Re-Nature with Clara Schroeder: Ecotherapy, Climate Grief, and Healing Our Bond with Nature

In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Clara Schroeder, ecotherapist and author of Re-Nature: How Nature Helps Us Feel Better and Do Better, for a conversation about ecopsychology, climate grief, ritual, and the healing intelligence of the natural world. Together they explore why “we are nature” is not just a poetic idea, but a psychological and spiritual reality - and how separation from the earth mirrors separation from self, body, belonging, and ritual. They also discuss nature as a co-regulating presence, the specific grief that can follow climate or human-caused ecological disasters, and what it means to repair our attachment with the original mother. This is a conversation about remembering that nature is not outside of us; it is one of the oldest relationships we have.For educational purposes only. This isn’t therapy.Resources mentioned:Re-Nature by Clara SchroederUse for: Guest’s book, Re-Nature: How Nature Helps Us Feel Better and Do Better.Link: https://www.claraschroeder.com/bookNote: Clara’s site describes the book as exploring nature connection, mental health, resilience, climate disruption, and sustainable action.Ecopsychology / Theodore RoszakUse for: Defining ecopsychology as the bridge between psychology and ecology / the human psyche and the natural world.Link: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/ecopsychologyNote: Useful general background on ecopsychology and its association with Theodore Roszak’s The Voice of the Earth.Nature exposure and healthUse for: Research support that exposure to natural environments is associated with decreased anxiety, rumination, and other mental health benefits.Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8125471/Note: Review article on associations between nature exposure and health.Nature relatedness and mental healthUse for: Research support that stronger nature relatedness is associated with fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6069224/Note: Helpful support for the episode’s claim that relationship with nature matters for mental health.Connectedness to Nature ScaleUse for: Research on emotional / experiential connection to the natural world.Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222621038_The_Connectedness_to_Nature_Scale_A_Measure_of_Individuals%27_Feeling_in_Community_with_NatureNote: Mayer and Frantz’s Connectedness to Nature Scale is a common measure in environmental psychology.Andy Goldsworthy quoteUse for: “We oft