Ecopsychology: Experiencing the Ecological Self

Sunday, May 27 – June 1, 2012

The concept of the ecological Self is central to Ecopsychology. This term originates from the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, who argues that through transcending the individual ego we can reach a sense of identification with all other life and systems of life. In the industrial north we are largely brought up in a culture of individualism, which promotes the idea that humans are separate from, and superior to, the rest of nature. As a result of this cultural conditioning it can be hard to know how to participate consciously in the web of life, how to live and work systemically – how to act from an ecological sense of Self.

Through a series of carefully facilitated outdoor experiences and small group work, this course will help participants experience the ecological Self and ask what it really means to “reconnect with nature”.

Contact" the College for further details about this course About the teachers.

David Key is an internationally qualified outdoor leader with over 15 years experience working with groups in wild places to facilitate change. He is a fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology and co-led the postgraduate Ecopsychology module at the University of Strathclyde for seven years. He was a founding director of Footprint Consulting Limited where he worked extensively with organisational change. He now facilitates the WWF Natural Change Project with Margaret Kerr, while training as a psychotherapist.

Mary-Jayne Rust is a Jungian analyst and an art therapist. Her many years of working in the area of eating problems has informed a wider interest in the cultural roots of consumerism and the links between gender and culture, soul and the land. Alongside private practice, she lectures and teaches in a variety of settings, as well as contributing to books and journals on the subject of ecopsychology. She is co-editor of Vital Signs: Psychological Responses to Ecological Crisis Karnac 2011. She has worked for two green NGOs. She grew up by the sea, and now lives beside a large area of ancient woodland in North London.

Course Fees:
£800
All course fees include 5 nights accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.
For further information about Schumacher College please see About the College

Reserve your place now
To provisionally reserve a place for 5 days, email us your contact details and the name of the course. We will hold the place for five working days for reservations – three weeks before a course or earlier. After five days we will automatically offer your place to someone else if we have not received your application.