​Life-Affirming Despair: ecological grief in community

Climate change, species disappearing, landscapes we knew as children that no longer exist. Many of us live with a split: we know what is happening, and we carry on as if we didn't. There's nothing wrong with you. It's a healthy response to an unreasonable situation, and the grief comes from loving what is at stake.

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This grief doesn't need to be managed or sorted out. It needs room: to be felt in the body, held in a community, and met where it belongs, out in the living world.

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How it works

I facilitate processes for groups and regenerative communities, usually outdoors and over at least three days. It takes time for the pace to slow enough for anything to be truly felt, and that is when something starts to happen.

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We hold two stories of our time at once: that old systems are breaking down, and that something new is beginning to grow. Many people find their spark again, along with what they have to offer the communities they belong to.

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The work draws on The Work That Reconnects, developed by Joanna Macy, with roots in Arne Næss's deep ecology. I am a practitioner in that tradition.

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What I have brought into the work myself is a particular care with pacing. Grief for the world often stirs older, more personal layers as well, and the parts of us that have protected us from the pain deserve respect, not to be pushed past. That is why we take time to find our footing, both before we enter what is difficult and afterwards, so that what opens can take root when everyday life begins again.

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In practice

• Processes and workshops are tailored to organizations, networks and communities.

• Everything runs within an agreed frame, and we take it in manageable steps, so it has time to settle and nobody is overwhelmed.

• You decide how far you go. It is always okay to say no, take a break, or sit out an exercise, and holding what happens in the room is my responsibility.

• After the process, we can arrange follow-up, so that what has opened is supported in the time afterwards.

• Prices and terms are under Ethics and prices.

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For facilitators

I also offer supervision and training for facilitators working with The Work That Reconnects and similar processes. Many years of this work have shown me how powerful the practices can be. I have also seen what can happen when things go wrong, and how important it is to be able to hold what the practices set in motion. We look at pacing, safety, and care: how to recognize early signs that something is going too fast or too deep, how to meet resistance as protection rather than an obstacle, and how to provide grounding and follow-up afterwards. Supervision can be individual or in groups, and is tailored to your level of experience.