Our current ecological derangement is not only a biological crisis but more deeply a crisis of consciousness, culture, and relationship. The core ethical responsibility of our contemporary era, therefore, and the aspiration of this ecopsychological/ecospiritual book, is to create a mutually enhancing relationship between humankind and the rest of nature. To address the urgent concerns of global warming, mass extinction, toxic environments, and our loss of conscious contact with the natural world, psychologist Will W. Adams weaves together insights from Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and the practice of psychotherapy. Through a transpersonal, nondual, contemplative approach, Adams explores the fundamental malady of supposed separation (or dissociation): mind over body, self over others, my tribe over others', humans over the rest of nature. Instead of merely discussing these crucial issues in abstract terms, the book presents healing alternatives through storytelling, poetry, and theoretical inquiry. Written in an engaging, down-to-earth manner grounded in vivid descriptions of actual lived experience, A Wild and Sacred Call speaks across disciplines to students, experts, and nonspecialists alike.

ForewordDavid R. LoyPreface: Deep Calls to Deep: Hallowing Our Relationship with NatureIntroduction: Transpersonal Ecopsychology by Way of Phenomenology and Contemplative Spirituality1. Seeing Those Peach Blossoms Changed My Life: Keeping Joy, Wonder, and Gratitude Alive in Our Heart2. The Ghost Bird's Haunting Cry: Letting Our Heart Break . . . Open3. All Real Living Is Meeting: Losing Nature, Losing Our Humanity4. The Dissociative Madness of Modernity's Shadow: Constructing, Deconstructing, and Reconstructing Culture5. The Supposedly Separate Ego: Delusion, Paranoia, and Greed in Conventional (Co)Existence6. No Longer I: Christian Mysticism, Self-Surrender, and Transpersonal Realization7. Nature's Conversational Consciousness: Awareness as an Ecological Field of Relations8. Basho's Contemplative Therapy for Narcissus: From Ego-Centered Alienation to Eco-Centered Intimacy9. Nature-Healing-Body-Healing-Nature-Healing-Body: From Desensitization to Embodied Attunement10. Living Means Being Addressed: Embracing Earth's Wild, Sacred, Ethical Call11. Love Is Our Nature, Our Calling, Our Path, Our Fruition: It All Comes Down to ThisCoda: Deep Calls to Deep-Deep Listens from Its Depths-Deep Serves DeepAcknowledgmentsNotesReferencesIndexAbout the Author