image credit | Cate Bligh Season 3, Episode 22: On the Evolution of Outdoor Therapy with Will White Thomas and Panu spoke with Will White, a long time outdoor and wilderness therapy practitioner, and a long time colleague of Thomas. They discussed the evolution of therapeutic camping and outdoor programs in the US dating to the 1800’s and current a…

image credit | Mason Kimbarovsky Season 3, Episode 21:“The Art of Survival” – Art and Climate Emotions In this episode, Thomas and Panu discussed the role of art in their emotional coping with climate stress and other environmental problems. They explored the creative tensions between art and entertainment and being mindful when we chose to challen…

Image credit | Retrieved from youthvgov.org Season 3, Episode 20: Behind the Scenes at the Montana Youth Climate Trial with Lise Van Susteren Thomas and Panu talked with forensic psychiatrist Lise Van Susteren about her powerful experience as an expert witness at the historic Held v. Montana youth-sponsored climate trial in 2023. Lise spoke of her …

image credit | Mateo Heinze Season 3, Episode 19: Healing from Moral Injury with Caroline Hickman Thomas and Panu had a new dialogue with UK Climate Therapy expert Caroline Hickman to discuss the concept of moral injury in relation to climate distress and its impact on people’s sense of meaning and trust. The conversation delved into feelings that …

image credit | Jonathan Kemper Season 3, Episode 18: Finding Your Place and Digging in In this episode, Thomas and Panu discuss the importance of finding a place, digging in, and taking responsibility in the face of climate change and environmental issues. They explore the idea of being a creator or actor rather than a passive consumer and the sign…

image credit | Dan Meyers Season 3, Episode 17: On the Good Grief Network with LaUra Schmidt Thomas and Panu were joined by LaUra Schmidt, co- founder of the Good Grief Network and co-author of How to Live in a Chaotic Climate. Laura shared her journey of combining her background in biology and environmental studies with trauma healing and psycholo…

image credit | Georgy Trofimov Season 3, Episode 16: Nature in Your Life with Thomas and Panu In this episode, Thomas and Panu discussed some real-world aspects of nature and our relationship with the natural world, including different values associated with nature and other species, such as scientific, ethical, relationship and experience-based va…

image credit | Aleksandra Sapozhnikova Season 3, Episode 15: Radical Joy in the Midst of Environmental Grief with Trebbe Johnson Panu and Thomas had an inspiring dialog with vision quest facilitator Trebbe Johnson, founder of Radical Joy for Hard Times. They discussed the concept of radical joy in the face of environmental grief and the importance …

image credit | Johannes Plenio Season 3, Episode 14: Meaning in Life and Meaning of Life In this episode, Panu and Thomas reflected on ways to find a sense of meaning during an era of climate breakdown and other stresses. This can include meaning in your life (such as values that guide you) and meanings of and about your life (your purpose and reas…

image credit | Sage Friedman Season 3, Episode 13: On the “Waking Up Syndrome” with Linda Buzzell Summary In this wide-ranging dialog, ecotherapy pioneer Linda Buzzell looked back on her history including her early environmental awakening working with French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, her training in Marriage and Family Therapy and systems thi…

image credit | Thought Catalog Season 3, Episode 12: On Literature and Activism with Matthew Schneider-Mayerson Thomas and Panu had a wide ranging and stimulating dialog with Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, an associate professor of English at Colby College whose work touches on the cultural and political dynamics of climate change with a focus on lite…

image credit | Jonatán Becerra Season 3, Episode 11: Panu’s New Research on Ecological Sorrow What kinds of losses do we experience due to environmental problems, and how can we understand the unique feelings of grief and sorrow that can ensue? Panu talked about his recent research paper, Ecological Sorrow: Types of Grief and Loss in Ecological Gri…

image credit | Taras Chernus Season 3, Episode 10: A World of Emotions Words with Tim Lomas Thomas and Panu spoke with Tim Lomas, an emotions researcher and author of works like Translating Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Lexicon of Well-Being and The Positive Power of Negative Emotions, who has been influential on the field of positive psychology and …

image credit | Simon Lohmann Season 3, Episode 9: Taking Stock at the End of the Year Thomas and Panu took stock of their feelings about the world as 2023 came to a close, and invited listeners to do the same. Thomas reflected on two quotes that are important to him and changing ways he has interpreted their meaning over the years: “In the beginner…

image credit | Melissa Askew Season 3, Episode 8: Supporting Young People with Caroline Hickman Thomas and Panu were joined by UK therapist and researcher Caroline Hickman. Caroline reflected on her formerly separate backgrounds as an environmentalist and a psychotherapist and pivotal nature experiences she had in midlife as a diving instructor tha…

image credit | Andre Hunter Season 3, Episode 7: What To Do If You Are Feeling Bitter Thomas and Panu reflected on varieties of the feeling of bitterness in response to the chronic stress of climate and environmental problems—ranging from Finnish concepts like epäreiluuden tunne (unfairness-feeling) to the “Cassandrafreude” described by climate sci…

Season 3, Episode 6: A Climate Vocabulary with Herb Simmens This episode found Thomas and Panu in dialogue with Herb Simmens, a long time advocate for addressing climate issues in local government, and author of the compendium of climate-related terms, A Climate Vocabulary of the Future. What kind of new words could be useful to make sense of livin…

Climate Emotions Wheel © 2023 by Anya Kamenetz, Panu Pikhala, Sarah Newman, Megan Slade, JulieSouza, Ryleigh Corrigan is licensed under CC BY-SA4.0 | Resource at ClimateMentalHealth.Net. Based on research by Panu Pihkala at the University of Helsinki and particularly his 2022 paper: “Toward a Taxonomy of Climate Emotions“ | Featured in NYC Times Sq…

image credit | Benny Hassum Season 3, Episode 4: An Australian Climate and Emotions Perspective with Dr. Joëlle Gergis Joëlle Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist and writer from the Australian National University. Joëlle was a lead author on the IPCC 6th Assessment report: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. As the southern he…

image credit | Oscar Ävalos Season 3, Episode 3: Oppenheimer and Nuclear-Anxiety Thomas and Panu reflected on the recent Oppenheimer film, and how cold war-era fear and anxiety about global nuclear armageddon compares with contemporary fear and anxiety about the threats global climate change poses to society and the livability on our planet. Thomas…

image credit | Ifrah Akhter Season 3, Episode 2: On Walk and Talk Therapy with Jennifer Udler In a session devoted to the healing aspects of walking outdoors, Thomas and Panu spoke with social worker Jennifer Udler, author of the new book Walk and Talk Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to Incorporating Movement and Nature into Your Practice. Their discu…

image credit | Derek Owens Season 3, Episode 1: Coping with “Unnatural Disasters” Panu and Thomas offered listeners advice with how to cope with the new class of “unnatural disasters” that have beset the globe in past weeks and months—horrific damage from wildfires that are supercharged or that arise in places we don’t expect them, coping with simu…

image credit | Bethany Beck Season 2, Episode 26: “Breathing the Sky” — Climate Coping for Children and Adults with Leslie Davenport Panu and Thomas were joined by Leslie Davenport who discussed her 2017 book Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change, and recent All the Feelings Under the Sun designed for children. Leslie reflected on her b…

image credit | Stefan Fluck Season 2, Episode 25: Flight Guilt and other Emotions about Travel In this episode, Thomas and Panu focused on the emotional aspects of travel, particularly air travel, and all the competing thoughts and feelings we have about this. Our journeys to see the world and our far flung loved ones are a central part of our live…

image credit | Ruslan Alekso Season 2, Episode 24: Revisiting the Myth of Climate Apathy with Renée Lertzman People have many kinds of feelings about climate and ecological crises, and many remain hidden under the surface, either because people are unsure about these or talking about them does not feel safe. In this episode, Thomas and Panu had a d…

How does climate change impact family relationships? In this follow-up to their recent talk about couples, Thomas and Panu discussed how expressing feelings about climate change and other environmental problems is intertwined with family dynamics in many ways. Depending on the values and communication style of your family of origin, taking a stand …

image credit | Markus Spiske Season 2, Episode 22: Children and Nature with Louise Chawla In this episode we look at the question “What makes for a healthy relationship between children and nature?” and by extension for all of us. To help with this, Panu and Thomas met with Louise Chawla, one of the eminent researchers of environmental psychology a…

image credit|Stavrialena Gontzou Season 2, Episode 21: Tools for Couples Relationships in an Era of Climate Change In the first of a series of conversations on families and relationships, Thomas and Panu focused on the dynamics of couples relationships in an era of climate crisis. They discussed “eco-couples issues” ranging from small disagreements…

image credit| Elizaveta Dushechkina Season 2, Episode 20: On Women, Fear and Nature with Erica Berry Panu and Thomas spoke with Erica Berry, author of the recent memoir and natural history Wolfish. Join us as Erica eloquently discusses the relationships between womens’ fears and empowerment and the stories we tell about nature and predators, wild a…

image credit| Eddie Kopp Season 2, Episode 19: Considering Happiness and What It Should Mean for You What is happiness? And how to live it? These ancient questions are discussed by Thomas and Panu, especially as related to living with the climate and ecological crisis. Listen to a dialog on happiness — as a “wild” emotion, as a result of contact wi…

image credit | Burst Season 2, Episode 18: Holding Space for Climate Emotions and Possibilities with Psychiatrist Janet Lewis Join Panu and Thomas for a thought provoking conversation with Janet Lewis, a founding member of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance. Janet reflected on her experiences of living through disasters and what this has taught her. S…

image credit | Barış Selcen Season 2, Episode 17: On Trees and Forest Protectors Thomas and Panu took time to speak about trees, beings great and small with whom we share the planet, and the disenfranchised grief that we suffer when we witness the loss of trees and forests, in our own neighborhoods and across the world. Join us to listen in on the …

image credit | Jake Ingle Season 2, Episode 16: Our Emotional Attachment to Nature with Susan Bodnar Panu and Thomas spoke with Susan Bodnar, a clinical psychologist who practices in New York City and does teaching and research at Columbia University’s Teachers College. The trio discussed Susan’s earlier pathfinding papers like “Wasted and Bombed; …

image credit | Aaron Thomas Season 2, Episode 15: A Primer On Coping With The East Palestine Event Thomas looked back on his psychological research into technological disasters to help explain why the recent train derailment and chemical disaster in East Palestine, Ohio was so traumatic for that community and so unsettling for observers from afar. …

image credit | Mohamed Nohassi Season 2, Episode 14: Emotions and Climate Adaptation with Susi Moser Thomas and Panu were pleased to connect with geographer and climate change communications expert Susanne “Susi” Moser, whose path finding publications such as 2007’s Creating a Climate for Change set the stage for much of the current psychology and …

image credit | The Susty Vibes team on the streets of Lagos during World Cleanup Day Season 2, Episode 13: SustyVibes with Jennifer Uchendu Thomas and Panu spoke with Jennifer Uchendu, a researcher and climate activist from Lagos, Nigeria. Jennifer is founder of SustyVibes, a youth-focused climate organization with a mission to design and implement…

image credit | Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times Staff Photographer Season 2, Episode 12: Art Gives Ecological Grief a Body with Daniela Molnar Thomas and Panu were joined by artist and poet Daniela Molnar, who creates her paintings using scientific records of glacier retreat in the Cascade range and natural paints and pigments she gathers near her …

image credit | The Process of Eco-Anxiety and Ecological Grief - graphics by Anne Palm Season 2, Episode 11: A New Perspective on Eco-anxiety and Grief In this episode, Panu shared insights from his major new paper The Process of Eco-Anxiety and Ecological Grief. In a dialog with Thomas, Panu described stages like the “semi-consciousness” we experi…

image credit | Scott Ordway Season 2, Episode 10: Composing During the Climate Crisis with Scott Ordway In the first episode of the new year, Thomas and Panu spoke with composer and multimedia artist Scott Ordway, whose recent works such as The End of Rain, The Clearing in the Forest and The Outer Edge of Youth explore themes of nature, identity an…

image credit | Levi Guzman Season 2, Episode 9: Sitting Around the Fire / Permission to Feel Joy Thomas and Panu take a moment to “sit around the fire” at the end of 2022 and winter time in the northern latitudes, as Panu watches the snowy weather in Helsinki, and Thomas muses about world events and his family’s yearly solstice ceremony. Listen in …

image credit | Oluwakemi Solaja Season 2, Episode 8: Climate Feelings in East and West Africa with Charles Ogunbode Panu and Thomas were joined by Charles Ogunbode, a psychology researcher at the University of Nottingham in the UK, in a dialogue about anxiety and other eco-emotions around the world. Charles shared insights from his widely reported …

image credit | Paul Earle Season 2, Episode 7: When Grief Is A Barrier to Enjoying Time In Nature In this episode, Thomas and Panu confront an issue that is commonplace as the impacts of climate change are more widely felt: How can we enjoy our time in natural settings and seek the restoration we crave when our awareness of environmental destructio…

image credit |Thought Catalog Season 2, Episode 6: On Nature, Poetry and Creativity with Kim Stafford Thomas and Panu were joined by long-time writing teacher and former Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford for an uplifting dialogue about creativity and finding daily inspiration in our relationship with nature. Kim shared poems, quotes and lessons dra…

image credit | Jasmin Sessler Season 2, Episode 5: On the Birth of Climate Therapy with Rosemary Randall Thomas and Panu were honored to host Rosemary Randall, pioneering British psychotherapist whose 2005 paper “A New Climate for Psychotherapy” and Carbon Conversations group anticipated the current Climate Conscious Therapy movement. Thomas and Ro…

image credit | Jacqueline Day Season 2, Episode 4: Everything You Wanted To Know About Eco Guilt Thomas and Panu discussed ecological guilt, a ubiquitous feeling many of us experience, but rarely explore deeply. Panu explained various levels of ecological guilt from small daily uneasiness about our activities and their ecological impacts to more tr…

image credit |inbal marilli Season 2, Episode 3: Coping on Campus with Sarah Jaquette Ray As a follow up to their conversation with young climate and emotions researcher Isabel Coppola, Thomas and Panu spoke with Environmental Studies Professor Sarah Jaquette Ray, well-known for her writings on climate anxiety and social justice perspectives within…

image credit | Kristopher Roller Season 2, Episode 2: Living with Climate Change as a Young Researcher In this episode, Thomas and Panu spoke with their 23-year-old colleague Isabel Coppola, a recent graduate of the University of Vermont and a Fulbright Scholar who has studied with Panu in Finland. Isabel has been an intern on the Climate Change an…

image credit | Ian @travelsnips Season 2, Episode 1: Climate Change In Medias Res In Season 2, Episode 1, Panu and Thomas reflect on the core question of the Climate Change and Happiness podcast (what does it mean to be “happy” in an era of far reaching and often catastrophic environmental changes) – and particularly how it feels “right now” in Sum…

image credit |Mantas Hesthaven Season 1, Episode 17: Journeys and Rites of Passage Episode 17 features some intimate sharing between Panu and Thomas about their travels and adventures as young men and how this influenced their environmental identities. They looked back at their efforts as “apprentices” and “artisans” in their work on eco- and clima…

image credit | Eddie Kopp Season 1, Episode 16: Varieties of Hope with Guest Elin Kelsey In Episode 16, Thomas and Panu had an enlightening conversation with Elin Kelsey, environmental educator and author of Hope Matters. Panu and Elin spoke of their collaborations in Finland and the importance of taking time for reflection in the “culture of urgen…