Ep. 197: Climate Anxiety & Sacred Resilience with Dr. Suzanne Crawford O’Brien

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EQ: How can the community built at the intersection of religion, indigenous perspectives, and climate anxiety lead us to personal and collective resilience in the pursuit of a more sustainable world?

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Suzanne Crawford O’Brien, professor of Religion and Culture at Pacific Lutheran University. Suzanne shares her journey into academia, including the defining moments that led her to focus on comparative religious studies, Native American studies, and environmental studies. She explains the concept of climate anxiety, how it impacts individuals and communities, and how her recent course “Climate Anxiety & Spiritual Resilience” integrates the psychology of this anxiety with interfaith approaches to building resilience while pursuing justice and sustainability. She postulates that solving the climate crisis is way beyond ourselves—beyond the natural world and we need to tap into the supernatural or spiritual ways of being and thinking to really tackle the problem. We discuss the role of faith communities and spiritual practices in addressing climate grief and helping us “metabolize grief.” Finally, Dr. Suzanne suggests that we must cultivate what Thic Nhat Hanh coins as our “inner meditator, artist, and warrior” if we want to see true sustainable change.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: Follow Suzanne on Substack!

  • Annie: Mr. Rogers always said, when things are scary, look for the helpers. Look for the organizations and people who are doing great work to raise awareness of the climate crisis and take actionable steps to improve outcomes, like Indigenous Climate Action and Earthjustice. The helpers are there, even right now: Klamath Tribes and Navajo Nation have deployed firefighters to combat the fires in the LA area. It may feel like a small thing, but getting your hands dirty yourself can really help restore some small sense of hope, too. Locally, the Pierce County Conservation District has volunteer opportunities in habitat restoration. 

  • Suzanne: Cole Arthur Riley’s “This Flesh Here”; Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” and “Meeting the Enemy” by Kevin O’Brien