ACADEMIA Letters Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home Mara Bishop, Columbia University Teachers College In this pandemic, two truths have risen to the surface with renewed clarity: coming home is powerful, and we are all connected. These are also fundamental to the indigenous wisdom of shamanism. Shamanism, which has experienced a renaissance in recent decades, offers effective, time-tested practices for personal and collective transformation. (Kowalski, 2016) Similarly, these truths are embodied in positive psychology; when we focus on our native strengths and reinforce loving relations with one another, we thrive. (Harzer, 2016; Kaufman, 2015; Niemiec, 2019; Park et al., 2004) COVID-19 confined most of us to a state of hyperlocality; alone and in groups, our lives have reoriented around our home spaces like never before in our lifetimes. Our relationships with ourselves, each other, nature, and spirit, dwell in these core spaces too. Sustaining harmony in close proximity takes effort. The current state of emergency reinforces the need to reinvest in our individual connections to spiritual power and healing; our keys to health and well-being are found at home—literally and metaphorically. This time of coming home has incredible potential for healing our relationship with our selves, which in turn ripples into a healing of our relationship with others, and the planet itself. Fortunately, there are ample ancient and modern methods to help us in the process of finding our power at home. The complementary wisdoms of shamanism and positive psychology offer potent tools during this extraordinary time, providing solutions for fostering personal resiliency, being in nourishing connection with one another, creating healthy relationship with the natural world, and promoting our collective survival. Developing signature character strengths is at the heart of positive psychology. Working with these natural strengths is the most local and direct source of your fuel to thrive. Scientists from the VIA Institute of Character identified 24 strengths that are “positive parts of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave.” (Character Strengths) Research Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 1 demonstrates a positive correlation between cultivating character strengths and psychological well-being, with hope, gratitude, and love as most predictive of well-being. (Harzer, 2016; Kaufman, 2015) Utilizing signature character strengths also helps us thrive during times of adversity and opportunity. (Niemiec, 2019) Although often focused on individual effects, these innate qualities go beyond personal mental health. Especially in times of collective crisis, we have an opportunity to utilize them for communal, as well as personal, well-being. In fact, species level strength is specifically referenced in their early definition. These traits are not only psychologically based, but also biologically based, intended to help us solve “the important tasks necessary for survival of the species.” (Park et al., 2004, p. 604) We are in a time when survival—both personal and collective—feels particularly precarious. Indigenous ways of knowing recognize the importance of the relationship between the personal and the collective. One of shamanism’s foundational premises is that we are an integral part of nature; the natural world is our family. Robin Wall Kimmerer (2003), Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, explains that every being (human and non-human) is endowed with certain qualities and intelligences, and has a specific part to play in the community. These individual strengths are also “responsibilities, a way of caring for each other.” (p. 100) Indigenous cultures develop deep connections to the land where they live. (Gilbert et al., 2018) In modern society that connection is often weakened or non-existent as we have become more mobile; our religious and spiritual practices have become less focused on the natural world, and less present in general. (Pew Research Center) However, during times of quarantine and stay at home orders, we have revisited the challenges and opportunities in homecoming. (Brooks et al., 2020) To foster health in a shamanic way, we can deepen our relationship with the spirit of the natural world outside our windows, whether that window looks out on country, suburb, or cityscape. If we are lucky enough during this period to be healthy and have some extra time, being outside in the elements of earth, air, fire (sun), and water helps us feel better. An increasing body of research demonstrates that being in nature benefits us physically and emotionally. For example, the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is simply walking in the forest or a natural environment. Studies show many positive effects: it lowers blood pressure, pulse rates, and cortisol levels; helps restore mental clarity; generally improves mood; and helps us reset cognitively and emotionally. (Berman et al., 2008; Lee et al., 2011; Park et al., 2010) Additional research demonstrates that simply looking out a window at nature helps patients heal faster after surgery, with less complications, and less pain medications. (Ulrich, 1984) We can work specifically with the elements in a shamanic way, while also engaging character strengths. For example, when you wash your hands (which is hopefully often!), be Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 2 grateful to water, and envision that anything that doesn’t support your health transforms and washes away. Or step outside and breathe deeply. Experience air moving in and out of your body while focusing on the present moment. Relax your body with each breath, and give thanks that you are able to breathe cool, clean air. Or perhaps, feel the sun’s radiance on your face. Should you stoke up, or tampi down, your “fieriness” right now? Or sit or lie down outside, feeling the earth under you, strong and supportive. Ask if there is anything you should know about being in good relationship with the spirit of your home place on earth. Offer love and gratitude for the place you live. Even if you can’t go outside, these exercises can be done effectively as meditations. Studies show that visualizing nature provides some of the same benefits as being outside, particularly for reducing anxiety. (Nguyen, J., & Brymer, E., 2018). We know from character strength research that expressing hope, gratitude, and love—as these exercises do— is helpful in inspiring well-being and resiliency. (Fredrickson et al., 2008; Pleeging et al., 2019); Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L.A., 2010). Having grounded ourselves in relationship to our local environment and having mindfully brought ourselves to center, how might we work directly to connect to others again, given our need to socially isolate? Loving-kindness meditation provides a tool for cultivating positive interconnection. Research shows a practice of loving-kindness increases a sense of positive social connection (Hutcherson et al., 2015; Kok et al., 2013) The basic intentions for the practice begin with some variant of phrases, such as, may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, and may I be at ease. (Salzberg, 2017; Zeng et al., 2015) Then others are visualized and held with the same intentions: someone who has been a mentor or helper, someone who is easy to love, someone who is challenging to love, and ultimately all beings. In this practice we use the qualities of love and hopefulness in envisioning self and others as safe, healthy, well, and at ease. We express gratitude in acknowledging those who have helped us, and in recognizing our own worth. Extending this gentle kindness includes an expansion to include everyone, even the challenging people. Sometimes the most challenging relationship is the one with ourselves, which is one reason why this coming home time has been particularly difficult, but also filled with opportunity for healing. Loving-kindness meditation’s positive effects begin after only a short time practicing—helpful, given that many people are having difficulty concentrating right now (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)—and last over long periods (15 months). (Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L., 2010; Hutcherson et al., 2008) A practice started now will have immediate benefit and rippling effects after any immediate crisis has waned. Coming home can be hard; to make the most of this time we need to look sincerely at ourselves, individually and collectively. We can find deep healing in our hyperlocal environAcademia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 3 ments. By simply being outside listening to the sounds of nature, and by actively rekindling relationships with the spirit of the land on which we live, we strengthen our relationship with home. In doing this, we nurture our deeply private inner worlds, the metaphorical home of our psyches and emotions, and take positive action to manage the stress and anxiety that comes from uncertain times. By practicing loving-kindness meditation we integrate the loving self-care embodied in intentional homecoming and consciously ripple it out to our friends and family, to our neighbors, and to all beings. We rekindle our personal power during the most difficult times and then fuel our collective power for healing and transformation. The complementary wisdoms of shamanism and positive psychology offer powerful tools during extraordinary times; providing keys to our personal health and resiliency, being in nourishing relationship with one another and the natural world, and ultimately for our collective survival. References Berman, M., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science 19(12), 1207-1212. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10. 1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x. Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Gideon, J. R. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(20)30460-8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/dailylife-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html Character Strengths. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.viacharacter.org/ character-strengths-via Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2010). In search of durable positive psychology interventions: Predictors and consequences of long-term positive behavior change. The journal of positive psychology, 5(5), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2010.508883 Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045–1062. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013262 Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 4 Gilbert, J. (2009). Custodians of the Land: Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Cultural Integrity. In M. Langfield, W. Logan, & M. N. Craith (Eds.), Cultural Diversity, Heritage and Human Rights (pp. 31-44). Routledge. Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., & Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(8), 851. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080851 Harzer, C. (2016). The eudaimonics of human strengths: The relations between character strengths and well-being. In: Vittersø J. (eds) Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer. Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8(5), 720–724. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013237 Hutcherson, C.A., Seppala, E.M. & Gross, J.J. (2015). The neural correlates of social connection. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 15,1–14. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-014-0304-9 Kimmerer, R. (2003). Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Oregon State University Press. Kok, B.E., Coffey, K.A., Cohn, M.A., Catalino, L.I., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Algoe, S.B., Brantley, M., & Frederickson, B.L. (2013). How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Psychological Science, 24, 1123–1132. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0956797612470827 Kowalewski, D. (2016). The shamanic renaissance: What is going on? The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 59(2), https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167816634522 Lee, J., Park, B.-J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Ohira, T., Kagawa, T., Miyazaki, Y. (2011). Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese male subjects. Public Health, 125(2), 93-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2010.09.005 Merriam-Webster. (n.d.) Breathing life into ‘inspire:’ The word’s origins are quite literal. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ the-origins-of-inspire. Nguyen, J., & Brymer, E. (2018). Nature-based guided imagery as an intervention for state Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 5 anxiety. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1858. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01858 Niemiec, R.M. (2019). Six functions of character strengths for thriving at times of adversity and opportunity: A theoretical perspective. Applied Research Quality Life, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11482-018-9692-2 Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9 Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603-619. Pew Research Center. (2019). In U.S. decline of Christianity continues at rapid pace: An update on America’s changing religious landscape. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https:// www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/ Pleeging, E., Burger, M., & van Exel, J. (2019). The Relations between Hope and Subjective Well-Being: a Literature Overview and Empirical Analysis. Applied Research Quality Life, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09802-4 Salzberg, Sharon. (2017). Cultivate goodness: How to practice lovingkindness. Yoga Journal, Retrieved April 24, 2020, fromhttps://www.yogajournal.com/ meditation/cultivate-goodness-practice-lovingkindness Schultz, R., Abbott, T., Yamaguchi, J., & Cairney, S. (2018). Indigenous land management as primary health care: qualitative analysis from the Interplay research project in remote Australia. BMC health services research, 18(1), 960. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913018-3764-8 Ulrich, R.S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420-421. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/ 224/4647/420.long Zeng, X., Chiu, C. P., Wang, R., Oei, T. P., & Leung, F. Y. (2015). The effect of lovingkindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1693. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01693 Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3178. 6 

ACADEMIA Letters Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home Mara Bishop, Columbia University Teachers College In this pandemic, two truths have risen to the surface with renewed clarity: coming home is powerful, and we are all connected. These are also fundamental to the indigenous wisdom of shamanism. Shamanism, which has experienced a renaissance in recent decades, offers effective, time-tested practices for personal and collective transformation. (Kowalski, 2016) Similarly, these truths are embodied in positive psychology; when we focus on our native strengths and reinforce loving relations with one another, we thrive. (Harzer, 2016; Kaufman, 2015; Niemiec, 2019; Park et al., 2004) COVID-19 confined most of us to a state of hyperlocality; alone and in groups, our lives have reoriented around our home spaces like never before in our lifetimes. Our relationships with ourselves, each other, nature, and spirit, dwell in these core spaces too. Sustaining harmony in close proximity takes effort. The current state of emergency reinforces the need to reinvest in our individual connections to spiritual power and healing; our keys to health and well-being are found at home—literally and metaphorically. This time of coming home has incredible potential for healing our relationship with our selves, which in turn ripples into a healing of our relationship with others, and the planet itself. Fortunately, there are ample ancient and modern methods to help us in the process of finding our power at home. The complementary wisdoms of shamanism and positive psychology offer potent tools during this extraordinary time, providing solutions for fostering personal resiliency, being in nourishing connection with one another, creating healthy relationship with the natural world, and promoting our collective survival. Developing signature character strengths is at the heart of positive psychology. Working with these natural strengths is the most local and direct source of your fuel to thrive. Scientists from the VIA Institute of Character identified 24 strengths that are “positive parts of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave.” (Character Strengths) Research Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. 1 demonstrates a positive correlation between cultivating character strengths and psychological well-being, with hope, gratitude, and love as most predictive of well-being. (Harzer, 2016; Kaufman, 2015) Utilizing signature character strengths also helps us thrive during times of adversity and opportunity. (Niemiec, 2019) Although often focused on individual effects, these innate qualities go beyond personal mental health. Especially in times of collective crisis, we have an opportunity to utilize them for communal, as well as personal, well-being. In fact, species level strength is specifically referenced in their early definition. These traits are not only psychologically based, but also biologically based, intended to help us solve “the important tasks necessary for survival of the species.” (Park et al., 2004, p. 604) We are in a time when survival—both personal and collective—feels particularly precarious. Indigenous ways of knowing recognize the importance of the relationship between the personal and the collective. One of shamanism’s foundational premises is that we are an integral part of nature; the natural world is our family. Robin Wall Kimmerer (2003), Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, explains that every being (human and non-human) is endowed with certain qualities and intelligences, and has a specific part to play in the community. These individual strengths are also “responsibilities, a way of caring for each other.” (p. 100) Indigenous cultures develop deep connections to the land where they live. (Gilbert et al., 2018) In modern society that connection is often weakened or non-existent as we have become more mobile; our religious and spiritual practices have become less focused on the natural world, and less present in general. (Pew Research Center) However, during times of quarantine and stay at home orders, we have revisited the challenges and opportunities in homecoming. (Brooks et al., 2020) To foster health in a shamanic way, we can deepen our relationship with the spirit of the natural world outside our windows, whether that window looks out on country, suburb, or cityscape. If we are lucky enough during this period to be healthy and have some extra time, being outside in the elements of earth, air, fire (sun), and water helps us feel better. An increasing body of research demonstrates that being in nature benefits us physically and emotionally. For example, the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is simply walking in the forest or a natural environment. Studies show many positive effects: it lowers blood pressure, pulse rates, and cortisol levels; helps restore mental clarity; generally improves mood; and helps us reset cognitively and emotionally. (Berman et al., 2008; Lee et al., 2011; Park et al., 2010) Additional research demonstrates that simply looking out a window at nature helps patients heal faster after surgery, with less complications, and less pain medications. (Ulrich, 1984) We can work specifically with the elements in a shamanic way, while also engaging character strengths. For example, when you wash your hands (which is hopefully often!), be Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. 2 grateful to water, and envision that anything that doesn’t support your health transforms and washes away. Or step outside and breathe deeply. Experience air moving in and out of your body while focusing on the present moment. Relax your body with each breath, and give thanks that you are able to breathe cool, clean air. Or perhaps, feel the sun’s radiance on your face. Should you stoke up, or tampi down, your “fieriness” right now? Or sit or lie down outside, feeling the earth under you, strong and supportive. Ask if there is anything you should know about being in good relationship with the spirit of your home place on earth. Offer love and gratitude for the place you live. Even if you can’t go outside, these exercises can be done effectively as meditations. Studies show that visualizing nature provides some of the same benefits as being outside, particularly for reducing anxiety. (Nguyen, J., & Brymer, E., 2018). We know from character strength research that expressing hope, gratitude, and love—as these exercises do— is helpful in inspiring well-being and resiliency. (Fredrickson et al., 2008; Pleeging et al., 2019); Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L.A., 2010). Having grounded ourselves in relationship to our local environment and having mindfully brought ourselves to center, how might we work directly to connect to others again, given our need to socially isolate? Loving-kindness meditation provides a tool for cultivating positive interconnection. Research shows a practice of loving-kindness increases a sense of positive social connection (Hutcherson et al., 2015; Kok et al., 2013) The basic intentions for the practice begin with some variant of phrases, such as, may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, and may I be at ease. (Salzberg, 2017; Zeng et al., 2015) Then others are visualized and held with the same intentions: someone who has been a mentor or helper, someone who is easy to love, someone who is challenging to love, and ultimately all beings. In this practice we use the qualities of love and hopefulness in envisioning self and others as safe, healthy, well, and at ease. We express gratitude in acknowledging those who have helped us, and in recognizing our own worth. Extending this gentle kindness includes an expansion to include everyone, even the challenging people. Sometimes the most challenging relationship is the one with ourselves, which is one reason why this coming home time has been particularly difficult, but also filled with opportunity for healing. Loving-kindness meditation’s positive effects begin after only a short time practicing—helpful, given that many people are having difficulty concentrating right now (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)—and last over long periods (15 months). (Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L., 2010; Hutcherson et al., 2008) A practice started now will have immediate benefit and rippling effects after any immediate crisis has waned. Coming home can be hard; to make the most of this time we need to look sincerely at ourselves, individually and collectively. We can find deep healing in our hyperlocal environAcademia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. 3 ments. By simply being outside listening to the sounds of nature, and by actively rekindling relationships with the spirit of the land on which we live, we strengthen our relationship with home. In doing this, we nurture our deeply private inner worlds, the metaphorical home of our psyches and emotions, and take positive action to manage the stress and anxiety that comes from uncertain times. By practicing loving-kindness meditation we integrate the loving self-care embodied in intentional homecoming and consciously ripple it out to our friends and family, to our neighbors, and to all beings. We rekindle our personal power during the most difficult times and then fuel our collective power for healing and transformation. The complementary wisdoms of shamanism and positive psychology offer powerful tools during extraordinary times; providing keys to our personal health and resiliency, being in nourishing relationship with one another and the natural world, and ultimately for our collective survival. References Berman, M., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science 19(12), 1207-1212. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10. 1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x. Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Gideon, J. R. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(20)30460-8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/dailylife-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html Character Strengths. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.viacharacter.org/ character-strengths-via Cohn, M. A., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2010). In search of durable positive psychology interventions: Predictors and consequences of long-term positive behavior change. The journal of positive psychology, 5(5), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2010.508883 Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045–1062. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013262 Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. 4 Gilbert, J. (2009). Custodians of the Land: Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Cultural Integrity. In M. Langfield, W. Logan, & M. N. Craith (Eds.), Cultural Diversity, Heritage and Human Rights (pp. 31-44). Routledge. Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., & Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(8), 851. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080851 Harzer, C. (2016). The eudaimonics of human strengths: The relations between character strengths and well-being. In: Vittersø J. (eds) Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer. Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8(5), 720–724. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013237 Hutcherson, C.A., Seppala, E.M. & Gross, J.J. (2015). The neural correlates of social connection. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 15,1–14. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-014-0304-9 Kimmerer, R. (2003). Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Oregon State University Press. Kok, B.E., Coffey, K.A., Cohn, M.A., Catalino, L.I., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Algoe, S.B., Brantley, M., & Frederickson, B.L. (2013). How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Psychological Science, 24, 1123–1132. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0956797612470827 Kowalewski, D. (2016). The shamanic renaissance: What is going on? The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 59(2), https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167816634522 Lee, J., Park, B.-J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Ohira, T., Kagawa, T., Miyazaki, Y. (2011). Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese male subjects. Public Health, 125(2), 93-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2010.09.005 Merriam-Webster. (n.d.) Breathing life into ‘inspire:’ The word’s origins are quite literal. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ the-origins-of-inspire. Nguyen, J., & Brymer, E. (2018). Nature-based guided imagery as an intervention for state Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Mara Bishop, mara@wholespirit.com Citation: Bishop, M. (2021). Shamanism, Positive Psychology, and Pandemics: Building Resilience at Home. Academia Letters, Article 3178. 5 anxiety. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1858. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01858 Niemiec, R.M. (2019). Six functions of character strengths for thriving at times of adversity and opportunity: A theoretical perspective. Applied Research Quality Life, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11482-018-9692-2 Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9 Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603-619. Pew Research Center. (2019). In U.S. decline of Christianity continues at rapid pace: An update on America’s changing religious landscape. 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