Hello friends,
The first time I encountered the tree I would later call Mother Juniper, I was holding my infant daughter in one arm and the silence of exhaustion in the other. The juniper stood on a wind-scoured ridge—weathered, twisted, rooted in rock. She did not speak or soothe, but her presence steadied me. I traced her bark with one hand and held my daughter close with the other, and for the first time in months, I felt the ground beneath me again.
That moment didn’t “fix” me. It didn’t erase the trauma of partner violence, the memory gaps, or the grief of betrayal that surfaced as pregnancy and postpartum demanded I reconnect with myself. But it began something. What I later understood is that she didn’t give me answers—she stayed. And in her staying, I was witnessed without demand or judgment. My nervous system recognized the relationship long before my mind could name it. That’s what I now call ecoawakening: the slow remembering of belonging through a more-than-human presence.
࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ🍂🍃 ༄｡°
What I experienced with Mother Juniper is something I now see in my research. In one study, mothers experiencing climate anxiety engaged in narrative eco-therapy. Through journaling and reflection, what began as immobilizing fear became movements of growth towards a more ecocentric identity:
• Nature relatedness – returning to a sense of kinship with the living world
• Paradoxical emotions – holding grief and hope together
• Ecological questing – seeking meaning in the face of crisis
• Intergenerational commitment – wanting to pass ecological care forward
• Environmental stewardship – acting in alignment with values, however small
Another part of our study showed that maternal eco-distress can catalyze post-traumatic growth—new purpose, deeper spirituality, and what we called learned hopefulness.
Eco-distress is not a flaw or a pathology. It is a signal of rupture, one that—when supported—can become a pathway to resilience and belonging.
For me, this is why ecological matrescence matters. When human relationships have failed us, when the story of motherhood itself has been stripped of reciprocity, the Earth can still mirror us whole. I believe this is especially true for mothers because the Earth and mothers are similarly treated—expected to give without rest, taken for granted, extracted from, silenced.
Mothers who restory their identities within the larger ecological story in which we are embedded are challenging that legacy, and in doing so, planting new possibilities of reciprocity and renewal.
With care,
Allie
Dr. Allie Davis, MS, LPC, PhD
Creatrix: Maternal Ecopsychology Certification™ & The Mother Tree Method™
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Spotlight: Foundations of Maternal Ecopsychology Continuing Education Training
If you’re a therapist, coach, or professional supporting mothers, the Foundations of Maternal Ecopsychology training is a 2-hour introduction to this framework. You’ll learn the seven principles of maternal wellbeing, explore eco-based tools, and begin weaving this lens into your work. You'll also be invited to one group consultation with me and other practitioners!
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