Project NatureConnect: and International
Simultaneous Policy Organisation
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CONTENTS -KEY Organic Psychology |
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Project NatureConnect
(PNC) in consultation with International Simultaneous
Policy Organisation (ISPO) |
Key Article
The Organic Psychology of Natural Consensus: How and Why it Works.
(Edited from Reconnecting With Nature, by Michael J. Cohen, Ed.D.)
I recently participated in a hurried, almost stressful one-day training program for people interested in social work but whose differences kept them arguing amongst themselves. They had neither the motivation nor time to hear an explanation from me about the unifying and healing benefits of a nature-connected Organic Psychology process I have developed over the past forty years while living and teaching in natural areas throughout the seasons (1). Although this tool adds a powerful component to most education, therapies and conflict resolution, the training program
omitted it from their agenda because it sounded controversial and it might threaten their ability to get funding.
In the midst of this hubbub, a young bird flew into the meeting room through the door. It stressfully squeaked and flew aimlessly in fearful desperation, trying to find a way out.
As if by a miracle, and without a word, the behind-schedule, argumentative meeting screeched to a halt. Deep natural attraction feelings for life and hope filled each person for the moment.
For ten minutes that frightened little bird triggered those seventy people to harmoniously, supportively organize and unify with each other to safely help the bird find its way back to its home in nature. Yet, when they accomplished this feat, they cheered for themselves and their benevolent actions, not for the part played by the bird. For the moment they felt heroic; they congratulated and celebrated their humanity for its wisdom, cooperation and compassion. In their story of the incident, the role and impact of the bird on their experience went unnoticed.
The participants returned to the hubbub of the meeting, as if nothing special had happened. They completely overlooked that the bird had united them while it was there, something they had not been able to do without its presence.
"One touch of nature make's the whole world kin."
- William Shakespeare
I wanted to say something about the effect of the bird but I didn't. People would have scoffed. They would have again repeated that what happened was not important or useful, for it was uncommon to have a wild bird enter and modify their lives. It was their "human spirit" that they applauded, not its inherent origins and connections to nature.
The reconnecting-with-nature attraction in the form of a bird during that incident brought joy and integrity to the training participant's lives. The benefits were evident. It is the profound lack of such natural attraction contacts in our daily life that makes us create and sustain many disorders and dysfunctions. People feel distraught, yet helpless, about Earth's life and their lives being stressed and at-risk, just like the bird. Yet, by using
nature-reconnecting organic psychology tools, even natural attractions for an aquarium or a pet can produce beneficial effects, as did the bird at the meeting, or whales or deer at risk (4).
During the past fifty years I've seen my nature-connecting process help unify and heal couples, families, and individuals in dysfunction or in conflict with themselves or others (2). The process is a teachable, accredited, ecopsychology, an organic stress-management tool. It helps people and nature co-create well-being, sustainability and peace of mind as well as peace in the world (3).
People are part of nature and over the eons there has been no known substitute for the perfection, purity and grace of authentic nature. Yet, today we live, on average, physically and mentally separated from nature for more than ninety-five percent of the time. Our daily thinking is separated from nature's ability to self-organize into relationships that seldom produce our garbage, abusiveness or dysfunctions.
Our biological and sensory origins in nature create optimums of life, diversity, and beauty in cooperative balance. Our mind and spirit genetically inherit this ability but our nature-conquering and disconnecting socialization buries it deeply into our sub-conscious mind. We are bewildered, meaning disconnectd from wilderness, its balance and values. To our loss, most of our thinking, sensing and feeling is disassociated from nature's healing, regenerative powers; thus our thoughts and our destiny have gone far astray.
Doesn't it make sense for us to learn how to genuinely tap into nature's ways in order to become more whole?
Doing this restores our deeper intelligence by connecting it to nature's wholeness. This makes more sense than continuing down the nature-separated path that destroys the rewards and benefits of natural systems within and around us. Project NatureConnect teaches an Organic Psychology that helps our thinking sensuously reconnect with authentic nature so it may help heal us and unite us. The excellent results of this ecopsychology have led observers to call our programs utopian.
The heart of Organic Psychology is readily available through a new book, The Web of Life Imperative. It guides us through nature-connected moments, enabling us to incorporate nature's cooperative, unifying powers into our thinking and relating. As with the bird at the meeting, the process helps us transform our destructive competition and dysfunctions into constructive, mutually supportive relationships.
If you have ever had a good experience in nature, you know its far-reaching possibilities. PNC enables you, in partnership with nature, to experience these moments at will.
"Nature is doing her best each moment to make us well."
- Henry David Thoreau
1. Cohen, M.J. 2003. The Web of Life Imperative: Regenerative ecopsychology techniques that help people think in balance with nature.Victoria B.C. Canada Trafford,
2. Cohen, M.J. 2000. Einsteins World: Educating and counseling with nature. Project NatureConnect, Friday Harbor USA
3. Cohen, M.J. 1997. Reconnecting With Nature: Finding wellness by restoring your bond with the Earth. Corvallis Oregon, Ecopress
4. Cohen, M.J. Nature Unifies: Wilderness values and natural senses produce cooperation and consensus. Project NatureConnect, Friday Harbor USA
CONTENTS
- A self-discovery activity: your relationship with nature
.- The rationale for using nature-connected organic learning and psychology
.- KEY The Organic Psychology of natural consensus and cooperation: how and why it works.
- Free Course: ECO 400ISPO. Exploring the Benefits of Nature-Connected Thinking
- Press Release: Practical Alternative Offered for Inadequate Thinking and Disaffected Voters
.- ISPO/PNC Homepage
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SP/PNC Combined Program Homepage
Towards the Improvement of
Personal and Global Relationships
Project NatureConnect
INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION
Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council
Online Organic Psychology books, training and degree programs
P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA
360-378-6313
nature@interisland.net | www.ecopsych.comInternational Simultaneous Policy Organisation
Using our Votes to Take Back the World
P.O. Box 26547, London SE3 7YT, UK
Fax: +44 (0)20-8460 2035
info@simpol.org | www.simpol.org
