On Returning the Self to Nature

Seeing the suffering of the planet and that of humans as inseparably linked—the ecological crisis as psychological crisis, and vice versa—opens the door to a mutuality of healing between people and nature. At the heart of both chronic and acute forms of narcissism is a socially constructed false self—an isolated, damaged ego in a delusional cycle of selfishness. 
 
In her work, CIIS professor Jeanine Canty uses the lens of ecopsychology to show that the pervasive and extreme forms of narcissism we find in many modern societies are the result of alienation from the natural world. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In her forthcoming book, Returning the Self to Nature, Jeanine shares how we can move beyond a world that revolves around selfish and disconnected identity models, and step into healthy relationships with ourselves, our communities, and our planet. 
 
Join Jeanine and CIIS co-lead for the Climate Psychology Certificate Leslie Davenport for an inspiring conversation on visualizing and embodying the wild naturalness of being human, and how to gain skills to begin experiencing a courageous, pluralistic, and ecological self. Jeanine and Leslie’s conversation is an invitation to wake up from the dream of the false self and join the movement toward social and planetary healing. 


Jeanine M. Canty, PhD, is a professor within the Transformative Studies Doctoral program and an instructor for the Climate Psychology Certificate at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, working from a distance via the foothills of Boulder, CO. Previously, she was a professor of Environmental Studies at Naropa University, a Buddhist inspired institution, started her teaching career as a core faculty at Prescott College, an experiential learning institution, and still guest teaches at both institutions. A lover of nature, justice, and contemplative practice, her teaching intersects issues of social and ecological justice connected to the process of worldview expansion and positive change and her research situates in ecopsychology, climate justice, transformative learning, contemplative education, and transpersonal inquiries. She is both editor and a contributor to the books Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women’s Voices and Globalism and Localization: Emergent Approaches to Ecological and Social Crises. Her forthcoming book is Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet (Shambhala Publications, 2022). Jeanine is a certified meditation instruction as well as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR). Other selected works have been featured in A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and The Work of Our Time, The Wiley Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology, The Body and Oppression: Its Roots, its Voices, and its Resolutions, Shadows and Light: Principles, Practices, Pedagogy, and Multicultural Perspectives of Contemporary Transpersonal Counseling, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Sustainability: The Journal of Record, Spirituality and Health Magazine, Langscape Magazine, and World Futures: The Journal of New Paradigm Research. She speaks at a range of national and international symposia and conferences such as Bioneers, the International Transformative Learning Conference, and the Wilderness Therapy Symposium.


Leslie Davenport is co-lead of the Climate Psychology Certificate program at CIIS and works internationally as a climate psychology educator and consultant, integrating social science insights into relevant resources for organizations exploring the intersectionality of climate, economics, policy, and social justice. She helped shape the document, “Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance.” She is the author of four books including Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change, a manual for the mental health field, and All the Feelings Under the Sun written for youth through the APAs children’s book division. The upcoming book, Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators, includes her chapter on "Transformative Psychological Approaches." Leslie is an advisor to the non-profits Climate Mental Health Network, Integrative Healers Action Network, and One Resilient Earth, and on faculty with the CIIS School of Professional Psychology and Health. For more information, visit Leslie’s website and Twitter.