Foundation Two Discussion (WI/SP 2018)

[Kent-Singing Panther]

Sorry, that last response was for David. And I forgot to say how awesome your experience was with the coyote!!! Just wow.

[Ivy Walker]

Oh my! How I love the questions and conversations that are coming up here around one of my fave topics–ecopsychology. What comes forward for me as I read your posts are themes of:

1.) noticing of the academic (over-intellectualized) quality of the conversation among the ecopsychologist-authors,
2.) a need for somatic-felt wisdom or experience,
3.) a few AMAZING, affirming + personal nature connection experiences and
4.) how to create a balance that is personally relevant to each you, as Nature Connected Coaches and eco-practitioners.

Within the academic realm, it seems that ecophilosophers and ecopsychologists have been working hard, especially for a few decades, to challenge the dominating human-centric story with western european roots that follows well worn inter-related paths of: reductionism, scientism, patriarchy, dualism, Freudian psychology and the metaphor of machine for all life processes (rather than interconnection and systems theory). Ah yes, I may have read too many of these very intellectualized articles within the last 6 months. But—this is what the shift within the academic world looks like. Ecopsychologists are attempting to shift cultural vision from within the ivory tower and are using the language of that territory to insert new dialogues, methods, options, to inspire, demand and create justice.

Personally, I see you and I working alongside them, in our various practices with hearts and feet on the ground. Reminding and re-connecting people, individually and in groups, of what their bodies are made to know and “belong to”: Earth as being, as an interconnected system (Gaia) and as an expression of “larger Self” (the nondual, the All that mystics and poets remind us of throughout millennia). And personally, I think we get to do the fun part. Everyone has their part to play in this massively creative and intentional undertaking of shifting the dominate culture towards an expression that is life affirming/sustaining. Dropping into the realms of the academic conversation could be helpful to come away with questions of “yes, but….how do we do that out in the land with sensitivity, compassion and thoughtful intention fueled by (ultimately) L-O-V-E”? 🙂

[Hannah Grajko]

Summary post:

This was a surprisingly enlightening module for me! Not in the sense that the material seemed boring and that I actually came away with something; quite the contrary. I guess what I mean is that I was presented with learning experiences both from the fundamental material as well as some big emotions that came up when reading everyone else’s posts, and the latter was unexpected.

Here goes some vulnerability: It was pretty triggering for me to read that pretty much everyone seemed to find a significant, and possibly problematic tension between our felt nature connected experiences and the more heady, rational analysis of those moments in psychological terms. I think it allowed such a reaction in me because I tend to be a very rational, left-brained intellectual; right-brained ways of being feel great for me to engage in (or I probably wouldn’t be in this program!), but they are not usually the default mode of operating. I can so clearly see the value of both ways of being, and I’m really trying to strike the balance between the two. In the past when I’ve been involved in various spiritual or creative communities, I find that I can sometimes become defensive when there is little engagement in or appreciation of the analytical observation of the topics we’re discussing. I think it’s also a self-conscious reaction for me because in a small sense, I feel like I perhaps don’t operate the same way as others in groups, and it feels a bit isolating. I grappled with a lot of doubts when this came up. I thought, “am I actually going to feel met in this program, and am I going to be able to meet other people?”, “Will I still be able to be an effective coach knowing what I know about myself in this regard?”, “Will I be able to get in touch with the feeling part of my being enough to make this work?”.

It was really ultimately very helpful to see this tension within myself and with those of you who seemed to be grappling with the other end of the same spectrum. I found a lot of empathy, understanding, and appreciation in that place (both for myself and for all of you). I can now see by observing my reaction and seeing how you all dealt with the same issue that a tendency to intellect doesn’t have to mean a lack of feeling nature connection. Alternately, I can see that a desire to stay in one’s body and experience doesn’t need to mean a rejection or villainizing of our thinking. I still don’t have it fully felt out, but just naming my experience with everything that came up is very powerful and grounding. Sorry none of this post was about ecopsychology, but this is what felt alive for me! I’m so thankful for all your posts and insights.

[Kent-Singing Panther]

Hannah, I totally think your post IS about ecopsychology 😉 I applaud you for wrestling with these concepts and how you respond to them. I got a sense of how you might operate getting to know you over the intensive; I could see in you some of that tension you are describing. I also trusted that you would find your own way through it, just as we all are doing. And I don’t mean “tension” in a bad way. That word tends to have a negative connotation, but to me, if we aren’t in tension then we aren’t really learning and growing. Breathing itself is all tension and relaxation; you can’t have one without the other. And I don’t think we’re able to fully relax until we’ve breathed in and allowed that tension to speak to us.

[Mandy Bishop]

Hannah,

I so appreciate your vulnerable and genuine summary post. And I also very much appreciate having a full spectrum of personalities and modes of thinking within our group! It’s funny, the more I read other people’s posts, the more I’ve been seeing the benefit of the intellectualization that these articles present. Though I am naturally a right-brained person, I can see such value in being able to articulate clearly everything that we are feeling and experiencing in our experiences on the land. I imagine that within my coaching practice I will be meeting with all sorts of individuals that I will need to be able to meet wherever they are at, with whatever way thinking and reasoning they default to.

[Rachel Thor]

Hannah thank you so much for bringing this! I firmly believe that bringing our full selves to both parts of this this polarity – thinking and feeling, offers the best support. not about fighting culture with our counter culture, or about not belonging to the counter culture, but about building ourselves and each other up in every way we can. And I feel built up through mind and body every time I interact with you. I feel your sharp focus and understanding, curiosity and probing, AND I feel your warmth of presence and acceptance, strong ability to hear your intuition, and I am so grateful for those superpowers. They make us all better!! I’m so grateful to share this program with you.

[Z Baker]

Where does Ecopsychology and Coaching come together?

In my current state on consciousness (and it seems much of the cohorts), this question seems to conjure a feeling of complication and “over-intellectualization” of a topic which every human’s birthright, that of connection to source, to Earth.

I’ve been meditating on the question, “what is Ecopsychology?” with my findings being…. from an intellectual standpoint, Ecopsychology is the study of relationship between human beings and the natural world using ecological and psychological principles.

As Roszak states in “The Voice of The Earth”, “the goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious. Other therapies seek to heal the alienation between person to person, person and family, person and society. Ecopsychology seeks to heal the more fundamental alienation between the person and the natural environment.” (p 320)

Simply…to the uninitiated, Ecopsychology is the restoration of right relationship and connection to the Earth. In my experience this restoration brings us as human beings into alignment with who we are as a species and as a PART of the greater web.

On the other side of the spectrum is Coaching, which according to Jenny Rogers in “Coaching Skills; a handbook” supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. In my experience, there is a bit of “Ra-Ra” element involved in the coach role. This conjures images of a goal driven, positive affirmation spouting, cheerleader.

Nature connected coaching is the love child, the expression of the merger of these two oddly paired concepts.

How does this blend add foundation to your interests as a Nature-Connected Coach?

The NCC coach is an individual whom has done their own “self-recovery” work and exists in a state of heightened awareness which is supported by their re-connection to Earth. That sense of awareness informs their ability to guide (coach) a client in their “self-recovery” process. I’m a firm believer that a teacher or guide cannot lead someone to a place they have not been.

How might it fall short?

I’m not sure I see ant shortcomings in living from that place of “reconnection”. That state can only enhance one’s ability, not just as a guide, but in navigating daily life as a human being.

What skills are needed?

The skills that have resonated with me have been the connection to soul, i.e. the seven breathes. In addition, deep listening and the awareness of baseline and concentric ripples has added greatly to my own continued “self-recovery” and my work as a facilitator.

I get that if I maintain my connection to self and Earth, I am in a far better position to assist others In their work.

Grounded.

P.S. My apologies to the cohort for my tardiness in this post. Im looking forward to seeing you all again (in person) next month! -Z

[Kent-Singing Panther]

Thanks Zak. I really like the way you put this “The NCC coach is an individual whom has done their own “self-recovery” work and exists in a state of heightened awareness which is supported by their re-connection to Earth. That sense of awareness informs their ability to guide (coach) a client in their “self-recovery” process. I’m a firm believer that a teacher or guide cannot lead someone to a place they have not been.” This as well, “Nature connected coaching is the love child, the expression of the merger of these two oddly paired concepts.” I feel that way about NCC when I read Coaching Skills then hop over to Coyote’s Guide. I love reading both books in their own rights and then seeing where they can intersect…or have intercourse 😉

[Rachel Thor]

Wow everyone, I am SO SORRY I missed this section of the discussion. I was leading a 10 day trip through South Carolina that turned into quite a wild journey!

I just wanted to write in and say that I got a chance to watch the call you had while I was on that trip, and I loved seeing all of you.

I even got so inspired by your progress and updated that I…

FINISHED MY WEBSITE!! WOO HOO!
I’d love for you to check it out and send any feedback
http://www.rachelthor.com/

[Kent-Singing Panther]

WHAT!?! Your site is STUNNING Rachel! Seriously, gorgeous 🙂 I LOVE your natural mandalas too, BTW.

[Rachel Thor]

thank you Kent!!

If there’s ever a picture of how the soul moves, this website has been it. Sitting “under construction” since my October vision quest. I’ve worked on it in bursts but often felt like I was still waiting for something….

Then last night at 1am I burst awake with a clear image of my logo and site, worked on this until 8:30am. Just like a seed buried in the soil, churning, and bursting through the surface all at once.

I so appreciate both the solidity of discipline and the surprise of flow in this whole process. Thanks for listening and sharing this win with me everyone!

[Z Baker]

In summary…..this modules discussion has been an interesting one for me. I find it curious how each of us are experiencing and perceiving not just nature connected coaching but OUR personal perceptions of nature and our place in it the same.

[Rachel Thor]

Initial Post (catch up): Where does Ecopsychology and Coaching come together? How does this blend add foundation to your interests as a Nature-Connected Coach. How might it fall short? What skills are needed?

Bill Plotkin talks about our psychological development through (among other things) a concentric ring model, where we begin our psychological and soul journey from an ego-centric place, I believe rightly so. we are each a collection of cells whose first priority before any actualization or larger mission can be accomplished, must learn to survive, depend on the world around it, and as such focuses its attention fully on the self. According to Plotkin, it’s not until we’ve completed certain developmental tasks (no matter what chronological age) that we can expand our awareness further out the concentric rings to other people, other communities, and eventually other-than-human communities. In my own experience, I can remember being a teenager and seeing people around me fighting for environmental rights and regulations. I remember thinking very clearly, “I know I SHOULD care about the environment, but right now, I am hurting and I am healing myself, and I DON’T CARE and even CAN’T CARE about the environment outside of me until my inner world feels safer. Even though I feel selfish, I need to stick to my healing path now and not rush off to look outside of myself.” In essence, a part of me knew and identified that it’s actually healthy NOT to expand my concentric rings of awareness too big until my inner rings are developed, if I want my awareness to indeed increase positivity in the world. And that maybe if I had reached to tackle issues outside of myself at the time, it wouldn’t have been authentic or even impactful.

I’m saying this because I firmly see inner development, aka coaching, as integrally woven into eco-psychology. They inherently develop and grow together. As My call toward RELATIONSHIP with nature (not environmental activism yet) has grown, as my psychological interdependence of nature has grown, so too has my inner strength, healing, and capacity for power. As my inner world has been coached and coaxed, so too has my care and fierce protection of the relationship I love – the natural world.

So While eco-psychology seems to be focused more on building understanding of and relational interdependence with the natural world, and coaching may be focused more on building any number of understandings – from relational strength to self, other humans, or action in the world, I see them as two sides of a similar coin of a soul-centric model of human development (Plotkin). In this model, both grow in tandem, both have their own set of tasks, and both feed each other while remaining separate.

[Rachel Thor]

Summary post:

My actual lived experience of coaching and wilderness guiding feels like a similar symbiosis to the one I described in my post. I can do coaching anywhere (ie indoors) because we are typically working with the inner landscape. however the external landscape can feed that work in mutual ways.

For example, when I first describe nature connected coaching, I talk about nature as one form of “conscious object of reflection or projection”. It’s a tool for the inner work, if that’s what they’re orienting toward. However, as time progresses, the relationship to nature evolves (the concentric circle of awareness increases) and what was once merely a tool for reflection becomes an actual relationship, with inherent value in itself for connection. the stronger that reciprocal connection deepens, the stronger the tool becomes, giving the client autonomy to listen, react, learn, and love through this relationship all on their own.