Eudemonic awakening: nature and eudemonia

After offering an explanation of eudemonia, the presentation will focus on how the natural environment is able to provide optimal conditions to elicit a eudemonic awakening. Importantly, transpersonal and existential modes of understanding will be examined to locate people’s experiencing while engaged with nature. Of particular interest is the quality of reported emotional states as indicators of the transformative effect of nature on the human condition one that relates to a psychotherapeutic understanding of the human condition and that resonates strongly with nature-based experiences. There are important opportunities within nature to contribute towards a eudemonic life developed through relational, reflexive, and emotional mechanisms. Experiential accounts will be provided to strengthen the argument for the inclusion of eudemonic philosophy within nature based therapies.