A sound and sceptical look that supports our choices of approaches and tools for dealing with the climate and environmental crisis. Especially like one of the sentences under actions: "They can be practices in their own right, but more than anything they can be practices that help you change how you act in this world, rather than offering a resignation from the work that needs to be done in the world." I belive the practices need to be in a context/setting that makes it easy to transform experiences from the practices to relevant changes in behaviour for the climate and environment.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Björn! And yes, very much agreed about how the contextual factors also influence our behavior and either facilitate or hinder the "translation" of the practices into actual behaviors.
Tack för intressanta och viktiga perspektiv på yoga och mindfulness verktyg. Personligen upplever jag som har förmånen att leva nära naturen gör att jag får mer ut av min mindful och yogapraktik
Thanks for a very valuable summary of the current state, and for actionable advice! Regarding the connection between e.g., Mindfulness & Sustainability, there is coming more and more research that shows that the associations are rather complex, e.g.,
Riordan, K. M., MacCoon, D. G., Barrett, B., Rosenkranz, M. A., Chungyalpa, D., Lam, S. U., ... & Goldberg, S. B. (2022). Does meditation training promote pro-environmental behavior? A cross-sectional comparison and a randomized controlled trial. Journal of environmental psychology, 84, 101900.
Here a preprint: Corbi, Z. L. H., Koch, K., Hölzel, B., & Soutschek, A. (2024). Mindfulness training reduces the preference for sustainable outcomes.
Thank you for reading! And thank you for recommending these papers - I will definitely take a look at them and continue the reflection and discussion on this topic.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. Enjoyed your observations about the commodification of mindfulness. The underlying issue is, as far as I can see, the disjunct between the underlying constructs around self/identity upon which all the institutions of the dominant culture/paradgim depend, and how life and evolution appear to actually work. The number of disciplines that have arrived at a recognition of the interdependence/interbeing/co-arising/ etc etc of all things continues to grow. The siloed nature of the paradigm is such that as long as this recognition remains separated into apparently competing or, at least, unrelated ways of knowing, the information can ignored, or commodified - or, ideally, both. As a psychotherapist, it is a source of sadness to me that "my" field continues to come up with ways to deal with eco-anxiety, climate grief, intergenerational trauma and all sorts of other things that - in effect - are seen as happening to us and affecting our as individual psychological well-being, and yet there is neither effort nor language to acknowledge how our psychology is causal. Being ecopsychologically attentive, I regret that planetary equilibrium - homeostasis - is understood to be maintained through the interaction of bio-, litho-, cryo-, atmo- and hydro- spheres alone, whilst the most potent influence of all - psychosphere - is unrecognised, unnamed and always absent from both the media and from public forums such as CoP and IPCC reporting. Psychosphere, resulting from the inner processes of all living things (see also autopoesis), is dominated by human psyche. If one argues that these processes shape each other through what we might call intuitive or visceral means, then there is no reason that humans would be exempted from this evolutionary process.
Therefore, if we were to consider that humans are intuitively informed of systemic imbalances, we might say that we of the dominant paradigm (at least) live in a state of constant cognitive dissonance, with our embodied experience denied and disavowed - and yet, to continue to participate and survive/thrive in the dominant context we have to ignore the feedback we are receiving that, form a homeostatic standpoint, is designed to assist in the restoration of homeostatic equilibrium.
As we know, the trauma is less in the actual event that happens to us, and more in the inability for natural processes of restoration and renewal to occur. Thus, we are suspended in trauma, and inevitably seek to escape the discomfort.
Fortunately, the dominant paradigm is endlessly creative in commodifying ways for us to do this ... briefly assuaging the itch but never addressing its cause. Psychology, founded on the same modernist perspectives that drive the crisis, has some very useful tools and insights to share. But, as an institution wedded to professional standards with the system of the day, it is unable to deliver, unconsciously unwilling to rock the boat and risk the inevitable rejection of such outlandish ideas. Until such time as there is a concerted interdisciplinary effort made to challenge the dominant yet underlying sense of human identity, place and purpose, we are in a situation where - to quote interpersonal neurobiologist Dan Siegel I (2011) - "as long as we define Self as a separate noun, the planet is cooked". Or, to quote Neil Young (1974), "we're all just pissing in the wind, we don't know it but we are, and there ain't nothing like a friend, who can tell us we're just pissing in the wind". These are the friends we need to be. Namaste.
Thank you for reading and for this long and thoughtful comment! I'm gonna take some time to reflect upon your words, but one thing that instantly comes up is how embodied practices, when practiced with patience and compassion can help us disentangle ourselves from societal and egoistic perceptions and demands, and better see how things really are - even when this brings up pain (a pain that can be more tolerable as an effect of the practice we've done). We can call that acceptance of reality, or a willingness to look at reality without distortions. As I write in the post, then that can be a starting point to help us see what work really needs to be done in this pressured world and nature.
Thank you for your reply, Frida. Yes, embodiment does seem to be the key. In an ecological evolution of Psychosynthesis practice, the so-called "transpersonal qualities" can be usefully recognised as names gives to felt, embodied experience. There is a growing body of work from very diverse approaches (Andreas Weber; Katherine Peil Kauffman; Karen O'Brien etc) arriving at an understanding that this felt sense is not only what links us with all life, but also, importantly I feel, has maintained as a prime carrier of systemic feedback, a guidance system, if you will. For an individual, choosing and carrying a quality intentionally and looking for where it is reflected in the world around - even where the world around is deeply "artificial" or troubled - can be deeply reassuring. For example, if one is looking to carry the quality of presence, there is always gravity. More poetically perhaps, I might feel kindness in the way the leaf holds the dew. another person might feel that as reassuring. Sharing these different ways of naming a felt sense deepens my connection with the apparent other, whether that be the leaf, a companion, or life itself. equally, I might open to what my felt sense may be informing me in regard the well-being of these apparent others (which, of course, we already tend to do with infants, loved ones, pets and so on). I am sure that opening to the wider world this way is another step towards that "what really needs to be done". Of course, its also likely to be filtered through those pesky perceptions you mention, which is why its a practice perhaps best explored with others in careful communion so that the meaning making and subsequent action is shared by a human and more than human collective experience. thanks gain for replying. I look forward to any further thoughts you may have. in the meantime, wherever you are, have a great day. mark
A sound and sceptical look that supports our choices of approaches and tools for dealing with the climate and environmental crisis. Especially like one of the sentences under actions: "They can be practices in their own right, but more than anything they can be practices that help you change how you act in this world, rather than offering a resignation from the work that needs to be done in the world." I belive the practices need to be in a context/setting that makes it easy to transform experiences from the practices to relevant changes in behaviour for the climate and environment.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Björn! And yes, very much agreed about how the contextual factors also influence our behavior and either facilitate or hinder the "translation" of the practices into actual behaviors.
Tack för intressanta och viktiga perspektiv på yoga och mindfulness verktyg. Personligen upplever jag som har förmånen att leva nära naturen gör att jag får mer ut av min mindful och yogapraktik
Tack, Lena! Så fint att höra om den naturnära förmånen du har.
Thanks for a very valuable summary of the current state, and for actionable advice! Regarding the connection between e.g., Mindfulness & Sustainability, there is coming more and more research that shows that the associations are rather complex, e.g.,
Riordan, K. M., MacCoon, D. G., Barrett, B., Rosenkranz, M. A., Chungyalpa, D., Lam, S. U., ... & Goldberg, S. B. (2022). Does meditation training promote pro-environmental behavior? A cross-sectional comparison and a randomized controlled trial. Journal of environmental psychology, 84, 101900.
Here a preprint: Corbi, Z. L. H., Koch, K., Hölzel, B., & Soutschek, A. (2024). Mindfulness training reduces the preference for sustainable outcomes.
Keep at the good work!
Thank you for reading! And thank you for recommending these papers - I will definitely take a look at them and continue the reflection and discussion on this topic.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. Enjoyed your observations about the commodification of mindfulness. The underlying issue is, as far as I can see, the disjunct between the underlying constructs around self/identity upon which all the institutions of the dominant culture/paradgim depend, and how life and evolution appear to actually work. The number of disciplines that have arrived at a recognition of the interdependence/interbeing/co-arising/ etc etc of all things continues to grow. The siloed nature of the paradigm is such that as long as this recognition remains separated into apparently competing or, at least, unrelated ways of knowing, the information can ignored, or commodified - or, ideally, both. As a psychotherapist, it is a source of sadness to me that "my" field continues to come up with ways to deal with eco-anxiety, climate grief, intergenerational trauma and all sorts of other things that - in effect - are seen as happening to us and affecting our as individual psychological well-being, and yet there is neither effort nor language to acknowledge how our psychology is causal. Being ecopsychologically attentive, I regret that planetary equilibrium - homeostasis - is understood to be maintained through the interaction of bio-, litho-, cryo-, atmo- and hydro- spheres alone, whilst the most potent influence of all - psychosphere - is unrecognised, unnamed and always absent from both the media and from public forums such as CoP and IPCC reporting. Psychosphere, resulting from the inner processes of all living things (see also autopoesis), is dominated by human psyche. If one argues that these processes shape each other through what we might call intuitive or visceral means, then there is no reason that humans would be exempted from this evolutionary process.
Therefore, if we were to consider that humans are intuitively informed of systemic imbalances, we might say that we of the dominant paradigm (at least) live in a state of constant cognitive dissonance, with our embodied experience denied and disavowed - and yet, to continue to participate and survive/thrive in the dominant context we have to ignore the feedback we are receiving that, form a homeostatic standpoint, is designed to assist in the restoration of homeostatic equilibrium.
As we know, the trauma is less in the actual event that happens to us, and more in the inability for natural processes of restoration and renewal to occur. Thus, we are suspended in trauma, and inevitably seek to escape the discomfort.
Fortunately, the dominant paradigm is endlessly creative in commodifying ways for us to do this ... briefly assuaging the itch but never addressing its cause. Psychology, founded on the same modernist perspectives that drive the crisis, has some very useful tools and insights to share. But, as an institution wedded to professional standards with the system of the day, it is unable to deliver, unconsciously unwilling to rock the boat and risk the inevitable rejection of such outlandish ideas. Until such time as there is a concerted interdisciplinary effort made to challenge the dominant yet underlying sense of human identity, place and purpose, we are in a situation where - to quote interpersonal neurobiologist Dan Siegel I (2011) - "as long as we define Self as a separate noun, the planet is cooked". Or, to quote Neil Young (1974), "we're all just pissing in the wind, we don't know it but we are, and there ain't nothing like a friend, who can tell us we're just pissing in the wind". These are the friends we need to be. Namaste.
Thank you for reading and for this long and thoughtful comment! I'm gonna take some time to reflect upon your words, but one thing that instantly comes up is how embodied practices, when practiced with patience and compassion can help us disentangle ourselves from societal and egoistic perceptions and demands, and better see how things really are - even when this brings up pain (a pain that can be more tolerable as an effect of the practice we've done). We can call that acceptance of reality, or a willingness to look at reality without distortions. As I write in the post, then that can be a starting point to help us see what work really needs to be done in this pressured world and nature.
Thank you for your reply, Frida. Yes, embodiment does seem to be the key. In an ecological evolution of Psychosynthesis practice, the so-called "transpersonal qualities" can be usefully recognised as names gives to felt, embodied experience. There is a growing body of work from very diverse approaches (Andreas Weber; Katherine Peil Kauffman; Karen O'Brien etc) arriving at an understanding that this felt sense is not only what links us with all life, but also, importantly I feel, has maintained as a prime carrier of systemic feedback, a guidance system, if you will. For an individual, choosing and carrying a quality intentionally and looking for where it is reflected in the world around - even where the world around is deeply "artificial" or troubled - can be deeply reassuring. For example, if one is looking to carry the quality of presence, there is always gravity. More poetically perhaps, I might feel kindness in the way the leaf holds the dew. another person might feel that as reassuring. Sharing these different ways of naming a felt sense deepens my connection with the apparent other, whether that be the leaf, a companion, or life itself. equally, I might open to what my felt sense may be informing me in regard the well-being of these apparent others (which, of course, we already tend to do with infants, loved ones, pets and so on). I am sure that opening to the wider world this way is another step towards that "what really needs to be done". Of course, its also likely to be filtered through those pesky perceptions you mention, which is why its a practice perhaps best explored with others in careful communion so that the meaning making and subsequent action is shared by a human and more than human collective experience. thanks gain for replying. I look forward to any further thoughts you may have. in the meantime, wherever you are, have a great day. mark
Så intressant läsning!
Tack, Åse!