Opening the human spirit to sustainability transformation: the potential for individual human–nature resonance and integrative rituals

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Urgent calls by the younger generation and the scientific community to approach sustainability only seem to scratch the
surface of individuals’ awareness while ecological destruction moves forward. In this regard, current dominant mindsets
claiming a human–nature separation appear to hamper change by not granting nature dignity and her own voice. Therefore,
the scientific community is inviting us to embrace Indigenous ontologies and an overall spiritual connectedness with nature
in our lives. Yet, in times of crisis, it is unclear how individuals can overcome prevailing mind-action gaps—and instead
turn towards sustainable caring human–nature relationships. Against this background, this conceptual paper elaborates, in a first step, individual human–nature resonance as a relational integrative framework to study psychological transformation processes and their supporting capabilities. In a second step, a ritual-based intervention is elaborated to nurture the quality of this relationship between human and nonhuman nature which is experientially enriched with insights from psychotherapy. Transdisciplinary research in the form of self-experience completes the research process. Eventually, we plead for openness in favor of adopting “lived wholeness” as a solution for sustainability transformations—of ourselves, science, and our relationship with nonhuman nature.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2323–2339
Number of pages17
JournalSustainability Science
Volume18
Issue number5
Early online date3 Jul 2023
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85163798159
ORCID /0000-0002-9064-6408/work/161409321

Keywords

Library keywords