In this episode, I speak with Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her).
I got connected to Vickie because I wanted to speak to a clinician who had been working with clients and had expertise on climate anxiety and despair.
The psychological and emotional impact of climate change is irrefutable. We don’t need research to know that we can’t be doing well when our home, our planet is on fire and flooding. But research does show that with increased temperatures, our baseline level of distress also increases. There are specific research showing that higher temperatures lead to higher levels of suicide, aggression and violence.
Not to mention the acute trauma and post traumatic stress of climate disasters that destroy lives and livelihoods.
Vickie mentions a few ways that we can “treat” climate anxiety. The courage it takes to face and feel what we have done and how we can stay present while taking action.
And, our conversation takes me to an unexpected place.
Vickie, in her being and wisdom, reminded me of the earth of my body and that maybe, like many others, my greatest attachment wound is the disconnection and alienation from mother earth.
I hope you enjoy our conversation and it speaks to something in you.
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her work as a psychologist and group facilitator, she is dedicated to personal = collective liberation. A core team member of East Point Peace Academy, her work focuses on the Fierce Vulnerability Network, a national constellation of direct action teams positioned at the intersection of climate justice and racial healing. In her individual and group support work, she works primarily with BIPOC and Asian immigrants, offering awareness and somatic practices. She is strengthened by her connection to the Chinese ancestral lineage including Wudang Mountains; and to the people, culture, and land of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico and Arunachula in Tiruvannamalai, India. To connect to her, visit www.vickiechangphd.com and learn about her work at East Post Peace Academy https://www.eastpointpeace.org/retreat_reflections.
Resources:
APA report. Mental Health and Our Changing Climate
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf
Speaking of Psychology Podcast. How to cope with Climate Anxiety
https://open.spotify.com/episode/40hfsum6RhkOk932h1aZ2e
How to Save a Planet Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/1KzrasExlM5dgMYwgFHns6
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