The Being with God in Nature ministry has contributed from our work using Ignatian Spirituality, to a landmark study Using contemplative nature engagement practices to address ecological distress by the University of Melbourne. Rose Macaulay et al. (2025).

The study examines how combining contemplative practices with engagement in nature can help people cope with eco-distress — the emotional and psychological burden arising from climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological degradation. The authors note that, while nature-based activities and contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness, reflection) have been studied separately, there has been little work on their integration and how this might support adaptive responses to ecological distress.

The study draws on qualitative data: 11 semi-structured interviews and two participant-workshops with teachers and leaders of contemplative nature engagement practices. The aim was to explore how these practices function, and through what pathways they may lead to beneficial outcomes for those experiencing eco-distress.

Analysis identified four key pathways by which contemplative nature engagement may foster adaptive responses:

1. Restoration and reduced stress through presence – nature time coupled with contemplative presence helps restore attention and reduce physiological/psychological stress.
2. Facing and working with difficult emotions – the practices enable people to acknowledge and process eco-anxiety, grief, guilt or anger in relation to ecological change.
3. Shifting and expanding self-boundaries – participants report becoming aware of connections beyond the human self (e.g., with other species, ecosystems), which weakens rigid self-other divides and cultivates more relational perspectives.
4. Strengthening values and commitments to action – through contemplative nature‐engagement people reaffirm or deepen their environmental values and sense of agency, often leading to pro-environmental intentions or behaviours.

In addition to mapping these pathways, the authors present design recommendations for interventions that combine nature engagement with contemplative elements. They discuss how such interventions might be structured (e.g., timing, facilitation, integrating reflection) to support people experiencing ecological distress.

In conclusion, the authors state that contemplative nature engagement offers a promising, layered and reciprocal set of mechanisms: restoration opens emotional capacity, which enables reflection and boundary-shifts, which in turn strengthen values and commitments. They note this complements theoretical work in contemplative studies and environmental psychology, and suggest further work to evaluate efficacy quantitatively.

READ HERE