An Evening in the Rain

I stepped outside last evening around 6 pm, and it was raining lightly. It was a little chilly, but I decided to stay longer than my initial intention to just step outside for a few moments. The air was fresh…clean. It contained that magical smell of newness following a storm. I sat down…and I stayed.

What is happening to our evenings in the rain? I suspect we are losing them to a world of technology, capitalism, and excessive need to produce. And something interesting but scary is happening. The more disconnected people become from nature, the less they realize something is missing. The term for this is "shifting baseline syndrome" — each generation grows up with less nature, fewer insects, fewer birds, fewer animals, fewer wild places, fewer interactions with nature, and assumptions that their degraded reality is the normal, everyday experience. Indeed, over time, people forget what’s been lost and adjust their expectations downward without even realizing it. Each new generation accepts a worsened natural environment because they have no memory of how rich or abundant it once was. The term itself (shifting baseline syndrome) was coined by marine biologist Daniel Pauly in 1995, who noticed that young fishers accepted smaller and fewer fish than usual because they had no memory of the past abundance.

The concept of shifting baseline syndrome has since expanded to human experience more broadly — and includes our fading relationship with nature, eroding our motivation to protect or restore it. As we stop noticing what has been lost – thinking nature, as it is now, is how it has always been, we lose our connectedness with the natural world (and its once vast and amazing qualities).

The cost? At the very least, we risk forgetting what it feels like to be alive and aware in the nature surrounding us – connected to its life-giving and inspirational qualities. But the expense to our mental health is also a problem.

The human cost of disconnection from nature is becoming increasingly clear across scientific fields. Research consistently shows that individuals who feel more connected to nature experience greater happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being (Capaldi, Dopko, & Zelenski, 2014). Conversely, urbanization and reduced nature exposure are correlated with heightened rates of anxiety, depression, and cognitive fatigue (Bratman, Hamilton, & Daily, 2012). As interactions with the natural world decline, so too does our emotional affinity for the environment, creating a harmful cycle that jeopardizes both human flourishing and ecological stewardship (Soga & Gaston, 2016). In this sense, fostering deeper connections with nature is not merely a luxury — it is a fundamental need for mental, emotional, and societal health.

Is it time to focus more specifically on interactions with nature when working with our clients (and ourselves)? Is it time to emphasize our values at an ecological level? Is it past time? I would argue yes. Few are aware, but Martin Wilks, a few years back, in his efforts to save the environment, suggested that the “ecological self” get added to the typical assessment of values categories. He spoke about it at several ACBS conferences, but I don’t think it had the impact he desired, and it did not work the way I had hoped it would. Along with family, friendships, work, etc., I would suggest, as did Martin, that Nature is essential to a values assessment. It’s too important…and we are running out of time. Will we forget an evening in the rain?

Back to my evening…it was beautiful. The rain fell gently, blurring the hard edges of the day. Every drop against my skin felt like a little secret — a reminder that life moves, breathes, renews. Under the gentle drops, time itself seemed to loosen its grip, and for a few rare moments, it was enough just to sit there — connected to nature, fully part of it and better for it.

Consider your and your client’s connection to nature…bringing it into the therapeutic process – it matters.

References

• Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 976. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976

• Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249(1), 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06400.x

• Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J., ... & Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5(7), eaax0903. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0903

• Soga, M., & Gaston, K. J. (2016). Extinction of experience: The loss of human–nature interactions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(2), 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1225

Personal Reflection: Your Relationship with Nature

Many of you know that I have long advocated for the environment, completed workshops on the issue and been a board member of the Climate Justice and Action Special Interest Group in ACBS. Saving nature is personal. I invite you to consider what nature means to you. Take a moment to answer the following questions, and write about it if it helps you clarify and connect to your values in these areas:

• When was the last time you felt awe in the presence of something wild — and what did it awaken in you?

• Do you remember a place in nature that once felt like home — and have you allowed yourself to return to that place, even in your memory?

• If nature were a loved one, how would it say you have treated it? With attention, distance, gratitude, or forgetting, etc.?

• Is there anything you want to change regarding your relationship with nature? What is it, and what will you do?

ACT Micro Practices

1. Find a small piece of nature — a leaf, a blade of grass, a pebble, a puddle, a patch of sunlight — wherever you are.

2. Pause and hold your attention on it for just one deep breath. Let your breath be slow and aware.

3. As you breathe, silently say, "I am part of this. It is part of me."

4. Notice: The textures, colors, temperature, how life continues around and within you, how you are a part of nature.

5. If you choose, offer thanks — even if just silently — and continue with your day.

Research Spotlight: Continuing With the Theme

A landmark report discussed nature’s essential role in human survival and noted that approximately 60% of the world’s ecosystems are in danger and have already been degraded. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) involved over 1,300 experts from 95 countries and provided compelling scientific evidence that human survival depends directly on healthy ecosystems. It introduced the concept of ecosystem services—the vital, often invisible benefits nature provides, such as food, clean water, disease regulation, and climate stability. Our connection with nature matters. When we connect, we feel more responsible. We remember what we have and appreciate that its loss, in this case, is too costly.  

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis. Island Press. https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf

Events and Resources

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Date: Thursday, May 22, 2025
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