Dr. Heidi Lawrence discovered that the healing effects of nature aren’t just a feeling; they’re real. Her book explores how nature uplifts us both in literature and in life.
Research shows that spending time in nature boosts well-being. Adjunct Faculty Heidi Lawrence (English) has experienced this herself—whether she’s simply taking a breath of fresh air, going for a walk, or hiking with her family at the scenic Mirror Lake up in the Uinta Mountains. Her book, Reading Madeleine L’Engle: Ecopsychology in Children’s and Adolescent Literature, explores this phenomenon and examines how award-winning author Madeleine L’Engle writes about nature in a way that inspires readers to see the world around them in a new light.
Understanding Ecopsychology
Lawrence was one day rereading a novel by L’Engle, best known for A Wrinkle in Time, when she noticed something profound: L’Engle weaves a unique relationship between her human characters and their nonhuman world. As Lawrence examined more of L’Engle’s work, she wondered what one might call that connection. Putting together the words ecology and psychology, Lawrence came up with what she thought was a new term: ecopsychology.
“I literally thought for about 15 seconds that I had invented something, and I was so excited,” shares Lawrence. However, after a quick Google search, she was delighted to find that ecopsychology was already a scholarly field of interest—one examining the interdependence between humans and nature. As she combed through research, Lawrence found extensive evidence linking nature to improved health and well-being. While most of the research has been applied in clinical or institutional settings, its implications are beneficial to all, affirming Lawrence’s own experiences with nature and its healing effects.
Ecopsychology in Literature
With this new understanding of and fascination for ecopsychology, Lawrence began analyzing L’Engle’s writing with a new lens. She had already planned to use L’Engle’s work for a doctoral dissertation, and the crossover between ecopsychology and her literature was the perfect fit.
The book that stood out the most in Lawrence’s analysis was A Ring of Endless Light, a fantasy novel that follows Vicki Austin, a teenager who spends the summer on an island with her family as her grandfather nears the end of his life. Throughout the novel, Vicki navigates grief and love through her newfound ability to communicate telepathically with dolphins.
“Because Vicki develops this ability, she’s able to move toward facing these traumas with help from the dolphins,” explains Lawrence. Vicki’s relationship with the dolphins is healing—a demonstration of the interdependence between humans and nature in L’Engle’s books.
While Vicki’s ability to communicate with dolphins is fictional, Lawrence’s book explores how L’Engle blends reality with fantasy to intertwine themes of ecopsychology throughout her literature. “That’s one of the powerhouses of fantasy: You get to speculate,” says Lawrence. “There’s just something really magical about the ability to think about what the rest of creation thinks about.”
Gladdening the Heart
After completing her dissertation, Lawrence compiled her findings into a book, writing with a broad audience in mind. She hopes her book will encourage readers everywhere to recognize the value in nature.
For Lawrence, ecopsychology is more than just a research subject. She sees a connection between the healing effects of nature and the purpose of creation itself. Referencing the scripture Doctrine and Covenants 59:18, she says nature “is intended to please the eye and gladden the heart. And I think gladdening the heart is precisely what ecopsychology is embracing.”
Dr. Lawrence’s full book can be purchased here or accessed free of charge to BYU students and faculty through the Harold B. Lee Library.