This article draws from ecopsychology and existential psychology principles toward synthesizing what may be called an “eco-existential” understanding of human–nature relatedness. The article has two central foci. First, it explores how one of the primary mechanisms at work in our exposure to nature is the evocation in us of a profound awareness of our existence within the limits of time. This awareness of time, in turn, is argued to strengthen our existential awareness both in terms of our awareness of mortality and our consequent search for meaning in life. The article further draws from the ecopsychological principle of reciprocal interconnectedness to illustrate how our existential awareness in turn affects the way we construct time and defend against death anxiety and meaninglessness. These human constructs of time and existential defenses are invested back into nature in a manner that is quite often destructive to the natural world. The second focus is on an exploration of the implications of the reciprocal relationship between nature and human existential awareness for psychotherapy, in general, and ecotherapy, in particular. The article concludes with some suggestions for psychotherapeutic applications.
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