Unmoored Yet Unbroken: Ecopsychology for a Changing World Stories of Human-Nature Relationships

Unmoored Yet Unbroken is less a final statement than a generative offering. It gathers voices from around the world--many early in their careers--who are working to articulate what it means to live and practice in an ecologically disoriented age. What emerges is a collective engagement with resilience, not as simple endurance, but as a relational process--a network of care that spans people, cultures, and ecologies, and leads to the deepening transformation of self. An important contribution to the ecopsychology literature.＂

-- PETER H. KAHN, Jr., Professor of Psychology and Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington; author of Technological Nature: Adaptation and the Future of Human Life

A rich tapestry of global narratives that highlights the psychological impact of environmental changes

Unmoored Yet Unbroken explores the intricate relationship between humans and the natural environment. With stories and observations from urban, suburban, rural, and wild environments, this book challenges ethnocentric perspectives and emphasizes our deep interdependence with the natural world. Protecting and stabilizing this relationship is vital for our mental health and essential in the broader fight against climate change.

This book uncovers the psychological challenges arising from our increasing disconnection from the natural world through a blend of diverse personal narratives, clinical insights, and cultural analysis. It addresses the urgent need to understand how environmental changes impact mental health in every community. By deepening our understanding of how climate change influences the human psyche, Unmoored Yet Unbroken offers an essential perspective for scholars, students, activists, and general readers.

- Explore the clinical implications of ecological change and how they differ globally

- Get a well-rounded perspective grounded in clinical evidence, personal stories, interviews, and survey results

- Understand how ecological changes impact marginalized communities in urban and rural settings

This book addresses gaps in existing literature and offers insights into the unique challenges marginalized groups face in environmental changes.

Susan Bodnar, integrates ecotherapy in her traditional New York City psychotherapy practice, including walk sessions and pet therapy. She teaches clinical ecopsychology in addition to child psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, and started DEWLab.org to explore human relationships with the natural outside world. She is also the Clinical Director of the Wellness Center, a rural startup mental health clinic in Stamford, New York.

Chrystal L. Dunker, PhD, is an environmental educator and researcher specializing in human-nature interactions, coping, and resilience in youth. Her work extends Dr. Peter H. Kahn, Jr.’s research on human-nature interaction patterns, and she serves as managing editor of Ecopsychology and a HINTS Lab affiliate (Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems Lab, University of WA - Seattle). With over two decades of experience, she holds multiple graduate degrees in environmental fields and ecopsychology.

Jean Kayira, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse. Her research focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems, land-based education, climate adaptation, food justice, community-based research, and decolonizing methodologies. She teaches courses such as Indigenous Research Methods and Diversity and the Knowledge of the Environment, emphasizing the importance of diverse epistemologies and methodologies.