Spotlight on Ecopsychology
The following is a list of classes that relate to various aspects of Ecopsychology. Most of these classes were offered in the past. The particular electives offered by the Institute vary at any given time. The school tries to be responsive to the particular interests of the current student body and aims to have the curriculum reflect those interests. The number of current classes that fall under the category of the Ecopsychology depends on both teacher availability and student interest. Information on current classes can be found in the academic catalog.
Ecopsychology and Deep Ecology
Ecopsychology combines an understanding of how the psyche is influenced by the environment with how psychological orientation influences interaction with the environment. Deep ecology extends that sense to include how people can extend their identification with the environment in order to work toward planetary healing.
This course presents an introduction to ecopsychology and deep ecology, two emerging fields within psychology which have a natural affinity with transpersonal approaches. Ecopsychology is the emerging synthesis of ecology and psychology, including the skillful application of ecological insights to the practice of psychotherapy, and the discovery of our emotional bond with the planet. Deep ecology is a related discipline, which looks at how humans can define themselves, or identify themselves with the entire world. It is a discipline which endeavors to awaken a sense of identification with the entire planet, so that we feel naturally disposed to care for the environment, as we feel naturally disposed to care for ourselves. Deep transformational practices are aligned with environmental work.
