image credit | Benjamin Manley Season 4, Episode 7: On Parenting, Elections, and Climate with Anya Kamenetz Thomas and Panu had a wide ranging exchange with journalist Anya Kamenetz (The Stolen Year, The Golden Hour) on the intersections of climate change, parenting, and mental health – in the context of the recent US elections. They discuss the im…

Thomas and Panu discussed Thomas’ upcoming book Surviving Climate Anxiety: A Guide to Coping, Healing, and Thriving – a comprehensive resource for the general public that includes practical examples and stories drawn from people Thomas has worked with. Thomas shared insights about the book’s five part structure, which is designed to move readers fr…

image credit | Ashley Batz Season 4, Episode 5: Climate and Life Journeys with Andrew Bryant Thomas and Panu had a conversation with Seattle Washington therapist Andrew Bryant about the intersections of climate change and mental health therapy. Andrew reflected on his personal journey, the Climate and Mind website, and his experiences creating a co…

image credit | Alaric Duan Season 4, Episode 4: Ecological Grief in Religious and Spiritual Communities Thomas and Panu discussed the intersection of spirituality and climate change. Specifically, Panu shared his work on the challenges faced by individuals who experience spiritual crises when their ecological fears or grief aren’t validated in thei…

image credit | Zach Wear Season 4, Episode 3: On Gen Z Climate Emotions with Filmmakers Tehya Jennett and Maxfield Biggs In this episode of Climate Change and Happiness hosts Thomas and Panu engaged with filmmakers Tehya Jennett and Maxfield Biggs from Stranded Astronaut Productions. Tehya and Maxfield shared their personal journeys related to clim…

image credit|Hannah Smith Season 4, Episode 2: On the Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis with Sally Weintrobe Panu and Thomas had a warm chat with UK climate psychology theorist Sally Weintrobe, author of The Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis and other books. Sally reflected on her childhood growing up in apartheid era South Africa a…

image credit | Robson Hatsukami Morgan Season 4, Episode 1: On A Healthy Return from Your Holidays Thomas and Panu reflected on the often overlooked process of re-entry into life after a holiday or vacation. They considered Thomas’s idea of the “half-life” of restorative experiences. That is, how long the mental benfits of the experience enhance yo…

image credit | Hector Argüello Canals Season 3, Episode 26: Listening to Young Researchers Thomas and Panu spoke with three graduate student researchers from the The Development, Environment, & Wellness Lab at Columbia University Teachers College in New York: Paritosh Joshi, Rian Maxwell-Williams, and Danny DeBonis. All three are deeply engaged in …

image credit | Markus Spiske Season 3, Episode 25: Being a Therapist in a Time of Climate Breakdown with Judith Anderson & Tree Staunton Thomas and Panu spoke with Judith Anderson and Tree Staunton, therapists and co-editors (along with Jenny O’Gorman and Caroline Hickman) of the recent collection Being a Therapist in a Time of Climate Breakdown. T…

image credit | Tyler Lagalo Season 3, Episode 24: For Teachers: An Existential Tool Kit This episode is dedicated to teachers and educators of all kinds. Thomas and Panu discussed the new Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators and the emotional, political, personal and pedagogical challenges faced by teachers in the context of climate ch…

image credit | kazuend Season 3, Episode 23: On EcoWellness and Psychedelic Therapy with Ryan Reese Thomas and Panu spoke with Ryan Reese, a psychologist from Bend, Oregon USA about his work developing eco-wellness theory in counseling and his recent integration of psychedelic therapy and outdoor therapy. Ryan shared his personal journey and how ex…

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…