A Therapist's Grief and Responsibility

Last night I wrote to my representative and urged him to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Linda Buzzell and Craig Chalquist wrote in, "Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind:

“At a time of planetwide environmental crisis, it seems both outrageous and irresponsible that so few mental health clinicians connect the epidemics of mental distress in industrial societies with the devastating impact of our suicidal destruction of our own habitat and ecocidal elimination of whole species that used to share the Earth with us.

Many therapy clients also don’t realize that the grief and fear they struggle with may be natural responses to the death of so many living beings and the ongoing distress of Earth, air, and ocean life all around us. Because we’re not informed abut links between mental health symptoms caused by the way we live and the accelerating inner and outer devastation, we remain mystified about why we feel so much pain.”

I absolutely agree. I have witnessed the frustration, anxiety and grief of adolescents in particular who fear for their futures and who lament the passing of so many awe inspiring creatures from this beautiful and sacred planet. I share their feelings. Perhaps you do too.