actual belief and say, I definitely believe

this or disbelieve this (Participant 1).

She went on to explain that relating to nature as a higher power felt more concrete

for her: “One thing I do believe in is the world we live in, and the earth, and the

animals, and the wisdom of the earth, and the rhythms of things and the seasons

of things.”

Other participants used words such as power, beauty, trust, connecting,

and comfort when describing their relationships with nature as a higher power.

I took a trip up to Yosemite a couple years ago… it just felt like I was

grounding myself and taking myself out of the urban landscape, and really

finding an area and a space to connect with. I mean, that’s my higher

power. Is finding the power in turning something over to the beauty of

Yosemite (Participant 5).

Another participant explained,

In my daily life, as a part of my daily recovery…it’s that sense of

something larger than myself and that sense of trusting something bigger,

or trusting that I’m really not in charge. It carries through today. And I

think that’s something that continues to carry through, for the rest of my

life (Participant 4).

A third participant said,

That is exactly what I found a higher power in—nature, and the world, and

the earth. That greater thing that was bigger than me, that is just so much

more immense than me or my problems or my thoughts…And connecting

to that, connecting to something that was so much bigger—there’s so

much comfort in that, really (Participant 1).

Some participants shared stories of feeling supported by nature

specifically while working the 12-step program:

I told you earlier of the difficulty I had in doing the third step with my

sponsor. Prayer. Getting down on my knees. Little did I know, that one

year later, I would be doing that with a sponsee on a granite rock in the

pines up in the Sierra. And feeling very natural doing it (Participant 3).

In the same vein, two participants referred specifically to the soothing and

purifying effects of water in facilitating step work:

Reflecting on my step work, as I’ve gone through the 12 steps several

times in recovery, and am continuing to work the steps as needed or on an

as needed basis, that when I find reflection time and quiet time, it’s either

in the water or near it (Participant 5).

He went on to say,

With the fifth step we went out to Crissy Field, and just sat out there near

the water. And it’s so much more soothing even though it’s a bit of tense

process…I felt like I left a ball and chain on the beach that day. I really

felt the impact of that particular step, and felt much closer to nature. I was

grounded, I mean, I sat in the sand and did my work and so I felt like,

something’s protecting me, that day.

Another participant said,

That’s how I made it though my first year, basically. Was just, water. As a

ritual.” She explained, “The fourth step is the step where…you have to

write all the people that you’re resentful toward, and then you write the

resentments. So for me, I was finding that the action of writing my

resentments was really intolerable, because I was having to live each and

every resentment over again. And it was kind of unbearable, having to

write it out and live through all these memories, it just dredges up a lot in

the body and it became this really hard, visceral pain (Participant 2).

She created a purification ritual, alternating between doing the step work and

swimming to rinse away the pain:

I would write write write, as much as I possibly could, and then I would

swim swim swim swim swim, and it was almost like this, like I was

rinsing it off. And it was also sort of like, embryonic. I was in the water,

and then I would get out and I would do it again.

She found that the physical act of immersing herself in water tempered the intense

emotions of the step work.

One participant reflected on the choice she made in early recovery to leave

the East Coast city where she had been living, and to move to a rural area out west

where she had more access to nature:

At that point where I decided to move, I was actually well enough to say,

if I stay here, if I stay in the city at a job that I don't love, chasing some

kind of early 20-something city dream, if I’m dating guys who are all

downing beers on the first date—if I’m going to be doing those things, I

am not going to stay healthy. I am not going to continue to be sober, I am

not going to be living my true self, I’m not going to be happy (Participant

1).

She went on to say, “I think at a very unconscious level, the choice to leave and

the choice to find something else was kind of a part of recovery. Being true to

myself and finding what felt the best for me.” Her recovery deepened during the

initial journey out west, through exposure to nature during the long train ride:

Seeing Montana stretch out, and North Dakota stretch out, and just seeing

nature like that—it reinforced those feelings of like, there is just so much

out here that is so much bigger and so much more beautiful…I could drink

today or tomorrow, and it really wouldn’t matter to this field, or these

birds, or these rocks…I could drink myself to death and the world will still

be here.

It led her to ask herself,

Is that how I want to be spending my time here? Do I want to be spending

my time in a little apartment being angry and sad and anxious, or do I

want to go out and be in a huge plain, with the sky above, and appreciate

the immensity of, all this is so much bigger than me?

Transcending Recovery

For all participants, reconnecting with nature for the sake of being

successful in recovery was a somewhat utilitarian choice, at least initially.

Sobriety-based, 12-step programs demand that participants identify a higher

power, and for those who don’t resonate with a religious conceptualization of

God, nature can be a convenient alternative. Unprompted by the interview

questions, four participants shared that over time, their relationships with nature

came to transcend recovery, and shaped their lives in unanticipated ways.

These participants reported that as the years passed, they came to feel

increasingly integrated (or perhaps reintegrated) with the natural world: “When

I’m out in nature, knowing myself, it feels like I’m part of nature. That’s my

experience. I’m part of the interconnected whole” (Participant 3). Another

participant felt a lasting bond with the farm on which she lived and worked for

years: “Whenever we go back there, it’s amazing to me how connected I feel to

it…The smells, the geography of it. And I’d never really experienced that before”

(Participant 1). She found that even after moving away, her relationship with the

land was unchanged: “This place is still a part of me and I’m still a part of it, and I

know this place. I know this farm, I know this land. And it’s just a very incredible

feeling.” Another participant felt similarly during a long-term hiking trip:

I actually took the time to let go of the civilized world and be surrounded

by nature and really become a part of it. A part of its cycles and a part of

its rhythm. That’s when I feel like something in me really shifted

(Participant 4).

Another participant reflected, “We forgot that we are nature, and that it isn’t

something to be dominated. It’s something to be seen as self” (Participant 6).

Two participants found that their relationships with nature inspired them

to make dramatic shifts in their lifestyles and value systems. One participant

recalled his pre-recovery lifestyle:

The high point of my life, with the value system I had at the time, was in

1975. And I got sober in 1981. But in 1975, I was living in a house in the

Hollywood Hills with a view, and I had a job with a door with my name

on it, a title. I had a credit card, I could travel anywhere on the company,

stuff like that. I went to Europe a couple times a year (Participant 3).

He explained that initially his aim in recovery was to recreate this lifestyle, but his

recovery journey in relationship with nature overhauled these prior ambitions and

value system: “I thought, you know, if I could just get back to that, I’d call it

even. I’d say, we’re good. Recovery. I had no idea. And I could not have had an

idea of what has happened since then.”

A second participant said, “It’s just hard to even express how much nature

has become a higher power to me, and how much my connection to nature has not

only helped me get and stay sober, but become the person who I am” (Participant

1). She explained,

I can’t even think of the last time, or remember the last time that I actually

thought, I want to drink. It’s been so, so long. But my connection to nature

is still there, and that is helping me grow, and take better care of myself.

And if I didn’t have that, then it might be. It might be like, yep, wanna

drink today.

She elaborated on the ways in which her former lifestyle has been completely

overhauled thanks to this relationship, saying,

Because of nature and meditation and yoga and my spiritual practices,

drinking is hardly even there. It’s more like, I want to grow and I want to

be healthy and I want to give off positivity to the world so, it goes without

saying that I wouldn’t drink again. It goes without saying that I wouldn’t

walk out on my family. It goes without saying that whatever I'm doing I

want to be healthy, and take care of myself, and nurture others.

Theme II: Levels of Integration with Nature

This section explores the level and degree to which participants have been

able to bring nature into their lives in a way that helps sustain their recovery and

enhance their well-being. Given that all participants live in urban and suburban

areas, they have creatively found ways to integrate nature into their lives, as well

as periodically “leave civilization,” as one participant called it, to spend a day or

even months on end in the wilderness. Subthemes that emerged include Bringing

Nature to Me, “Into the Wild,” and Reflections on the Relationship. Participants

reported that regardless of their circumstances, it was always possible to integrate

nature into their lives to different degrees, and maintain a relationship with nature

that contributed to recovery and healing.

Bringing Nature to Me

All six participants shared about the ways in which they have been able to

incorporate nature into their urban and suburban lives. They told stories about

bringing nature into indoor spaces, “tuning in” to shift attention and notice the

existing nature in urban spaces, moving to a place with more access to nature,

engaging in nature-based rituals, and choosing a job that involves spending time

with animals.

Two participants reported that they moved to their current locations

specifically for greater access to nature:

I made a choice to leave New York, and a very big part of that was

because there was not enough nature for me. I moved to the West Coast

which I heard was more nature-based, and since I moved out here, which

was six years ago now, I’ve just found that my connection to nature has

really grown (Participant 1).

She explained,

Where I live, it’s not wooded, it’s not out in the middle of nature. But

there is enough nature where I can go for a walk right now and feel like

there are trees, and it’s not very very loud, and I do do that. That’s very

important to me, and it’s why I live where I do.

Another participant reported that it is important to him to have access to a

body of water:

I have found some beautiful places to live, always close to the water. I

really like the water. Being near a beach. So I’m near a beach now, and I

lived on the East Coast for years on the beach as well. So I think water is

one of the most soothing parts of nature, and there’s just something

magical about the waves (Participant 5).

He explained that the beach provides him with a sense of peace and vitality:

It just helps me to clear my mind. And to kind of turn things over and just

get out of my headspace for a little bit…Even if I didn’t live near the

beach I’d still find a way to go out there a lot because it just seems to be a

life source for me. Water and air.

Two participants shared the ways in which they have brought nature into

their living spaces, and the ways in which this has impacted their recovery and

well-being: “I’ve put a lot of wood, and a lot of rock, and a lot of stone into my

apartment, and that’s important to me. That’s one way I have done it, that makes

it part of my day-to-day” (Participant 1). Another participant said, “I’m making

art out of found material, garden art. Collecting stones, creating sculpture.

Weaving branches” (Participant 6). He continued, depicting the ways in which he

has transformed his living space over the years:

I have a fountain when you walk on the property. It’s right there. And then

you go in the house and I have another fountain right there. And that

sound of water, it’s very soothing to me. And then I have a fish aquarium

that I keep in my bathroom. And so there’s always water. And I have a

cat, and the cat is nature. And she is divine. I love her.

He went on to describe the symbolic meaning behind two plum trees he planted,

and the time he spends with these trees each morning:

I wake up every morning and I grab my coffee and I stand on the front

porch. And I just sit and I take in the weather…I look at my plum trees

that I planted. Right now they’re in flower, they’re covered in the little

pink flowers, and no leaves. So it’s this magic period when they burst into

bloom, and the tree’s gotten so big and so strong. There’s two of them. I

planted them side-by-side on the sidewalk for my boyfriend. So I’m the

purple tree and he’s the green tree.

One participant reported that working with dogs is one of the ways in

which she maintains contact with nature:

When I got sober, I got this job walking dogs, and I take them out to the

park every day. So I’ve been doing that for awhile in my sobriety, and I

always say that, I think I would be a miserable cunt if I didn’t go out with

the dogs, like every fucking day, and like, get out there. So that is

something I do five, six days a week (Participant 2).

Three out of six participants reported that they regularly engage in nature-

based rituals.

There’s this thing where you’re supposed to put a lot of energy you don’t

want into an egg, and then you put that egg into a creek that flows into a

body of water, and I think that’s an African tradition…So I try to make

time to do those kinds of things every couple of months. And that just

seems like a long-term thing that I’ll keep doing (Participant 2).

She acknowledged that this is not a typical practice of the 12-step approach to

recovery, but has found that it works for her and doesn’t seem to be incompatible

with recovery practices: “I think it supports my recovery in a way that—there’s

no part of recovery that says, go do these rituals in the woods, but I do. And it

seems to be ok.” She also shared that she aligns certain rituals with the lunar

calendar: “I gauge a lot with the moon, I try to notice where it’s at, where I’m at,

where my cycle is at with it, maybe even like, what house it’s in.” Referring to

supporting her sponsee in working the 12-step program, she said,

If we had to start something new, and set new intentions, I would try to do

it on the new moon. Or if we had to wrap something up or get rid of some

stuff I tried to do it on the full moon. If we were gonna burn something for

intentions I’d do it on a new moon…Just trying to look at where it’s at and

say, this is what the phase of the moon is, this is good for this kind of

work.

Another participant also aligned rituals with the moon, and incorporated

fire: “I use the elements. I have a cauldron. I burn things. I usually burn them

under the full moon. Usually when I want to let go, or on a major holiday”

(Participant 6). He went on to say, “There’s just something about fire. To me

that’s nature too, fire is…a lot of my rituals have been about staring into the fire,

releasing things to the fire, tending to the fire.”

Two participants reported incorporating the ocean into their rituals:

Since coming to California, the ocean is a big part. I’ve done a lot of

rituals where I put stuff in the ocean...I’ve done a lot of different kinds of

rituals in the ocean, since I’ve been sober. Whether it be at the ocean or in

the ocean (Participant 2).

A second participant said,

When I’ve done different things to release people from my life, or release

different things from my life, I’ve written down what I wanted to release,

and gone down to the ocean, and burned those things and kind of let them

go, and sort of let the ocean and the air take them (Participant 4).

Three participants spoke about mindfulness, namely shifting attention to

visualize nature or paying attention to the existing elements of nature around

them.

The reading that I do, the meditations that I do, the yoga poses that I do

relate to the natural world. I’m at a point in my personal healing, and my

recovery, and my yoga practice, and my meditation practice where I can

just kind of think about it, and bring it into my head, and it’s a calming

image or calming thought (Participant 1).

Another participant said, “I often will burn sage, or when I meditate I’ll hold my

gems cause I feel like they have a different energetic resonance” (Participant 4).

One participant described a mindful shift in attention as “tuning in”:

While I’m driving I will shift my awareness from the person in front of

me, from my timetable, and I will just suddenly look at any green thing,

any tree, and I will try to tune into the trees on the street instead of the cars

(Participant 6).

He further explained,

I don’t drive unsafely, but I literally will—Can I see the city for the trees?

Can I take in the trees? And I tune into the trees, and suddenly, the street

changes color…I look down the street and I can see all the trees as far as

the eye can see…And suddenly it’s a completely different city in that

moment, and I feel relief.

“Into the Wild”

All six participants told stories about leaving urban or suburban areas

behind to enter the wilderness, in some cases only for a day trip, and in other

cases for as long as several months at a time. In contrast with the prior subtheme,

here participants leave the “civilized world” behind to immerse themselves in the

wilderness, and in some cases even take on a nature-based lifestyle.

One participant shared,

I connect mostly when I’m around greenery, and the mountains, and the

hills, and lakes and stuff like that…I had decades in southern California,

and on a day like this it could be 75 degrees and I could go to the beach, or

I could get my skis and go out to the mountains, to the snow-capped

mountains and do that, all within an hour from where I was living

(Participant 3).

Another participant said, “Being in the woods…being out from the city is just a

grounding thing, and I feel like I can think more clearly and I can find more of my

true voice” (Participant 1). A third participant recalled, “I would…spend the day

with myself…being up in the trees. That’s a big part of my ritual” (Participant 6).

Another participant said her connection with nature continues to deepen

the more she aligns with nature and its cycles:

I’ve done a ton of long hiking trips since moving out to California. Before

then I had never had a really deep, deep connection to nature…I knew that

I was kind of supposed to connect with the woods, and get back with the

natural environment and the natural cycle of things (Participant 4).

As previously stated, one participant talked about feeling deeply

connected with nature in altered states of consciousness during her adolescence,

before her substance use grew out of control. During these times, she felt a sense

of clarity that could only be achieved when she was immersed in nature: “I used

to cut school a lot to just go smoke weed in the woods, like when I moved to the

country. There was always waterfalls, and caves, and trees, and woods and farms

and things like that” (Participant 2). She went on to say,

Over time, that used to be a way that I would solve problems…I was like,

I need to figure something out so I’m going to go to the river, and smoke a

bunch of weed, and figure it out in nature. So it became that kind of

ritual…it was like a combination of therapy and problem solving. And I

couldn’t do it anywhere else. It had to be in nature.

Similarly, another participant found that spiritual or intuitive wisdom

emerged when she left the city and immersed herself in nature during extended

hiking trips:

I’ve been alone and walking through nature…and sometimes thoughts

would just come to me. Whether it was intuition or whether it was voices

from people that I’ve known who have passed that would come to me

when I was very still (Participant 4).

She explained that nature provides a space for her and brings her to a state of

being in which she can receive these messages:

I almost have to be away from the distractions and be connected to myself

in a natural state to where I could let that intuition and guidance in. It’s

really hard for me to connect to spirituality when there’s so much going on

and I’m so busy, and I’m just going and going and going. But in a natural

setting, I can somehow unwind and be receptive enough to all of the things

that I need to hear.

Reflections on the Relationship

In this subtheme, participants reflect on their ability to weave nature into

their lives, with many expressing a wish to deepen their relationships with nature.

Three of the six participants expressed that they frequently yearn for more time to

experience nature, and for an increasingly integrated relationship with nature.

These excerpts also illuminate the significance of this relationship for these

participants, and the ways in which they intentionally nurture and deepen the

relationship.

“My connection to nature has really grown. It’s very important to me. It’s

something that I actively seek out” (Participant 1). She went on to say,

If it’s not there for whatever reason, because I’ve not gone out to nature as

much, or I haven’t been walking outside as much, especially during the

winter when I’m kind of just inside a lot, I find that I miss it, and that I

really need it.

Another participant felt pulled to move to a natural environment, but at the

same time, was reluctant to leave her city life:

That’s what I’m struggling with now…I’ve built up such a life here, and

this is the life that I’ve been happy with, and have led. And I know that

I’m being called for more silence and to get into a place where there’s

more space, and yet there’s something in me that’s still really scared to let

go. Even though I know that at this point, being in a natural environment

serves me so much more (Participant 4).

She also noticed that her relationship with nature drastically shifts when

she is the city, compared with in the wilderness:

If I’m in the city and I see a sunset and say it’s beautiful, I actually almost

can’t stand that all the buildings are in the way of it anymore. And it

almost makes me sad that nobody notices it. I actually think what I notice

is the loss of awareness.

She acknowledged that she recognizes a lack of awareness in herself, as well as in

others:

I see it in other people, like, nobody else is noticing this, and I also see it

in myself now that I’ve gotten busy. And I’m like, wow, before I would

have been looking at this for an hour. And now I can look at it for two

minutes before I have to go along my way…I notice my lack of ability to

be with it for as long as I’d like.

Another participant echoed this dilemma in saying, “I think I spend a lot

of my time longing for nature. That’s part of my experience of nature—is wanting

more, and not having enough of it. But kind of running by it” (Participant 6).

Lastly, one participant who had spent extended periods of time camping

and hiking reflected on the critical difference between leaving a city to spend a

few days in the wilderness, and adopting a long-term immersive nature-based

lifestyle:

I think there may be some subconscious reason why we all, why people

don’t connect to nature anymore. Because I think then there actually has to

be a choice between these two realities. And that it’s really hard to pull

away from the constant going. And so when one does experience a very

different way of being, it’s in such conflict with the way that we all have

to live that it’s hard (Participant 4).

She explained,

I think a lot of people don’t want to feel the contrast, because it’s too

painful. To a certain level. Not to be too dramatic. I mean, of course

people can go on a day hike and come back and live in the city, you

know? But to really be changed by it, I think is very scary.

Theme III: Healing Effects of the Relationship

All participants expressed that in addition to helping them be successful in

the 12-step approach to recovery, their relationships with nature also addressed

many of the issues underpinning addiction, and enhanced life in unforeseen ways.

They were pleasantly surprised to find that this relationship brought about deeper

healing across several areas. Subthemes delve into these specific areas, namely

Physical, Intellectual and Philosophical, Emotional and Psychological, and lastly,

Spiritual.

Physical

All six participants shared stories of physical healing and transformation

that came about as a bi-product of their relationships with nature. They talked

about adopting a healthier diet and lifestyle, feeling re-embodied and

experiencing heightened senses, working through physiological trauma responses,

developing an ability to calm and self-regulate, and being physically challenged

by nature.

One participant shared that her dietary preferences shifted once she

became more aligned with nature: “Growing up, and then even when I was living

in New York, I kind of ate what I liked, and I would microwave it and I didn’t

think much about it. But now, I eat totally seasonal” (Participant 1). She further

explained,

It’s gotten so ingrained in me that if someone offered me a bowl of

blueberries right now I’d be like, no, that’s weird, but how about some

oranges?...The way that I eat, composting, getting down to more of that

connection of where my food comes from, where it goes. And that’s been

an immense thing that I hadn’t thought about really until I had moved out

of the city.

Three participants said that their relationships with nature help them to

feel meditative, calm and at ease. One participant felt calmed by the moon and the

early morning sunlight:

I get up every morning with my head spinning…nowadays, it’s dark, so I

can see the moon. Or it’s sunny even, if it’s that time of year. I’m driving

down the street cause I go to a meeting at 7am every day, year round…I

can see the artist’s light on the hill. And I just cool out, there it goes. And I

just, I can feel the shift. I can feel it. So it’s very calming. It’s a daily

experience (Participant 3).

Another participant found calm in the water: “If I can’t find time to just sit

and mindfully meditate throughout the hectic day here in the city, the hustle

bustle, at least swimming in the water, it’s complete silence and just being in a

different element” (Participant 5). He also said, “Hiking through the woods, the

redwoods, it’s just very meditative.” A third participant echoed,

If I’m stressed out, I could go down and walk on the beach, and all of a

sudden feel like things are right-sized again. Like the sounds, the smells. I

feel like the experiential aspect of calming comes about in different

natural settings (Participant 4).

All six participants described feeling re-embodied and experiencing

heightened senses. One participant shared how her addiction impacted her senses

and connection with her body: “My senses had just been deadened for so long.

And I wasn’t really in my physical body, I was just so in my head all the time.

And I’d try to get out of my head by drinking” (Participant 1). She described the

experience of rediscovering her senses in early recovery:

There were these moments of being in the park, and looking at the trees,

and being like, wow, that is so green, and so vibrant, and the colors are so

alive. And how is it that I’m in my early 20s, and I’m just seeing this? And

that just was so striking to me.

She went on to say,

There was a time when I was just so dead, sensory wise, that I wasn’t even

seeing it. It was just grayish. And then to go through that transformation

and be like, that is green. That is yellow. That is a blue sky. It was

moments like those.

Another participant echoed,

Smell is most associated with memory, if I recall correctly. I saw

something about that recently. But it really does amplify when it’s quiet

and deep in the redwoods during a hike, and finding that—yeah it’s

amplification I guess. More of a connection, a grounding (Participant 5).

A third participant said,

Now when I ski, especially when I’m on the ski lift, I really notice the

trees, and I find myself caressing them almost, with my eyes. I mean,

really getting into the tree. So, it has sharpened my senses I guess. Or

directed them in a way that they hadn’t been before (Participant 3).

He reported feeling a deeper level of consciousness and embodiment, thanks to

his amplified senses:

I’d go and feel good sitting on the beach or being in the mountains or

something, but now I can more experience it on a being level. More of a

conscious type of thing. So I’ve been aware of a new way, a deeper way of

experiencing myself, my body, and my existence.

Similarly, another participant emphasized feeling re-embodied through the

sense of touch:

We all started laying down on the beach, and having our whole bodies on

the stones…I do these things now. I stop and I feel what my body feels

against the stones, or I touch the bark on the trees, and I never had been

doing that. Ten years ago, certainly not (Participant 1).

She continued, “That moment on the beach, it was a beautiful experience to

me…This is part of my life where I am more apt to touch the tree bark, or look at

the sky, or watch the sunset.”

Another participant explained that she experiences sensory overwhelm

living in the city:

I just feel like an antenna picking up a lot of signals. I want to cut off from

it, that’s why I took drugs. I mean, I would love that, if I was cut off from

that. I think I would be a much more functional person, you know? It’s

overwhelming (Participant 2).

She explained that nature provides a respite from the intensity: “It’s cleaner in

nature. I’m not getting bombarded with bullshit, and information, and emotions,

and other people’s, just, whatever people are emitting, it’s not there…it’s nice to

go to nature to actually decrease the sensation.”

Another participant reported that challenges in the wilderness helped her

to learn to soothe herself:

All the ways that I’ve reacted in the world show up when I’m hiking. Like

if the mountain has a false summit, and I get to the top and the turn the

corner and there’s so much more to go, I would get, at first, really

frustrated. And then, I’ve had to sort of work with self-regulation, and

regulating my own nervous system, and changing my thoughts, and

saying, ok, apparently this isn’t the top. Keep going, you can’t turn back

(Participant 4).

Lastly, another participant said,

When I tune into nature, my senses turn on. And I usually get really

emotional. It’s such a clean feeling. It’s such a—it’s a sensual state…Even

just thinking about returning to nature calms me down. It brings me to my

senses. That’s what it does for me. It actually reminds me that I am a

sensual beast (Participant 6).

One participant spoke in depth about the ways in which she has gained a

more nuanced understanding of the body’s trauma responses during extended

hiking trips in the wilderness:

There were times when I didn’t have water, and I thought, ok I’m going to

get it at this next place, I have to get there before sundown. Something

completely overtook, shut down my hunger, shut down everything, and I

moved faster than I ever thought my body could handle on the mountains,

with my bag, with everything, to survive (Participant 4).

She went on to say,

The whole system kind of convenes to use every single bit of energy to get

me to a place of safety. And at that point, everything does shut down—

hunger, having to pee—everything stops, and it’s only about that place,

and getting to safety. And so I think that also helped me see how the body

really does—dissociative states really do come in to serve survival.

She explained that much of the healing she’s experienced had to do with being

physically challenged, or even deprived, by nature.

Surrounded by nature, I’ve had to experience the cycle of life on a daily

basis. Like when things have been really difficult, when things got easy

again, when it was freezing, and then when it was easeful weather, when it

was beautiful and sunny, times I couldn’t find water, when I had plenty of

water…and so there became an experience of trust that became

physicalized for me.

Intellectual and Philosophical

This subtheme focuses on the intellectual growth experienced by

participants as a result of their relationships with nature. All six participants

shared stories about knowledge, wisdom, and clarity gained. They also expressed

philosophical stances and values that have grown out of this relationship,

specifically regarding environmentalism; technology; and modern, industrialized

life as compared with a nature-based, tribal lifestyle.

Participants talked about the personal impact of philosophical ideas or

revelations inspired by the natural world. One participant described how her

thinking began to shift in early recovery:

Is my day-to-day existence toxic and hurting others? Even if I don’t mean

to? Or is my day-to-day existence really helping others, especially because

I mean to? And of course for me at the time, it was, well, I’m pretty toxic

and I’m hurting others. Even when I’m trying to do my best. Because of

this addiction that’s going on (Participant 1).

The natural world inspired her to turn her focus away from her own problems:

At that time it was really easy to get really distracted by my career, and

boyfriends, and all these other distractions and things that I felt were really

important. But just kind of coming down to, what are animals in nature

doing? How is a bird living?…The forest and the trees, they’re going to be

there no matter whether you are or not. They’re going to be there.

She also discussed the freedom she felt in coming to terms with her own

insignificance in the universe:

Wow, I am such this little speck in everything else. And even though it

matters to me, it doesn’t matter to the mountains, or to the ocean, or to

generations ahead of me or generations before me…I think that was really

big, when I was really struggling…really stepping back and not looking at

the city, not looking at my hometown, but just looking at the world itself

and saying, there’s so much more here. And don’t I want to be a part of

that?

Another participant shared similar sentiments, saying he was relieved to

be reminded that everything didn’t revolve around him:

I noticed that my watch was no longer the center of the universe,

metaphorically. Everything didn’t revolve around me. And I had it inside,

deep inside, that everything is connected, part of. I’m part of an

interconnected whole. And I think that’s called ecology (laughs). And

from there, it’s grown…Nothing is wasted and everything is connected

(Participant 3).

One participant found inspiration to make a positive impact on the world,

acknowledging that her impact would be small yet still worthwhile:

I’m here, like it or not. And I have impact here. And I can make that a

really good impact, and I want to make that a good impact. And even as

big as my impact is, it’s so tiny in the scope of things. And that’s, I don’t

know, that’s not necessarily a scary thing (Participant 1).

Another participant said that challenging experiences in nature put her in

touch with an inner strength she wasn’t previously aware she had: “Because we

make our lives so easy, we actually really don’t know anymore, we can’t even

feel into how much strength we actually have. And we’re doing ourselves a

disservice” (Participant 4). She went on to say,

When you climb a mountain, or you deal with the rain, or you think you’re

lost and then figure it out, or just walk for 10 miles or something, there’s a

way that that’s an experience of like, wow, I can do so much more than I

ever thought I could. My body is so strong and able, and I do have more

intuition than I thought, and I can make a choice and figure it out.

These experiences deepened her awareness of how, in the developed world, we

have lost contact with our own strength:

I think that in our society, in our culture, we make things so easy that we

stop thinking we can really do anything. Everything we do has to be an

intellectual feat, or something computerized. Or we pay for it to be done

by someone else who knows. We don’t actually think we can figure it out

ourselves. So I think we do ourselves a great disservice by making life

way too easy.

Another participant discussed coming to terms with her own mortality:

If I know nothing else about what happens after we die…at the very least I

know that my body is going to go back to the earth. And it’s cyclic. And I

don’t believe that’s all there is, I just, I kind of can’t, I just don’t. But at

the very least I know that. That’s something that I can say, with at least,

scientific certainty (Participant 1).

Five participants expressed cultural critiques, comparing our society with

nature-based cultures:

There’s just so much that has come before the world the way it is now,

that’s come before America. That’s just so powerful and meaningful and

deep. Even when I talk to people who aren’t necessarily inclined to the

more spiritual or things like that, when talking about ancient things, or

how old the mountains are, or the way people used to live, and I don’t

mean the Paleo diet, I mean hunting and gathering—there’s just resonance

(Participant 1).

She recalled the rural area she lived in for a time, saying,

A lot of people there were transplants. People like me who found it and

were like, this place is magical, and who were rediscovering it at 20 or 25

or 30 or later. And it’s like, if so many people are rediscovering this and

finding resonance in this, that means that it’s lacking. That means that

there is importance here and it’s lacking otherwise.

She concluded, “I think there’s so much to be taken from how people used to live,

living more slowly, living more connected to nature. More connected to

themselves, to their own intuition.”

Similarly, another participant advocated for a “return to the earth,”

comparing indigenous cultures of the Americas with our capitalist society:

What they were able to do not only with nature but agriculture—to sustain

societies for decades and for centuries without any technology, observing

the sun up and sun down and following rituals…being able to connect

with weather patterns…They have more of a spiritual connection and

respect for the elders, and the people that have come before them, and

conventional wisdom (Participant 5).

He expressed concerns about the impact of capitalism on the environment:

Living in a capitalistic, materialistic society, we can’t even—unless we

step into nature and take ourselves out of the daily grind, there’s no way to

even connect with it. I think the Amazon—80 percent of the world’s

biodiversity is right there, and it’s still being—you know, the oil

companies are going in and taking what they want, and if we can’t find

better ways to sustain ourselves, we’re in big trouble.

He advocated for a realignment with nature: “There’s a lot of information there

that we should be paying attention to. A return to the earth, if you will.”

One participant saw environmentalism through the lens of reciprocity:

Having kids of my own…I want them to be able to live in a beautiful

world, and have access to the things that I had access to. And it boggles

my mind that everyone on the earth is not fighting tooth and nail to save

the environment, and ‘save the whales!’ and all that, cause even the idea

of the earth mother—Mother Earth. And nurturing what nurtures you

(Participant 1).

Another participant reflected on value judgments surrounding urban-

industrial culture as opposed to nature-based lifestyles:

People turn their noses up at people that live in rural environments, or

farmers, or things like that. There’s a lot of elitism connected to living in a

city, and go go go, and having a job. And if you’re drawn to more of a

natural state…I think that there can be judgment. Because we’re a

capitalist society (Participant 4).

She continued,

There’s so much brought up in us about needing to succeed, and do, and

be the masters of our universe, and making more money and being fast.

There’s so much that’s accepted about that, that the opposite is almost

lackadaisical, or unfocused, or unintellectual.

One participant said, “I think there’s going to be a revolt against

technology at one point or another” (Participant 5). Similarly, another contrasted

relating with technology and relating with nature:

I haven’t been able to align myself and enmesh with the trends of

technology, and sort of the way that the world is going, so it (nature) has

been a refuge…I know the ocean is there, and the ocean is always there,

and the ocean is bigger than a social network, and it feels really like I need

to have a lot of respect for it. Whereas I can’t seem to wrap my mind

around what data is (Participant 2).

She went on to say,

Everyone’s like, we have to save the earth, and I’m like, I don’t think the

earth is going to need to be saved. We are the ones that are going to be

destroyed. The earth is going to eat us, hopefully. The earth has been

around longer than we have, and we should be worried for us. The earth

will be fine.

Other participants shared similar views on the fate of mankind: “The

dominant part of our nature is really playing itself out. And there’s an end to it.

There’s actually a limit to how much it can go on, I think” (Participant 6).

Another participant said,

I think we’ve decided that we are in charge, and to a certain extent, we are.

I think the only lesson is, nature is probably gonna win. Cause it’s gonna,

at the very least, run out of, we’re gonna run out of the resources that

we’ve been—then where are we gonna be? (Participant 2).

A third participant said,

Don’t mess with Mother Nature. In the end, I mean, that water is rising out

there. The whole thing about global warming, whether it’s one of these

things that’s going to wipe out the earth or whether it’s just one of the

long-term cycle type things, it’s going to change. There’ll be a new ice age

or whatever it is…there are some things you cannot stop.

He summed up his thoughts on the matter saying, “The lesson is called humility”

(Participant 3).

A second participant referred to humility, in terms of allowing, rather than

fighting, the ups and downs of life:

As a society, we don’t know how to deal with unpredictability. And we

don’t know how to deal with the ebbs and flows of things like working

and not working, coming and going. Everything in our society we try to

have at status quo. And I mean, even the temperature within which we live

(Participant 4).

She illustrated her point by saying,

It could be 40 degrees outside and everything inside will be at 70, and then

it’ll be 85 outside and we’ll have the air on and everything will be at 70,

and if it’s not 70, something’s wrong. And then we complain about it.

She found growth in embracing the inconsistencies that a nature-based lifestyle

demands:

Something in our society has created this belief that everything needs to be

the same in order for it to be ok. And I just think that having to kind of be

in the natural rhythms of environment, and in nature, it forces us to deal on

a larger level with ourselves and with resilience, and with trust, and

humility.

Lastly, one participant expressed his belief that living in relationship with

nature is our hope for the future:

100

Books are great, but actually the one book that we’re longing to read is the

book of nature. And that’s what I believe. That’s what I think will be the

salvation of our species on the planet, if we have enough people who

understand that and can be there at the right moment. I hope I can be one

of those people (Participant 6).

Emotional and Psychological

This subtheme showcases participants’ stories of experiencing emotional

and psychological growth through their relationships with nature. All six

participants talked about experiencing personal growth through being challenged,

slowing down, healing from trauma, and feeling rooted or oriented. Participants

also spoke to the interpersonal growth they have experienced through healing

relationships.

One participant talked about feeling grounded in relationship with nature:

I often feel overwhelmed, and I can look at the moon like a map and be

like, well here’s how I can orient myself. It’s like a compass that I can say,

ok this is where I can be pointing myself…as long as there’s always

nature, I’m always rooted in something (Participant 2).

Another participant talked about letting go of anger and finding peace:

I felt very calm and very above the anger. That was all there, but right now

I am just here, and in this beautiful space, and calm. And I think that’s

where the attachments of anger started to just go, and dissipate (Participant

1).

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Another participant reflected on the ways in which spending extended

amounts of time in nature has led her to want to move more slowly, and minimize

external stimulus:

I realized that I just really needed my space. And that, that’s not

necessarily a bad thing. It just means that being surrounded by nature and

being in that kind of environment for the amount of time I was, it’s

changed the craving that I have for different energies (Participant 4).

She elaborated, saying, “I just can’t make as many plans as I used to. And I

thought I would try to get back to normal, and part of me is like, well maybe this

is the new normal.”

Similarly, another participant found that a growing edge for her was to be

able to slow down without judging herself for being unproductive:

The guys were just strolling on the beach looking at rocks, and I was

antsy, like, what are we doing? Let’s go, let’s do something. The idea of

strolling and looking for rocks on a beach was so outside of my schema.

And I was really aware of it too, cause I was the one who was anxious. No

one else was anxious (Participant 1).

She said at the time, she thought to herself, “I have come really far, but obviously

I have a lot more to go if I can’t even walk on a beach and look at rocks without

feeling like I’m not being productive.” She explained that her relationship with

nature has helped her to let go of anxiety and appreciate the present moment:

I think just being in nature and being around people who appreciate

nature—that’s helped me so much…I don’t want to always be jumping on

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the next thing. I don’t want to miss the stones. I don’t want to miss all

those things. I do want to stop and look and appreciate.

Another participant shared about the emotional healing she has

experienced in relationship with animals:

There’s a cat at my house and I spend a lot of time with him. He’s not my

cat but he’s my roommate’s cat, and we’re bonded. I don’t know, I try to

spend a lot of time with him just like, on my chest, because that feels like,

there’s something there that feels relevant (Participant 2).

She explained that the closeness she feels with animals helps to alleviate the

loneliness that often arises in recovery:

There’s a lot of feelings of isolation that come up with sobriety. And

loneliness. And you lose something, you lose that—whatever blanket you

were using to smash yourself with to feel ok…So it’s nice to have

something physically touching you that is a dog, which is so sweet.

One participant found that emotional growth emerged from physical

challenges experienced in nature:

There are times when something is difficult, and I have to be with it

anyway. Like walk through the rain, or there’s another mountain, or the

rocks are hard, or it’s slippery, or I lost my balance. And like, to come

back again is, I feel, is much more of the healing process than just the

relaxation of the sound of lapping water on a shore (Participant 4).

She explained,

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The healing part for me has come in noticing like, wow, what are my

primal responses when I get scared, and I’m out here alone? So I get to see

where I go when I’m tired, frustrated, when the mountain just keeps going

on and all I want to do is stop. But somehow I get through, and there’s that

sense of accomplishment.

Another participant explained that her awareness of natural cycles has

helped her to weather the ups and downs in her own life:

One thing I do believe in is the world we live in, and the earth, and the

animals, and the wisdom of the earth, and the rhythms of things and the

seasons of things. And I just found such a connection with that to my

own…seasons and my own rhythms, and even ups and downs in my

relationship. That’s a season and I know it’s going to pass, just like I know

the winter’s going to pass. And finding so much comfort in that

(Participant 1).

One participant found that experiencing trauma responses in the wild,

serving the functions they are intended for, helped her to heal from relational

trauma:

Nothing that I experienced in those states of survival—even though I was

in the wild and I was in a totally different environment—was new. What I

realized was that they were all familiar, and they were all in their right

place here, and how they were all relational in my civilized life

(Participant 4).

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This revelation helped her let go of the trauma responses that were no longer

serving her: “I got to see how they served a purpose when I connected them back

to their original functions. And how they no longer needed to serve a purpose

when I was in the civilized world.” She continued, “Those relationships that did

that to me didn’t really have that power anymore. And that all the sort of survival

responses were from a very young age, and that they could be released.”

One participant felt that technological culture has made authentic

interpersonal contact increasingly difficult:

Everything is transmitted in a code across some sort of a medium. It’s not

who you are, when you’re looking at a screen, when you’re talking in the

phone. You’re not talking to the other person, you’re talking to a piece of

machinery. And getting replications. And the human brain is capable of

making believe, as it were, that you’re really talking with someone else

(Participant 3).

He explained that it is preventing us from deeply connecting with one another, as

well as with ourselves:

If you’re not fully present with somebody like we are right now, you’re

only this much present through a medium, I think it makes it extremely

difficult if not impossible to know who you are yourself…the only way

that I really can know myself is in the presence of another. You know, like

the fish can’t see the water that it swims in.

One participant experienced interpersonal healing through his relationship

with his sponsor, a man who also had a spiritual connection with nature:

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He took me through the steps, he got me on a regimen of prayer and

meditation, and took me into his home, and took me to his gardens—he

worked at a garden center—and we would go out into nature and talk. And

he had an uncanny connection. Very. He was a mystic…divinely inspired

(Participant 6).

He explained, “That was my first real demonstrative, this is how I pray, this is

what I want you to do, kind of sponsor. And it changed the course of my life.”

The same participant responded to the final interview question, “Before

we end, is there anything else you would like to say?” by honoring his mother, her

relationship with the nature, and the impact it has had on him:

I watched her in her nature. And she works with animal spirits…there’s

been periods when she worked very intensely with guides and animal

spirits. And hung skins, and waited for signs, and burned things, and did a

lot of rituals.

He explained that in early recovery, he didn’t want to pray the Catholic way so he

asked his mother to teach him how she prays. She taught him to locate the four

cardinal directions and sit in meditation with the animal spirit at each direction:

She said, the wisdom is the east, and it’s the eagle. And that was her thing.

And the mouse is the south and that’s for innocence and new eyes. And

the west was the great bear to endure the winter of hardship and strength.

And then the north was for truth, with a capital T.

He explained that he made some modifications to fit his own needs:

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It became clear that I needed to have the—not so much the bear. She’s the

bear, my mom is a bear. That it needed to be the sea otter…the freedom,

the play, the delight in the liquid environment, the ability to float and

to…never forget how to play. That was my west. So, that’s kind of the

answer to the last question. Is that my mother has a hand in this.

Spiritual

All six participants shared that they have experienced spiritual healing in

connection with nature. In describing the quality of these experiences, they used

words like lifted, connected, trust, and faith. Some participants talked about

spiritual experiences with animals, and with elements such as water and fire.

Participants also talked about how their relationship with nature has opened them

up to other notions of higher power, such as energy and cosmos.

One participant reflected on his childhood spiritual connection with

nature: “I would literally just wander into the woods, and spend the day with

myself. And it was a spiritual experience. It was a sacred experience, and I didn’t

realize at that time that it was. It just was” (Participant 6). Another participant

said,

As my grand-sponsor told me, way back when, when I was wrestling with

this higher power business—he says, You don’t realize it, but as we’re

talking the universe is rearranging itself on your behalf…I couldn’t wrap

my head around it but something inside went, yep. This is all you gotta do,

is tune in. And the way I tuned in, initially, was through nature

(Participant 3).

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Another participant recalled an ecstatic moment experienced during a

meditation:

I meditated once in this park in my hometown, and it was the first time I’d

done something like that, it was the first time I’d meditated out in a

public-ish place. And I think also maybe because I was early on in

meditation, but just feeling very lifted, very connected, very lifted…it was

kind of akin to being on mushrooms (Participant 1).

She explained how this moment resulted in a breakthrough:

At that time especially, I had a very angry lens at my hometown and

growing up. It was a familiar place and it was home, but it wasn’t

necessarily like, this is my spiritual place. So I was meditating in the park,

and my lens really changed at that moment.

Similarly, another participant found relief through peaceful reflection:

A spiritual relief, if you will. Just knowing that I can take if offline, and go

out to the beach and reflect on the work that I’ve done, and the

connections that I’ve made, and the experience I certainly hope that I’ve

shared with others, and that they’ve shared with me (Participant 5).

For a third participant, synchronicities have helped him to feel spiritually

connected: “This meditation, this connection with nature, this master gardener—

these things, they’re not mistakes. It’s right on time. And I’m so grateful for that.

Talking about it really brings it home, like, oh yeah—I’ve got this wonderful

connection” (Participant 6).

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In the previous section, one participant shared that she has experienced

significant emotional growth when being challenged by the natural world. In

addition, she explained that her trust and faith in something greater than herself

also grew through these experiences: “In recovery we talk about, like, you’re

never given more than you can handle. It’s like, you’re brought to something

because you’re ready for it” (Participant 4). She painted a picture of some of the

challenges she has faced in nature:

It’s been freezing cold and the winds were gusting at 30 miles an hour or

something and I was on a ridge, and I somehow weathered the storm and I

somehow wasn’t panicking anymore. I know how to deal with it, and I just

deal with it.

She explained,

It’s a spiritual experience…I never thought I could handle something like

this, but something larger thinks I can handle something like this. Like I

mentioned, times I’ve been out of water and felt terrified, and then the

next day it’s like, this blessing—there’s water. And I somehow can trust in

everything again. I feel like trust and faith and spirituality are so

intertwined.

A second participant spoke about finding trust in relationship with nature,

saying he experienced

a definite change in psyche, due to recovery and connecting with nature,

and believing that this is a power greater than myself. And that I can trust

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in it, and believe in it, and just kind of using the guiding, not ideology, but

the guiding light (Participant 5).

Three participants said that over time, their spiritual relationships with

nature helped them be more receptive to other forms of spirituality. For one

participant, that meant turning to ancient cultures:

I’ve just been really interested in the goddess archetypes. The more

ancient, the more intuitive, ancient things people have been doing for a

long time to find meaning and strength, and to keep going through the day

that has just been so forgotten (Participant 1).

Another participant expanded outward from nature, to find spirituality in the

cosmos at large:

Not just nature but what’s beyond—our universe. It’s absolutely mind

blowing…I believe in complete infinite worlds. If there’s a never-ending

universe there’s got to be something far greater than the human existence.

Something very spiritual and beyond our constraints of society or life

(Participant 5).

A third participant recalled a spiritual turning point, a moment in which he felt

metaphysical or supernatural energy:

You may have heard of Rumi?…I was in his mausoleum. And there’s the

old guy right there, with his father, and all the family. And it was as if, I

mean—it was palpable. You could feel it. You could really, really feel it,

you walk into that space, it felt heavy, the energy in there. And of course

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now I do qi gong, and they talk about moving energy in the qi and all that

kind of stuff (Participant 3).

One participant experienced spiritual connectivity and healing through

elements such as fire and water:

Part of my ritual is to stare into the flame of a candle…I’m talking about

looking straight into the power of fire itself. It’s another universe into

itself, and it is a sacred power, and it is much more powerful than me. And

I don’t understand it, but it is so incredible (Participant 6).

He also spoke about a spiritual experience out on the open sea:

We were on the boat, and we had a really nice room with a balcony. The

ship was just so massive, and I remember going out there and beholding

the water. And it hit me so hard, the immensity of the Goddess, of Mother

Earth.

He contextualized this experience in light of his religious upbringing:

I’ve been born a Catholic. I mean, it’s all about male gods, and fire and

brimstone, and going to hell, so this—to have this goddess part, to have

this feminine power, the buoyancy, just being carried and lifted, this

massive boat, hundreds of tons, you know? A whole city. And yet, it was

nothing. All of it, just in the palm of this great entity.

This revelation led to an ecstatic moment:

To me, the water is one being on the planet. And it suddenly just

reverberated through me and I cried, and it was beautiful…that was a true

spiritual experience. The whole trip was about being on the ocean…I was

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like, oh, the planet’s three-fourths water. Oh that’s right, we’re three-

fourths water. Oh! You know, and it kind of just kept hitting me—this is

who we are, this is where we, this is where I come from. This is where we

all come from. And I just kind of—woohoo!!! Aaaaaahhhh! Let’s dance!

It was really, it was a spiritual experience. Even just telling you now, I feel

it.

Another participant talked about several animal encounters that have

affirmed her spiritual connection and facilitated healing and growth:

It’s always like, you’ll see some animal at the right time. I like to look up,

if I see some hummingbirds. Cause I do pray also. And if I go somewhere

and I pray and then there’s a bunch of hummingbirds, then I like to think

about, what do hummingbirds—what’s their medicine? What do they

bring? (Participant 2).

She also shared a near-death experience in the wilderness that was quite

spiritually significant to her:

I was out on the trail, and I was camping. And we did everything right. We

put the stuff—we took off our clothes and put them over here, and put the

bear bag over here, and put the tent over here, and everything was perfect.

She explained,

I was a big bear aficionado, that was my spirit animal for a long time. And

this was during that time. And then we got flanked, the tent got flanked by

these bears. And there was one right next to my head, and I could feel the

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size of its head based on its breath, it was right next to me. And the only

thing separating us was a tent wall.

She explained that she came to terms with her own mortality in this moment:

It was sniffing at my head, and I had to resign myself that I was going to

die that way. I was like, well this is the way I’m gonna die, but I’m ok

with it being a bear…They didn’t eat us, which was awesome…that was

kind of a spiritual thing, because I made peace with it, and I was like, what

a way to go. It’s not the worst.

The same participant said that her bond with the dogs she works with

often feels like a spiritual experience:

I think I would be a much more miserable person if I didn’t work with

dogs and animals every day…the ones that sit up front in my truck have to

be on my lap, or put their head on my arm, like somehow be leaning on

me. It feels really special. That’s kind of a spiritual experience, I feel, like

when something needs you.

Lastly, one participant talked about guiding visions he received while

praying in his garden:

I would sit in the dirt with my roses. And I would talk to the goddess. And

I would say, I’m just in a lot of pain. Really really scared to be alone,

really just struggling with love, and how to be in a relationship, and the

failure of relationship, and just all of these big losses that I was trying to

come to terms with (Participant 6).

He continued, sharing his prayer to the goddess:

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Will you please take the reins? I need some help here. I trust you. I need

you. I really want to hear you. I believe in you…will you gently enter my

thought system and guide me home? Because my ideas are part of my

problem. I’m willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I don’t

know what your will is for me, but will you please tell me who I am?

Really. Because, there’s something more going on here and I really really

want to get on board.

He talked about a specific vision that came to him during one of these moments:

I’d go in the garden and I’d sit, and I’d say, who is my sponsor? And of

course, I clearly saw one person. And I was like, oh hell no. Really? No.

Oh no no no no no. No no no, oh my God. Ok whatever. Fine. I don’t

know if I can do that.

He continued,

It was this man in recovery, this older man who was a very famous

horticulturist and landscaper, whose gardens had been in magazines, and

he was this loving guy. Totally loving. And touchy feely, and empathic,

and warm, and that scared the crap out of me. It’s just that, I needed that.

And I didn’t understand my own resistance at the time, but his face came

to my mind and I thought, ok. Now all I need is the courage to ask him.

But I didn’t know if I could really trust the vision. And I thought, well

she’s clearly telling me. That’s the image. That’s what I got in the garden.

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Conclusion

Each of the participants in this study shared the unique story of their

relationship with nature. Their stories recalled the evolution of this relationship

over time, the ways in which they weave nature into their lives at present, and the

unexpected gifts of deeper healing. It was found that in cultivating a meaningful

relationship with nature, participants unknowingly implemented ecopsycological

values and approaches that supported their recovery in multi-faceted ways.

Overall, a total of three master themes and 11 subthemes were identified.

The four subthemes of the first section, Evolving Relationship With Nature, are as

follows: Initial Connection, Separation from Nature, Reconnection Through

Recovery, and Transcending Recovery. The four subthemes of the second master

theme, Levels of Integration With Nature, are: Bringing Nature to Me, “Into the

Wild,” and Reflections on the Relationship. Lastly, the third section, Healing

Effects of the Relationship, encompassed the following four subthemes: Physical,

Intellectual and Philosophical, Emotional and Psychological, and Spiritual.

Based upon the core themes and subthemes identified in this study, several

key summations can be made:

(1) All participants reported feeling a connection with nature that began in

childhood. At times this relationships has felt close and intimate, and in

some cases, at other life chapters there was significant separation.

(2) In seeking sobriety, each of the participants drew on their connection

with nature to support their recovery. The 12-step approach to recovery

demands that participants acknowledge some sort of higher power. For

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these participants, it was convenient to use nature as a higher power due to

the existing connection, and in some cases, having issues with a

conventional, religious notion of God.

3) This relationship with nature has been central in helping participants to

be successful in recovery. Participants reported that over time, the

relationship transcended the utilitarian purpose of “working the program,”

and led to significant shifts in participants’ lifestyles and value systems.

4) In sustaining this relationship, participants have woven nature into their

lives to varying degrees. Some make an intentional effort to connect with

nature in the urban or suburban environments in which they live. Others

have gone into the wilderness for extended periods of time. Many

expressed that they generally yearn for more contact with nature than their

current lifestyle permits.

5) Aside from helping them to abstain from addictive behaviors,

participants found that their relationships with nature resulted in deeper

healing. Physical healing included shifts in diet, amplified senses, and

feelings of reembodiment. Intellectual and philosophical healing led

participants to become more involved in environmentalism and cultural

critique, seek meaning and purpose, and contemplate their own mortality.

Emotional and psychological healing involved individual as well as

interpersonal growth, and healing from trauma. Spiritual healing included

openness to broader spiritual conceptualizations such as the goddess,

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energy, and cosmos; visions and ecstatic experiences; and near-death

experiences.

These findings are discussed further in the following chapter, where they

are integrated with this study’s theoretical framework.

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CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION

This final chapter begins with a Summary of Findings, in which the

thematic results derived from participant interviews are meaningfully integrated

with the literature review. The results are analyzed and interpreted through the

lenses of both ecopsychology and addiction research, to allow the essential

findings to emerge. In Implications for Future Research, I provide

recommendations for follow-up studies based on the limitations of this research

project that were outlined in the Methodology section. Additional

recommendations include addressing the sub-areas of the research questions that

remained unaddressed by these interviews, and exploring additional unanticipated

questions that arose through the research process. Finally, in the Concluding

Narrative section, the results of the study are integrated with the analysis and

findings, which will summarize the entirety of the research results.

Summary of Findings

This study sought to draw from the wisdom of individuals who have been

successful in healing from addiction through a relationship with nature. The

central research question was, How can ecopsychological values and approaches

help addicts to achieve and sustain recovery? The research method involved

interviewing individuals who participate in 12-step programs and identify their

higher power as nature, to explore how this relationship has contributed to their

success in recovery. Specifically, the researcher’s hope was to better understand

how a relationship with nature has helped participants to overcome addiction, to

hear stories about the specific practices they engage in that contribute to their

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success in recovery, and to learn about the ways in which they have grown and

changed during their journeys.

The main research question covered several more nuanced considerations.

I wondered if these interviews would illuminate some differences between an

individually cultivated relationship with nature as opposed to organized

ecotherapeutic programs such as wilderness or horticultural therapy. Another sub-

question sought to explore how a relationship with nature can support individuals

not only in refraining from addictive behaviors, but in more deeply addressing

what research has found to be some of the root causes of addiction: unresolved

trauma, insecure attachment, and difficulty self-regulating. Another consideration

was the possibility of nature-based rituals replacing the rituals associated with

addiction. Lastly, I imagined that these participants might offer some insights

regarding culture-wide addictive behaviors that impact the natural world, such as

consumerism and materialism. Many of these considerations were addressed in

participants’ interview responses, and others remain to be explored through

further research.

Transcendence and Attachment Healing

The first theme, Evolving Relationship With Nature, sought to explore the

connection participants have felt with nature, and how this relationship has

changed over time. Participants reported feeling connected with nature during

childhood, (in some cases) having a period of separation, returning to the

relationship, and over time, experiencing some sort of personally transformative

shift. These various chapters of the relationship mirrored the phases of lifespan

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development, which was unsurprising given that this comparison was drawn in

the literature review. Similar to being raised by a parent, the natural world can be

conceptualized as a greater body that nurtures humans but at times can feel

neglectful and certainly even harmful.

All participants reported that as children, they felt an easy and innate

connection with the natural world. Memories of these times seemed to be

wrapped up in a lot of emotion and reverie. Similar to an infant with an attuned

caregiver, participants found that many of their needs were met through this

relationship in childhood. In nature they felt at ease, playful, and free.

During adolescence and early adulthood, some participants found that this

relationship became less important to them for various reasons, including moving

to an urban area, going away to college, and becoming wrapped up in an

addiction. Some participants simply seemed to have graduated from this

relationship to move onto other adventures and take on new challenges. They had

developed needs and desires that were no longer being met by their relationship

with nature. It was a time of transitioning away from this connection. This section

had overtones of loss. Some participants found that they couldn’t find the sense of

peace and calm they had previously experienced in nature, and used drugs and

alcohol to approximate it. One participant found that using plant medicines such

as marijuana and hallucinogens initially enhanced her relationship with nature,

but ultimately her substance use grew out of control.

All participants reported that they returned to nature when seeking

recovery through the 12-step approach. This seemed to be a very sobering life

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chapter for these participants, both literally and metaphorically. This section had

an industrial feel to it, as it seemed that participants weren’t necessarily yearning

to reconnect with nature so much as they were desperate to step out from under

the weight of addiction. Using nature as a higher power felt resonant to

participants, due to recalling the connection that came so naturally during

childhood and in some cases, having difficulty with a typically religious

interpretation of God. At this time, participants were more intentionally engaged

in the relationship, in a way that felt more adult. As previously discussed, being in

recovery means much more than simply abstaining from addictive behaviors—

recovery entails addressing deep wounds, growing as a person, and seeking

meaning and fulfillment in life. Participants became more invested in their

relationships with nature than ever before, because their ability to thrive in

recovery depended on it.

It seems that the last subtheme of this section, Transcending Recovery,

yielded the most surprising and heartening results. I did not anticipate that

participants would report that their relationships with nature far surpassed the

utilitarian relationship that recovery demanded. When participants reconnected

with nature for the sake of being successful in recovery, they seemed to have a

level of close contact with nature that was unprecedented in their lives.

Ecopsychologist Paul Shephard theorizes that individually and societally, we

exploit the natural world because we have felt failed by it at moments, and are

vengefully striking back (Shephard, 1992). For these individuals, their well-being

depended on the success of this relationship, and leaving would have had serious

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repercussions. From an attachment perspective, such intimate contact through

both ups and downs led to a significant deepening of the relationship, which some

participants referred to as “transcendent.”

Perhaps the transcendence that participants described was an arrival at

what Martin Buber referred to as an “I-thou” relationship with the natural world,

in which humans relate to the natural world as another living being rather than an

object for one’s own use (Buber, 1970). Participants’ comments such as “I am a

part of nature” are indicative of a more mature and advanced manner of being in

relationship with nature. Rather than asking only, “What can I get from this

relationship?” as they did in early recovery, during the transcendence phase

participants considered mutuality, asking themselves, “What can I do for the

natural world that has been so generous with me?” They also tapped into a deep

sense of belonging, feeling that they exist as a small and humble part of nature but

can choose to have a positive or negative impact on the world.

This level of growth indicates attachment healing from what

ecopsychologist Chellis Glendinning refers to as our “original trauma”—

humankind’s separation from the natural world (Glendinning, 1994). These

participants have managed to directly face this trauma through deep contact with

nature, and in healing from addiction, also heal from this original trauma to some

degree. This also paved the way for deeper levels of individual and interpersonal

healing, which is explored further in the analysis of Theme 3.

This transformation has significant implications, especially in terms of

personal and cultural values. As participants overcame addiction in relationship

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with nature, they experienced a shift in value systems from one of indulgence to

one of moderation. It seemed to go without saying that all participants identified

as staunch environmentalists, and were acutely aware and critical of our culture’s

exploitative relationship with the natural world. In recovery, and in transcending

recovery when this relationship came to mean so much more, participants

widened their scope from focusing on the self to looking outward at the

community, society, and the planet.

Ecotherapy, Ritual, and Wanting More

The second theme, Levels of Integration With Nature, explores in practical

terms how an emotional or spiritual connection with nature can facilitate the

recovery process. Potentially useful to individuals who are newly seeking

recovery and feel that nature could be their higher power, this section focuses on

the “how-to,” and illuminates the ways in which these participants have

incorporated a healing relationship with nature into their urban/suburban

lifestyles. Some participants adopted ecotherapeutic approaches, some created

nature-based rituals, and two people discussed leaving “civilization” to spend

extended periods of time in nature.

Only a few participants were familiar with ecopsychology, ecotherapy, or

ecospirituality before participating in this study, and even in these cases,

marginally so. In intuitively building a meaningful relationship with nature for the

sake of being successful in recovery, several participants unknowingly

implemented ecotherapeutic approaches such as horticultural therapy, wilderness

therapy, and animal-assisted therapy. One participant talked about laboring over

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his garden in early recovery, turning a scrap yard into a natural sanctuary in a

process that mirrored his own inner transformation. Similar to wilderness therapy,

two participants strove to test the limits of their physical and emotional strength in

nature during hiking and camping trips. One participant reported that she has

found healing and spiritual connectivity in her job working with dogs, a practice

that approximated animal-assisted therapy.

The fact that participants unknowingly created these “interventions” by

following their intuition lends more credibility to ecotherapeutic approaches. It’s

unsurprising that these approaches seem to be effective in addressing a wide array

of mental health issues, given that connecting with the natural world through

these channels seems to be intuitive, and deeply humanizing.

Several participants talked about bringing nature into their daily lives by

engaging in nature-based rituals, even while living in an urban area. Some rituals

were self-created, such as holding stones and crystals while meditating, or

burning things in a fire to symbolically “let go.” Other rituals were adopted from

cultural traditions or historical practices, such as focusing negative energy on an

egg and releasing it in a moving body of water, or aligning life events with the

movement of celestial bodies.

In the literature review, I discussed the lack of ritual in Western culture

and the possibility of individuals in recovery replacing rituals associated with

addiction with nature-based healing rituals. It is only recently in human history

that we have ceased to engage in community-wide, nature-based rituals for

purification, healing, mourning, and celebrations (Szasz, 1985). Participants did

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not explicitly discuss rituals associated with their addictions, or compare them

with the nature-based rituals they currently engage in. However, the participants

that do regularly engage in nature-based rituals reported that these practices

support their recovery and well-being, and are an essential part of their day-to-day

engagement with the natural world.

Lastly, in this section some participants discussed the critical difference

between “just visiting” nature for short periods of time, as opposed to leaving

“civilization” to immerse oneself in the wilderness and take on a nature-based

lifestyle. Several participants expressed that they never quite seem to be able to

get enough of nature, and are perpetually yearning for more. They are satisfied by

the contact that they have with nature where and how they can get it, but

simultaneously feel that more is always better. The participant who had spent the

most time in nature on extended backpacking trips felt that these experiences have

been profoundly transformative, and were the catalyst for the vast majority of the

healing she experienced in relationship with the natural world. She also reflected

on how challenging and scary it can be to experience a nature-based lifestyle, then

have to reconcile that with the pace and values of urban life upon returning to

“civilization.” Similarly, several other participants found that the more time they

spent in nature and out of developed areas, the more able they were to problem-

solve, get in touch with their intuition and inner voice, and contact feelings of

deep trust.

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Deeper Healing

The final section, Healing Effects of the Relationship, explores the deeper

healing experienced by participants in relationship with nature. Research has

shown ecopsychology to be effective in improving mood and self-esteem, and

addressing a variety of mental health issues (Barton & Pretty, 2010); therefore it

is unsurprising that this study found that the healing effects of this relationship

extend far beyond the cessation of addictive behaviors. Participants’ stories

indicated that a relationship with nature addresses some of the root causes of

addiction such as trauma, disembodiment, and difficulty self-regulating, as

predicted by the researcher. Other healing experiences that were unanticipated

included transforming dietary practices, feeling a connection with ancient

cultures, and experiencing ecstatic states and spiritual visions.

One participant explicitly said she has found that it’s nice to feel a sense of

peace and calm in nature, but the more transformative healing experiences she’s

had have come from being challenged by nature, when things haven’t necessarily

felt tranquil or easy. Other participants shared similar sentiments, expressing that

the dark times and struggles in their relationships with nature have pushed the

limits of their comfort, resulting in healing and growth.

These stories indicate that participants have in fact arrived at Klein’s

depressive position in relationship with nature, in which they have accepted that

the natural world is simultaneously destructive and live-sustaining (Klein, 2002).

Rather than lashing out at the natural world or abandoning the relationship in

difficult moments, participants displayed a more mature way of relating with

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nature. They seemed to have a broader view of the relationship, enabling them to

weather the ups and downs and stay faithful throughout.

In the first subsection exploring physical healing, participants said that

being in nature is relaxing and centering, and provides a respite from

urban/suburban life, which can feel sensorially overwhelming. Some were

inspired to make lifestyle changes that included eating fresh foods, exercising,

and meditating, all of which contributed to the healing process. More dramatic

healing effects of nature were experienced when participants felt their senses turn

on again, and were more able to be present in their bodies. They described sensual

feelings such as seeing things in Technicolor for the first time, smelling the forest,

and feeling the texture of stones and bark. Being physically challenged and even

deprived by nature, yet surviving, gave participants a concrete experience of trust.

In the subsection on intellectual and philosophical healing, several

participants mentioned working through existential issues central to the human

experience such as coming to terms with impermanence and mortality, and

contemplating our smallness and vulnerability on the planet and in the universe.

They described feeling humble in early recovery after realizing that they did not

exist at the center of the universe. They talked about completely shifting away

from the addict mentality, to adopt a value system of moderation in all things

rather than excess. In this vein, participants spoke out as passionate

environmentalists, and were critical of the ways in which the developed world

exploits nature as if resources are limitless. Some felt that we should draw from

the wisdom of ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures in addressing the

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environmental crisis, and others were pessimistic about the fate of humankind,

believing that our society at large is unwilling to be receptive to the lessons nature

has to offer.

The subsection on emotional and psychological healing was truly an

intersection between the healing participants have experienced in relationship

with nature, and within12-step recovery groups. Several aspects of the 12-step

tradition and format align with the values of nature-based cultures: the

membership within a community, the framework for building healthy

relationships through sponsorship, and the tradition of oral storytelling.

Participants drew comparisons between the cycles of the natural world and

the ups and downs in their own lives, reminding themselves during difficult times

that nothing lasts forever, seasons come and go, and cosmic bodies are perpetually

in motion. Several people reported that they were able to overcome anxiety by

seeking out experiences in nature that they knew to be calming and soothing. One

person talked about experiencing appropriate fight-or-flight responses at scary

moments in the wilderness, and realizing that these were familiar feelings that she

had previously experienced interpersonally. This awakening helped her to heal

from past trauma by releasing these automatic survival responses at moments

when they weren’t serving her. Lastly, one participant reflected on the ways in

which he feels modern technological culture limits our ability to authentically

connect with one another, and as a result, prevents us from knowing our deep

selves.

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In the final subsection, participants shared stories about the spiritual

healing they have felt in relationship with nature. As previously discussed in the

literature review, many theorists understand addiction as a spiritual crisis: a

hunger for ecstasy, a yearning for an experience of wholeness, and a journey

similar to the quest of a mystic (Grof, 1994; Wilshire, 1998; Zoja, 1989). Through

a relationship with nature, these participants seemed to finally experience the

spiritual healing and wholeness they had been craving all along.

Participants used words such as trust, faith, and connection when

describing their spiritual relationship with the natural world. It seems that this

relationship has provided them with a sense of peace, gratitude, and completeness,

all of which were painfully absent during times of addiction. One participant said

that the contact she’s had with both domesticated and wild animals has felt deeply

spiritual, including a near-death experience during which she found a sense of

inner peace while nearly being attacked by a bear. Several people mentioned that

whereas in early recovery they felt agnostic or balked at the typically religious

conceptualization of God, their spiritual relationships with nature have led them to

be more open. They talked about having expanded their notions of higher power

over time to include the cosmos, energy, and the goddess. Multiple participants

talked about moments of unique spiritual connectivity, including mystical

experiences: feeling tuned in and connected with spirit, being lifted or held,

experiencing states of ecstasy, and having visions and supernatural experiences.

To summarize, this section integrated the literature review and theoretical

framework of this study with the thematic results of participants’ stories to deeply

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explore the question, How can ecopsychological values and approaches help

addicts to achieve and sustain recovery? Some of the study’s sub-questions were

addressed by participants’ responses, whereas others remain to be explored

through further research. In sum, participants forged close relationships with

nature through various practices that enabled them to have meaningful and

consistent contact with nature. Ultimately they seemed to arrive at a secure

attachment with the natural world, which led to profound healing and

transformation in lifestyle, value systems, and spiritual connectivity.

Implications for Future Research

Considering the limitations of the study’s design as well as the

implications of the results, in this section I offer several suggestions for future

research. This study is a qualitative inquiry that was conducted in the narrative

research tradition. It was designed as a pilot study to explore the sparsely

researched intersection of ecopsychology and addiction recovery. The objective of

this research was to interview individuals who have been successful in recovery

by engaging with the natural world and attending 12-step groups, in hopes that the

results would provide a preliminary understanding of how ecotherapeutic

approaches might support individuals yearning to overcome addiction. It was

expected that the findings would lead to many new questions to be explored

through further research.

The sample size of this study (six participants) was relatively small. Given

the researcher’s intention to engage in an in-depth exploration of the relationship

between ecopsychology and recovery, a small sample size was appropriate for this

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study’s design. However, there are limits to the generalizability of this study, and

the results are not intended for implementation in addiction treatment until

extensive follow-up research is conducted. Future studies might consider using a

quantitative approach with a larger sample size to further explore a specific aspect

of the results of this study, which would potentially lead to generalizable results.

A second limitation of this study was the participant demographics. The

inclusion criteria delineated that participants must identify nature as their higher

power, and must have been in recovery for at least one year. Demographics such

as age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and amount of time in

recovery were not factored into the screening criteria of the study. It would be

interesting to conduct further research that narrows in on certain demographics, to

provide results that are generalizable to a specific population. Though it wasn’t

one of the demographic questions, 4 out of 6 participants mentioned during the

interviews that they have a same-sex partner or identify as LGBTQ. This is also

an area that warrants further exploration—is this simply due to the fact that the

research was conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area? Might it be attributable to

the phenomenon of LGBTQ individuals being cast out from conservative

religions, and seeking spiritual connection elsewhere? Further research could shed

light on these questions.

The overarching research question contained within it the sub-question of

whether a self-created relationship with nature would have a different impact than

organized ecotherapeutic approaches such as wilderness therapy or horticultural

therapy. None of the participants reported having participated in any sort of

131

organized ecotherapy program. However, several participants had devised their

own methods of connecting with the natural world that strongly resembled

ecotherapeutic approaches. Further research could isolate and compare organized

ecotherapy programs with a self-created relationship with nature, to more deeply

explore the efficacy of each.

A second sub-question that could be investigated through further research

is how the wisdom of individuals who have overcome addiction through a

relationship with nature can help to shift our culture-wide addictive behaviors,

namely the materialism and consumerism that result in the over extraction of

natural resources. Participants’ responses addressed this question to some degree

– they were critical of modern technological culture, yearned for a cultural shift

that would incorporate the values of nature-based cultures, and voiced concern for

the environment and the survival of humankind. However, because this question

was not a central focus of the study, participants did not make explicit

connections between our culture-wide issues, and the lessons garnered from their

personal journeys overcoming addiction. Instead of looking at individual

addiction as an isolated problem, further research could more deeply explore the

relationship between individual addiction and culture-wide addictive values and

practices.

Some unanticipated areas for further exploration arose from the results of

this study. Participants reported that they had the opportunity to spend time in

nature during their childhoods, and experienced an innate connection with the

natural world. In spite of certain moments of separation, they recalled this

132

connection when seeking recovery, and returned to the relationship permanently.

Further research might explore whether a relationship with nature can support

individuals seeking recovery even for those who have not felt an inherent

connection with the natural world, or have not had the opportunity or ability to

spend much time in nature.

Lastly, this study explored and showcased the experiences of individuals

whose relationships with nature have supported their recovery. Participants’

amounts of time in recovery ranged from two to 33 years, and the stories they

shared regarding the struggles they faced and the successes they’ve had span the

entirety of their time in recovery. Further research might narrow in on what was

most helpful in early recovery, to execute a study that would be applicable

specifically to individuals who are currently struggling with addiction and want to

seek recovery through a relationship with nature as higher power.

Concluding Narrative

The motivation of this study was rooted in a desire to learn how the values

of ecopsychology and the applied methods of ecotherapy might contribute to

overcoming addiction. I strove to explore how a relationship with nature supports

recovery, and what ecopsychological principles or practices might be extrapolated

from participants’ stories to inform a preliminary union of ecopsychology and

addiction treatment. Based upon the findings of this narrative inquiry, several key

conclusions can be made: (a) All participants reported feeling an innate

connection with nature that began in childhood, which in some cases, became less

important as the years passed; (b) In seeking sobriety, each of the participants

133

sought to connect with nature to serve as the higher power they needed in order to

apply the 12-step approach to their lives; (c) This relationship with nature has

been central in helping participants to be successful in recovery. Over time, the

relationship transcended the utilitarian purpose of “working the program,” and led

to significant shifts in participants’ lifestyles and value systems; (d) In sustaining

this relationship, participants have woven nature into their lives to varying

degrees. Many expressed that they generally yearn for more contact with nature

than their current lifestyle permits; (e) Participants found that their relationships

with nature resulted in deeper healing that extended far beyond addiction, and

across physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual realms.

There seemed to be a perfect storm of elements coming together to bring

about these positive results. Participants turned to nature for help in their darkest

hours, presumably when they had “hit rock bottom” and were desperate to be

freed from the bondage of addiction. 12-step programs require that participants

connect with some sort of higher power, and for these participants, relating to

nature as a higher power felt most appropriate. They have all been successful in

their mid to long-term recoveries, having maintained sobriety for years and, in

some cases, decades on end.

Within the general population, many people report feeling a connection

with nature, and engage with the natural world as they please. Perhaps they

choose to regularly weave nature into their lives, or they might go for extended

periods when they don’t have much contact with nature. They might find that they

feel better in nature, but intentionally connecting with nature isn’t necessarily a

134

priority much of the time. In the case of these participants however, because

nature was their higher power, their well-being depended on the degree to which

they nurtured this relationship. Being in recovery is an ongoing process without a

finish line that involves incorporating a higher power to actively “work the steps,”

remain involved in the community, and seek growth and fulfillment in life.

In choosing this path, participants found themselves in a position where

their success in recovery would be highly correlated with their ability to create

and sustain a healing relationship with nature. If this relationship became

inconvenient or frustrating, abandoning it had the potential to result in serious

costs, namely relapsing. All six participants reported that since initially embarking

upon the journey of recovery, they have intentionally maintained and deepened

their relationships with nature. Over time these relationships, for many of the

participants, have transcended recovery. Particularly for participants who have

been in recovery for more than 10 years, they reported that they haven’t felt at

risk of relapsing for years, but their relationships with nature continue to grow and

impact their lives in ways that in the beginning, they never could have imagined.

In engaging with the natural world, participants have creatively found

ways to bring nature into their urban lives through ritual and intuitive

ecotherapeutic approaches, such as gardening and spending time with animals.

They have also prioritized putting their busy lives on pause to spend time in the

natural world, going into the wilderness for days or even months on end.

Participants yearned for more frequent opportunities to connect with nature, often

feeling that life obligations get in the way, and finding it difficult to reconcile the

135

pace and responsibilities of modern, urban life with the desire to adopt a nature-

based lifestyle and its accompanying values.

Through their relationships with nature, participants experienced

attachment healing that resolved, to some degree, their own prior experiences of

“original trauma,” humankind’s shift away from a nature-based lifestyle to a

modern technological culture. In spite of the innate ups and downs in their

relationships with nature, they stayed with the relationship perhaps because they

didn’t have much of a choice. They were grateful to find, however, that through

this relationship with nature and through recovery, they experienced significant

healing across many realms of their lives. Interestingly, the most profound healing

did not come from the calming and nurturing feelings nature can provide; rather it

was the result of being deprived, abandoned, and hurt by nature, and reconciling

these facets of nature with its life-sustaining side. Participants saw the cycles of

nature reflected in the ups and downs of their own lives, and by surviving the

challenges nature posed, they connected with the depth of their own strength,

found a sense of purpose and belonging, and accessed profound spiritual wisdom.

136

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APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT

Michelle (Mia) Black, M.A., a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the

California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California, is conducting

a study on the experiences of individuals in recovery who identify nature as their

higher power. The study seeks to better understand how a connection with nature

can help addicts to achieve and sustain recovery.

As a person identified as having such an experience, you are invited to participate

in the research. It will involve the audio-recording of a semi-structured interview

at a location and time convenient to you and the interviewer. The interview has

been designed to last one hour and no longer than one-and-a-half hours. During

that time, you will be invited to talk in a manner you find safe and comfortable

concerning experiences of how your relationship with nature has impacted your

recovery. No preparation on your part is required for any part of the process.

For the protection of your privacy, all information will be kept strictly

confidential and your identity will be protected within the limits of the law. The

research procedure has been designed to not collect unnecessary identifiers, and

personal information will be kept separate from the interview data. The

interviewer will ask you to refrain from giving names and when necessary to use

pseudonyms when referring to any other persons in the interview. The audio

recordings will be securely stored, and erased after one year. Additionally, any

identifying information will be removed from the data.

Only the principal investigator, Michelle Black, M.A., and the academic advisor,

Kaisa Puhakka, Ph.D., will have access to the data associated with this study;

electronic data will be password protected and hardcopy data will be stored in a

locked area and destroyed within five years of completion of the research project.

To further ensure your privacy, the investigator will use numeric identifiers of all

electronic data and any material used by any third-party transcribers. In the

publication of presentation of the findings, no information that could personally

identify any of the participants will be used.

For your participation, no direct benefit, including any monetary recompense or

treatment, is offered or guaranteed. If you choose to take part, your contribution

will help increase understanding about the potential of nature to aid in the

recovery process, an area of knowledge that has rarely been discussed in the

professional literature. In addition, participation in the study may benefit others

seeking to enter recovery, those already in recovery, or you directly. That is,

based on the experiences of participants in similar research studies, I expect that

you may find the interview affords an enjoyable opportunity for reflection and

self-expression.

Before you agree to participate, it is important to understand that while this study

is designed to minimize potential risks, this inquiry may touch sensitive areas. In

151

other words, depending on your unique history with the topic, it is possible to

experience discomfort when discussing situations that were challenging for you.

If you have any concerns or questions before, during, or after your interview, the

principal investigator will make every effort to discuss them and inform you of

options for resolving your concerns, including providing crisis numbers, referral

to a therapist, and information on local 12-step meeting times and locations.

Sliding scale therapy is available through The Liberation Institute; phone

[withheld for privacy].

In addition, should you at any time wish to discuss issues related to your

contribution to this study, including questions regarding your rights as a

participant, suggestions for how to minimize potential risk, or concerns that you

have been put at risk, you may contact the Human Research Review Committee at

the California Institute of Integral Studies, by telephone at [withheld for privacy],

or by email at [withheld for privacy]. For questions directed to the researcher,

please contact Mia Black by phone at [withheld for privacy] or email at [withheld

for privacy].

Participation in this study is considered completely voluntary. If you decide to

participate, you may refuse to answer any question(s), withdraw your consent, or

discontinue your participation at any time and for any reason without penalty or

prejudice. You may also request a summary of the research findings by providing

a mailing address along with your signature.

Finally, your privacy with respect to the information you disclose during

participation in this study will be protected within the limits of the law. However,

there are circumstances where a psychologist is required by law to reveal

information to others, usually for the protection of the patient, research

participant, or others. In the following cases, this could occur as a report to a

police department or to an appropriate protective agency:

1. In the judgment of the psychologist, a patient or research participant becomes

dangerous to him/herself or to others (or their property), and revealing that

information is necessary to prevent harm;

2. In the judgment of the psychologist, there is suspected child abuse; in other

words, if a child under 16 has potentially been a victim of a crime or neglect;

3. In the judgment of the psychologist, there is suspected elder abuse; in other

words, if a woman or man age 60 or older has potentially been a victim of a crime

or neglect.

If a report is required, the psychologist should discuss its contents and possible

consequences with the patient or research participant.

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By signing below, I ___________________________________(print name) attest

that:

- I have read, understood, and received a copy of this consent form;

- I have had any questions about this research answered to my satisfaction;

- I understand that my confidentiality will be protected within the limits of the

law;

- I consent to participate in this study on the experiences of individuals in

recovery who identify nature as their higher power; and

- I am willingly and voluntarily participating in this research.

_________________________________________

Participant’s signature

_______________

Date

Yes, I would like to receive a copy of the research findings. My mailing address

is:

_________________________________________

Michelle Black, M.A., Researcher

_______________

Date

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APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT BILL OF RIGHTS

Participants in psychological research have the right to:

1. Be treated with dignity and respect;

2. Be given a clear description of the purpose of the study and what is expected of

you as a participant;

3. Be told of any benefits or risks to you that can be expected from participating

in the study;

4. Know the research psychologist’s training and experience;

5. Ask any questions you may have about the study;

6. Decide to participate or not without any pressure from the researcher or his or

her assistants;

7. Have your privacy protected within the limits of the law;

8. Refuse to answer any research question, refuse to participate in any part of the

study, or withdraw from the study at any time without any negative effects to you;

9. Be given a description of the overall results of the study upon request;

10. Discuss any concerns or file a complaint about the study with the Human

Research Review Committee, California Institute of Integral Studies, [withheld

for privacy].

154

APPENDIX C: CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT

Your privacy with respect to the information you disclose during participation in

this study will be protected within the limits of the law. However, there are

circumstances where a psychologist is required by law to reveal information,

usually for the protection of a patient, research participant, or others. A report to

the police department or to the appropriate protective agency is required in the

following cases:

1. If, in the judgment of the psychologist, a patient or research participant

becomes dangerous to himself or herself or others (or their property), and

revealing the information is necessary to prevent the danger;

2. If there is suspected child abuse, in other words if a child under 16 has been a

victim of a crime or neglect;

3. If there is suspected elder abuse, in other words if a woman or man age 60 or

older has been victim of a crime or neglect.

If a report is required, the researcher will discuss its contents and possible

consequences with the research participant.

155

APPENDIX D: FLYER

156

APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Introduction

Reintroduce myself. Thank the individual for agreeing to participate in the

research, and invite them to talk in a manner they find safe and comfortable

regarding their experiences in recovery and their connection with nature.

In an effort to ensure confidentiality, ask the participant to refrain from giving

names and if necessary to use pseudonyms when referring to any other persons.

Have the participant read the Participant Bill of Rights, and read and sign the

Informed Consent form.

Interview Questions

Now I am going to ask you some questions that will give me a better sense of how

your connection with nature has supported your recovery. Remember, your

answers to these questions are completely voluntary and may touch upon sensitive

areas. Therefore, you can refuse to answer, or discontinue our conversation at

any time.

Demographics

Age:

Ethnicity:

Gender:

Amount of time in recovery:

1. Describe your connection with nature and how it came about.

2. How does your connection with nature support your recovery day-to-day, and

also in the long term?

3. Has nature played a role in your personal healing process?

4. Would you like to talk about any spiritual experiences you’ve had involving

nature?

5. Does your relationship with nature involve any rituals?

6. Has your relationship with nature led to any changes in how you experience

your senses and your body?

7. Do you think there are some lessons that our greater culture or society could

learn from nature?

8. Before we end, is there anything else you would like to say?

Closing

Thank them for their participation in this study. In addition, make available

information on crisis numbers, referrals to a therapist, or finding a local 12-step

meeting as requested.

157