INTEGRAL ECOPSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF BONSAI PRINCIPLES, MEANING AND HEALING CAROLL HERMANN 2013 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand SUPERVISOR : PROF. J.D. THWALA CO-SUPERVISOR : PROF. S. EDWARDS 0 DECLARATION I, CAROLL HERMANN, declare that INTEGRAL ECOPSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF BONSAI PRINCIPLES, MEANING AND HEALING, is my own work and all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Caroll Hermann Signature: _____________________________ i FOREWORD I am where and who I am because of some people and in spite of others. I am grateful to each and every one of them. To the Shadows in my Bonsai-en and the Silence that can be heard within! Bonsai is not a way of life. It is my life. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “To those whose passion burned them with the truth and made them prey to the beasts of their thoughts” Philippe Julien First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Steve Edwards for the idea, inspiration and motivation. Without his vision and encouragement, this thesis would never have seen the light of day. Professor J.D. Thwala for his unwavering support and trust. Charles Ceronio, who has been one of my biggest mentors, Louis Nel (R.I.P), whose narratives were inspirational. Dot Henegan for her support with the thesis and magazine, although we did not always agree. Tannie Dot, jy sal altyd iemand wees wat ek probeer nastreef. Dankie vir al die lekker koek as ek n draai kom maak oppad Johannesburg toe. Budi Sulistyo for his words of wisdom, you planted the seed that Prof Edwards watered. Robert Baran, for giving me access to his statistics. Steve Moore, thank you for your humorous emails that kept me motivated. Harry Harrington, whose bonsai friendship has come a long way, a far-away friend, whom I hope to meet one day. Bill Valavanis, for sharing his amazing stories with me. Walter Pall, for all the information and for allowing access to the blogs and web sites. All the participants of the survey who gave selflessly of their time, their comments and their follow-up emails and to my many bonsai friends all over the world. Melodie Callow – My music teacher in the 70’s, you made me believe that I can do anything. iii Ken le Roux for his selfless editing and re-editing of this thesis. Dr. Adriaan van der Wart for his long-time friendship and thought-provoking book that restored my Faith. No dedication is ever complete without thanking one’s family. A special thanks to my husband, Steve, for cooking and cleaning and fetching and carrying and editing. Thank you for all the times you stepped in to give me the freedom to complete my years of study. I don’t know of any other man that will climb a tree to get that last elusive seed, dig trees, move heavy pots, make space for more, and never complain! My sons, Ryan, Nolan & Reevin: hopefully you will no longer hear: “…just now. Let me just finish this first…”, for sharing my passion for trees; and for always leaving treasures of seeds, collected on the playgrounds, hidden in their pants pockets. My mother, who instilled a love for gardening in me and ALWAYS believed in me, no matter what. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this to my father, who never saw the completion of this thesis. This one’s for you, Dad! iv ABSTRACT Art therapy is very popular amongst therapists, and Bonsai art adds another dimension to the intervention stratagem. One aspect of an intervention strategy is to reduce the burden of mental illness and related conditions. Bonsai as an intervention combines meditation, spirituality, responsibility and the ability to express oneself through this timeless art. An international study was conducted of the habits, health and spirituality of 253 bonsai practitioners. Participants completed the Spirituality Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire and the Quality of Life Scales, as well as a questionnaire about their interest in Bonsai. Results indicated that although the participants were not necessarily healthier than the general population, they experienced peace by being actively involved in Bonsai. Bonsai is proposed as a new expanded category of supportive therapeutic mechanism, along with an elaboration of expressive therapeutic mechanisms such as when working in groups, such as hospitals, old age homes and prisons. Keywords: intervention, silence, spirituality, Bonsai, well-being, psychotherapy. v Table of Contents Declaration………………………………………………………………………………………………………i Foreword…………………………………………………………………………..……………………………ii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………….…………………………iii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………iv Chapter 1……………..……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Introduction to the Research..……………….…………………………………………………….1 Introduction…………………………………………….…………………………………………………….1 Motivation for the study………………………………………………………………………2 Aim of the study…………………………………………………………………………………..3 Methodology………………………………….…………………………………………………….3 Limitations of the study………………………………………………………………………..4 Definition of Terms…………………………………….…………………………………………………..5 Background to the study………………………………………………………………………………...6 History of Bonsai……………………………………………………………………………………………9 Bonsai Masters…………………….……………………………………………………………………….18 Methods of collecting tree material……………………………….…………….…………………20 Collecting from Nature……………………………………………………………………….20 Growing from seed or cutting……………………………………………………………..21 Bonsai Rules (Appendix 7) ……………………………………………………………………………22 Use of soil……………………………………………………………………………………………………..23 Christianity………………………………………………..…………………………………………………23 Buddhism……………………………………………………………..………………………………………24 Resume………………………………………………………………..……………………………………….26 Chapter 2……………………………………….…………………………………………………………….27 Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………………….27 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….……………………27 Integral Psychology…………………………………………………………………………….27 Ecopsychology………….………………………………………………………….……………..32 The Gaia Hypothesis…………………………….……………………………….…………….33 Integral Psychology……………………………………………………………….……………34 Integral Ecology…………………………………………………………………….……………43 Bonsai as transitional object from the perspective of the Psychoanalytical tradition……………………………………………………………………………………………………….44 Theory of Hope……………………………………………………………………………….….48 Inner Spaces and Shadows…………………………………………………………….……50 Silences………………………………………………….…………………………………………..53 Rehabilitation prospects……………………………………………………………………..55 Resume…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..57 vi Chapter 3………………………………………………………………………………………….………….58 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………….………….58 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….…………58 Research Question………………………………………………………………..…………….…………58 The aim of the study………………………………………………………………………….…………..59 Significance of the study………………………………………………………………………………..59 Statement of the problem and limitations………………………………………………………60 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………60 Research design and Data Collection…..……………………………………………….60 Sample……………………………………………………………………………………………….62 Instruments…..……………………………………………………………………….…………..62 1. Spirituality questionnaire………………………………….….……………..62 2. Health questionnaire………………………………………….…..……………66 3. Quality of Life questionnaire……………………………….….……………67 4. Bonsai activity questionnaire………………….……………..…………….68 5. Interviews………………………………………………………….…….…………68 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………….……………..69 Subjective correlative analysis of content………………….………………69 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………………………………74 Ethical Considerations…………………………………………..………………………………………74 Resume………………………………………………………………………………….……………………..75 Chapter 4…………………………………………….…………………………………………….…………76 Results………………………………………………………..…………………………………….…….……76 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….…………76 Results and Analysis of Quantitative Data…………………………………………….…………76 General Information Questionnaire……………………………………………..……….76 Age Distribution……………………………………………………………….………76 Living Arrangements……………………………………………………….……….78 Number of trees owned and quality of trees…………………….………..79 Styling of own trees………………………………………………………………….80 Participants adhering to the rules of bonsai………………………………81 Hours spent working on trees…………………………………………………..82 Hours spent enjoying trees……………………………………………………….83 Formal club membership, attendance at workshops……….………….84 Calming effects and mood……………………………………………….………...85 Results of the Spirituality Scale…………………………………………………..………..86 Quality of Life…………………………………………………………………………….……….93 Overall Quality of life of all participants…………………………….………95 Patient Health Questionnaire……………………………………………………….………95 Results of Qualitative Analysis………………………………………………………………….…….99 Thematic Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………….….106 vii Theme One: (I Reflection) Bonsai is irrefutably connected to a love of all things in Nature…………………………………………………………………………………………………….106 Power……………………………………………………………………………………106 Harmony & order – Bonsai rules, traditions and rituals………...…107 Respect for Nature and conservation………………………………………………………..….107 Behavioural component………………………………………………………………………………108 Theme Two: (Reflection) A deep seated Spirituality is involved in practicing the art………………………………………………………………………………………………………………109 Pleasure…………………………………………………………………………….…..109 Contentment………………………………………………………………………….109 Inner Spaces and Shadows……………………………………………………..109 Silence…………………………………………………………………………………..110 Spirit Guide……………………………………………………………………………111 Theme Three: (We Reflection) A balance needs