Making Nature Personal: Fostering Vulnerability, Compassion, and Personal Growth Through a Transpersonal Eco-Art Process

Article Information

Creative Arts Educ Ther (2022) 8(2):142–157 DOI: 10.15212/CAET/2022/8/13

Making Nature Personal: Fostering Vulnerability, Compassion, and Personal Growth Through a Transpersonal Eco-Art Process

Abstract

As the Earth suffers from climate change, global warming, and its inhabitants’ irresponsibility, environmental activists suggest that Earth’s inhabitants must participate in social action to find greater consciousness and compassion for self and others in their relationships with the Earth. The authors engaged in five weekly sessions to use nature-assisted eco-art therapy to explore their individual processes. The themes that emerged included tension–control, submission–dominance, intimacy tolerance, compassion-observing emotions, and separation–retreat. These themes reflect what often develops in both the therapist–individual relationship and within the Earth’s inhabitants as self-regulating organisms.

Keywords: eco-art therapy, social action, transpersonal symbolism, eco-psychology, land arts

摘要

随着地球遭受气候变化、全球变暖以及地球居民环境失责，环境活动家建议地球居民必须参与社会行动，为自身和他人与地球相处扩展意识和慈心。作者们参加了五次每周一次的疗程，使用自然辅助的生态艺术治疗探索他们个人身处环境的过程。出现的主题包括：紧张-控制、顺从-支配、亲密关系容忍度、慈心-观察情绪以及分离-退缩。这些主题反映了在治疗师与个体来访的关系中，以及作为自我调节生命体的地球居民之间通常会出现的主题。

关键词： 生态艺术治疗, 社会行动, 超个人象征主义, 生态心理学, 大地艺术(地景艺术)