- Sessions being held at the University of Derby by Dr Jamie Bird
- They involve participants trying to express feelings through art and poetry
- Student Claire Prowse felt she may not have a future because of climate crisis
By Harry Howard For Mailonline
Published: 09:45 EST, 24 January 2020 | Updated: 10:01 EST, 24 January 2020
Students and staff anxious about climate change are being offered therapy to tackle feelings of anger, guilt and grief.
University of Derby are running art therapy sessions for those suffering ‘eco-anxiety’ -an issue brought to the forefront of public attention by 17-year-old activist Greta Thunberg.
Participants are encouraged to express their feelings about climate change through ‘poetry and movement’.
One student attending the therapy sessions, Claire Prowse, said climate change makes her feel like she is ‘not going to have a future’.
She told the BBC: ‘It makes me very anxious because every time I look at the news I rarely see any good news about the environment.
‘It just makes me think I’m not going to have a future.’
Another attendee, Nicola Grigg, added that climate change made her feel ‘isolated and lonely’.
She said she felt ‘guilty’ because she does not have the power to ‘change’ the climate situation.
The academic behind the sessions, Dr Jamie Bird, said people suffer ‘climate grief’ when they see the environment being damaged.
Writing on a blog on the university’s website, Dr Bird, who is head of health and social care research at Derby, said: ‘This activity focuses on the here and now. It does not seek to solve problems or provide solutions.
‘It provides a safe space to express feelings in a compassionate environment.’
Eco-anxiety is described by Psychology Today as ‘a fairly recent psychological disorder afflicting an increasing number of individuals who worry about the environmental crisis’.
No stats are available on how widespread it is, but some experts said there is increased public anxiety around climate change.
In a 2017 report, Professor Susan Clayton at the College of Wooster, in Ohio, wrote: ‘We can say that a significant proportion of people are experiencing stress and worry about the potential impacts of climate change, and that the level of worry is almost certainly increasing.’
As well as being offered to students and staff, Derby University’s workshops have been held in towns nearby, with more planned in Derbyshire this year.
Dr Bird said: ‘More and more I think there’s this recognition that people are feeling not only anxious but also a sense of loss, or it might be a sense of anger or guilt or shame.
‘Helplessness underlines a lot of those feelings because it’s something we’ve never really had to face before and we don’t know how it’s going to pan out.’
He added that the sessions have been successful, with some finding that they feel less anxious or guilty when they leave.
This is the backside of human consciousness: religious madness, a more accurate term then eco-anxiety.
“She said she felt ‘guilty’ because she does not have the power to ‘change’ the climate situation.”
Why would she feel guilt about something she cant do anything about. If she cant do anything about it, it de facto means she is not responsible… of course rationality is not their strong point.
We can move her from anx to suicidal by pointing out that, despite all the bluster and Horror Stories by these bureaucrats and celebrities at these resort locations which feed her anxiety, there is nothing that governments can do about climate change. They are just as powerless as she it.
So she might just as well end it all now and contribute to the depopulation solution which started this whole “the world is coming to an end because humans burn fossil fuel” mythology to begin with.
Instead of therapy, hand them the IPCC chapter on impacts, and ask them to find the part that claims they don’t have a future. This reckless anti-scientific alarmism is damaging and wearying.
Gone are the days of underwater basket weaving as course offerings. The modern replacement is a more in-tune waste-o-time.
We need to establish Anx-cities in high northern climes for all these wounded psyches. Cold 10 months out of the year will help them stave off Global warming. A horse in every barn and wood burning stoves in every kitchen will allow them to feel good about themselves as they freeze their arses off and dream about a warming planet.
Sounds to me as though instead of offering the precious little dears therpy, their Turd Level educators ought to be offering them a can of harden the fcuk up in the refectory for breakfast.
…or if one must offer the snowflakes therapy and cup-cakes, at least get it from this guy:
Please add me to your list to notify me of new posts by email.
She told the BBC: ‘It makes me very anxious because every time I look at the news I rarely see any good news about the environment.
The solution is easy. She doesn’t need therapy. All she needs is someone to tell her to stop watching the BBC or reading papers like the Guardian. And stop listening to Greeting (in the Scottish sense) Thundermountain. And play John McEnroe’s immortal words over and over again whenever she hears GT droning on and on and on.
Yet another zero-problem:
“She told the BBC: ‘It makes me very anxious because every time I look at the news I rarely see any good news about the environment.
‘It just makes me think I’m not going to have a future.’
Another attendee, Nicola Grigg, added that climate change made her feel ‘isolated and lonely’.
She said she felt ‘guilty’ because she does not have the power to ‘change’ the climate situation.”
And the solution – Stop.Watching.BBC.
Some ~12 years ago I wrote an email to the BBC radio editorial about some nutrition / climate change article they brought.
Obviously they didn’t enjoy my contribution, their sole reply was some “understand, we don’t answere nonBrit listeners.”
Good advice not to communicate with BBC. Better about BBC.
By the way, https://www.google.com/search?q=BBC+host+paedophile&oq=BBC+host+paedophile+&aqs=chrome.
Well maybe the BBC should not air outside the tv licensed UK would suit their charter.
They are running art therapy sessions for those suffering ‘eco anxiety’ – an issue brought to the forefront of public attention by 17-year-old activist Greta Thunberg (pictured) +3
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They are running art therapy sessions for those suffering ‘eco anxiety’ – an issue brought to the forefront of public attention by 17-year-old activist Greta Thunberg (pictured)
Previous studies have shown that nearly two-thirds of people are concerned about climate change.
Researchers commissioned by renewables firm Good Energy surveyed 2,000 British adults about their awareness of the climate crisis.
They found that 61 per cent of people are growing more concerned about climate change.
Fear about the future has prompted thousands of Britons to make lifestyle changes, such as by reducing their plastic consumption.
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There’s that problem with the “plastic consumption” addicts.
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But the researchers found that better choices to address the issue exist, these include switching to renewable energy, eating less meat and flying less.
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“plastic consumption” addicts, unprepared for “eating less meat and flying less.”
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Forty two per cent of respondents said that they were unclear which actions they could take to make the most positive difference.
The top change people assumed would help the environment was cutting down on their plastic waste — but this action, the researchers warned, does little in fact to lower an individual’s carbon footprint.
In contrast, the most meaningful lifestyle changes — such as switching to a renewables-only energy tariff, flying less and cutting down on meat consumption — were only top of around four per cent of people’s list.
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ALLIANCE OF 11,000 SCIENTISTS DECLARES ‘CLIMATE EMERGENCY’
Thousands of the world’s greatest scientists have joined together to declare that ‘untold human suffering’ is unavoidable without deep and lasting shifts in human activities.
An alliance of more than 11,000 scientists signed a paper which declared the climate emergency and set out actions humans should take.
To limit the damage caused by humans’ greenhouse gas emissions the paper called for control of the global population, which is growing by 200,000 people a day.
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The moment
“They [ started ] running art therapy sessions for those suffering ‘eco anxiety’ – an issue brought to the forefront of public attention by 17-year-old activist Greta Thunberg (pictured)”
could have been the Great Begin “To limit the damage caused by humans’ greenhouse gas emissions BY controlling of the global population, which is growing by 200,000 people a day.”
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– Extinction Activism – don’t contribute to global population growth, when there’s art therapy sessions !”
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The global group was led by William J. Ripple professor of ecology at Oregon State University and researcher Christopher Wolf.
Professor Ripple. Go ahead. That’s the way to do it !