A LIVING GLOSSARY

A vocabulary of remembering, becoming, and returning

This glossary offers shared language for people engaging in ecopsychology, ecological identity work, nature-based coaching, and integration support. Each term includes how my research understands it and how it may show up in your life.

Ancestral Work

In my work, this reveals itself as:
Reconnecting with lineage, heritage, and cultural memory in an ethical and grounded way.

How this might feel in your life:
Feeling rooted, supported, and connected to where you come from.

Cultural Humility

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
An approach of ongoing reflection, curiosity, and openness toward the lived experiences of others.

In human terms:
Being respectful, open, and willing to learn.

Decolonial Psychedelic Practice

In my work, this reveals itself as:
Honoring the histories and lineages connected to sacred medicines and engaging with integrity, respect, and awareness.

How this might feel in your life:
Making choices that honor tradition and avoid harm.

Earth-Based Grounding

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Reconnecting with breath, body, and land to restore stability and presence.

What this can mean for you:
Feeling calmer and more centered when you connect with the Earth.

Eco • Psyche • Logos (Root Meaning)

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
The foundational roots of ecopsychology, drawn from the Greek:

Eco (Oikos) means home, dwelling, or the household of Earth.
Psyche means soul, breath, or animating spirit.
Logos means word, meaning, pattern, or revelation.

Together, these form a worldview seen in ecopsychology, depth psychology, and eco-phenomenology. Thinkers such as John Seed, Joanna Macy, James Hillman, Theodore Roszak, and Paul Shepard emphasize that the psyche is not housed only within the individual. Meaning arises through a relationship with the living world. The soul is ecological, and the Earth participates in shaping our inner life.

How this might feel in your life:
Noticing that spending time in nature helps you feel more like yourself. Feeling that your inner world and the natural world speak in a shared language.

Ecological Belonging

In my work, this reveals itself as:
The felt sense of being held by the natural world and by the cultural and ecological stories that shape you.

In human terms:
Feeling at home, safe, and connected to something larger.

Ecological Identity

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
The understanding that who you are is shaped by your relationships with nature, community, ancestry, and place. It is the remembrance that you have always been part of the Earth.

How this might feel in your life:
A deeper sense of connection, confidence, and belonging.

Ecological Nervous System

In my work, this reveals itself as:
The idea that regulation arises from body, land, relationship, culture, and environment together.

How this might feel in your life:
Feeling calmer when the world around you supports your nervous system.

Ecological Sovereignty

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Reclaiming identity, purpose, and belonging through connection with nature and ancestral wisdom.

How this might feel in your life:
Feeling grounded and confident in yourself.

Ecopsychologist (Why I Use This Term)

In my work, this reveals itself as:
A scholar-practitioner who studies and works with the ecological nature of human consciousness. An ecopsychologist bridges academic research, ecological philosophy, trauma-informed understanding, and relational practice to help people reconnect with nature, belonging, and meaning.

My use of this term is grounded in:

My Master’s Degree in Ecopsychology from Naropa University, rooted in contemplative inquiry and nature-based understanding. My doctoral research on ecological identity, unitive consciousness, 5-MeO-DMT phenomenology, and dissolving-return cycles is based in Ecopsychology.

Twenty-eight years of trauma-informed public health counseling and relational work.

An ecopsychologist does not diagnose or treat mental illness. Instead, the work supports people in remembering their ecological nature, returning to belonging, and reclaiming meaning.

How this might feel in your life:
Working with someone who helps you reconnect with your own wisdom, the natural world, and a sense of home in yourself.

Ecopsychology

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
An exploration of the human psyche as an expression of the Earth’s psyche. Ecopsychology understands consciousness as ecological, relational, and inseparable from the greater web of life.

What this can mean for you:
Feeling more balanced, calm, and grounded when you reconnect with nature.

Embodied Ecology

In my work, this reveals itself as:
The understanding that the body is an ecosystem shaped by ancestry, environment, and relational experience.

In human terms:
Recognizing your body holds wisdom and is deeply connected to nature.

Entheogenic Gnosis

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Direct insight gained through expanded states of consciousness, revealing deeper truth or connection.

In human terms:
Learning something important through a powerful experience.

Intersubjective Resonance

In my work, this reveals itself as:
A field of shared presence where two people meet each other deeply and authentically.

What this can mean for you:
Feeling truly seen and understood.

Integration (Non-Clinical)

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
The weaving of insights from meaningful or intense experiences into daily life.

How this might feel in your life:
Turning big moments into life changes that matter to you.

Living Resurrection

In my work, this reveals itself as:
A cycle of dissolving, remembering, returning, and reintegrating after profound change or awakening.

How this might feel in your life:
The sense of beginning again with deeper clarity.

Nature-Based Practice

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Using the natural world as a guide for emotional, somatic, and spiritual grounding.

How this might feel in your life:
Feeling better after time outside. Using nature to settle, reflect, or heal.

Ontological Shock

In my work, this reveals itself as:
A disruption of one’s sense of self or reality after trauma, mystical experience, or entheogenic insight. This is not pathology. It is often a threshold.

How this might feel in your life:
Feeling like the world changed overnight. With support, this becomes a path of growth.

Relational Ecology

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Healing that arises from relationships with people, land, ancestors, memory, and the more-than-human world.

In practical terms:
You heal through connection, not isolation.

Right Relationship

In my work, this reveals itself as:
Relating to self, others, and the Earth with reciprocity, integrity, and care.

What this can mean for you:
Acting in ways that feel true, respectful, and aligned with your values.

Somatic Grounding

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Reconnecting with body and Earth to restore calm, presence, and belonging.

In practical terms:
Breathing, grounding, and settling your body when emotions feel big.

Somatic Needs

In my work, this reveals itself as:
The body expressing old wounds, needs, or survival patterns that seek acknowledgment.

What this can mean for you:
Your body may be asking for attention, rest, or care.

Spiritual Trauma

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
Wounds to meaning, identity, belonging, or connection to the sacred.

In human terms:
Feeling lost or shaken in your sense of purpose.

The Body as a Living Ecosystem

In my work, this reveals itself as:
A view of the body as interdependent, adaptive, and relational.

What this can mean for you:
Caring for yourself means caring for the entire ecosystem inside you.

Unitive Consciousness

Through the lens of my research, this can be seen as:
A dissolving of boundaries between self and world, revealing profound interconnection.

How this might feel in your life:
Moments where everything feels connected, peaceful, or meaningful.