How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry
Abstract
1. Introduction
What makes it difficult is that the ego prefers to satisfy itself, rather than satisfy the greater good. That’s just the way we tend to be built, until we have a transformative experience… a change of mind, a change of heart that switches you from one way of looking at things to another.[17] (25:30)
1.1. Definition of Concepts and Terms
- Factors
- Integration
- Sustainability
- Social Change
- Transformation
1.2. Literature Review: Inner and Outer Change
Despite the extensive body of research on personal/adult development, the application of its findings to sustainability and climate change is in its early stages. This is hampering current progress. It is, therefore, essential to address current limitations, and bridge the gap between work that focuses on sustainability…and internal dimensions… This requires a comprehensive understanding of internal–external transformation toward sustainability, which is currently lacking.(p. 8)
What is the nature of the relationship between a transformative life experience and engagement with activities focused upon sustainability?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Structure
2.2. Phase I: Quantitative
Participants, Ethics, Procedures, and Analysis
2.3. Phase II: Qualitative
Analysis
2.4. Integration
3. Results
3.1. Quantitative
3.2. Qualitative
3.2.1. Theme 1: Defining Social Change
[I now] work for a business that I co-own with a very small number of others, and … we have a very deliberate client process … we don’t have a banned list, but we have a conversation that works out whether we’re appropriate for them and they’re appropriate for us. And we have … not taken on particular pieces of work where clients have wanted us to, to work for them, where they’re not—their ultimate corporate purpose is not consistent with the change we want to see in the world, or the change we want to be for ourselves.
It was after that experience that I … I felt more, um, (pause) responsible, I guess would be the best way to put it … it took on a different significance and meaning for me … to the point where I ended up leaving that organization because I felt like the impact in that space was never going to be enough for what needs to be done, and it needs to come back to each individual person and understanding their relationship with themselves and having that be right. Because when that is right, your relationship with everything else is in is in balance. And you don’t have to keep telling people not to waste things or not to like, put toxic things into their bodies because you just feel it.
[I] thought I was … [involved in social change]. But it was very much coming from this logical, wounded healer space in me where I’d grown up kind of being a rescuer, um, for my—for my mother. Um, so I was, I was very much focused on, on the doing, um, aspect of it, rather than the kind of the being and it living through me. So it wasn’t coming from this authentic place, it was coming from this wounded place in me. Um, and what I’m doing [now] actually is not too dissimilar, but it’s just coming from a completely different place in me now. Like, it’s somatic.
Me waking up has had other people have experiences and things, and I think that spreads as well. So I think that is social change and it is important. But—I haven’t reduced it to anything very specific like I’m going to protest Israel and Gaza situation. It’s not like that.
3.2.2. Theme 2: Intraconnection
Transformative experiences are helping us to move towards a greater awareness—the awareness that everything is one, everything is connected. And in my mind that is also a driving force for a form of activism. Because actually, to be active, because we are actually all one, you’re only really helping yourself—if you see what I mean.
So the face I was, it was … 100% connection with … my soul and whatever goes on behind the body. And I … came to the conclusion that everything is connected and we’re all connected, and it’s all just like this one. After that … I really started to become more aware of … how you relate to people and everything or your environment or like to take care.
I’ve been asking myself, what am I made of? My skin is dust, yeah? It goes back to that. To have realized all of everything is one—I came from that. I’ll go back there. So I belong there, I belong to nature. Everything around me looks like part of me now.
When that shift happened… it almost felt like there was a guidebook built-in or something, some kind of intuition—a lot of that was an overwhelming feeling of “I need to serve others.” It was just not about me.
I think where I found my [life] purpose is in the fact how I wanted to parent and I’ve been walking that road … from the time she was born, I have been actively changing myself so that I could be a different parent … moment to moment, day to day, month to month, year to year. All the time—learning–growing–learning–growing–learning–implementing. And then integrating, yeah, changing beliefs, but really integrating new beliefs. Letting go of old beliefs and then really, um … really then walking the walk and not just, you know, have it as a nice theory—but really put it, putting it in practice.
The beginning of last year … the internal change in me just made me happy. It told me, “no, you don’t have to hold grudges with anyone”—yeah? I went greeting all of them around Christmas time.
We started sharing a little bit about the grudges we were holding … we said ‘there is no need to hold grudges around anyone’—yeah? Because what I think about you is, is what expands in—what I think is telling what expands. So it’s all in the in the—we are all energy … because I learned that we are all energy. So if I have negative energy I’m going to meet negative energy. So after discussing, since then we are very good friends.
In addition to everything being about doing, thinking, feeling, being—we think that can be done at personal, relational, systemic and societal or global levels. And so sometimes we might be doing something that we think is going to be relational or systemic about the way they work together, but actually the transformation people start experiencing is something very personal, and it can work the opposite way around. I used to believe, but I don’t anymore believe that you have to have the inner personal transformation first before the relational and before the systemic. We think actually, sometimes we can be doing something systemic, and while we’re doing it, people start having personal experiences—the other way around.
3.2.3. Theme3: Personal Equilibrium
It became difficult to then work in the field of sustainability, because people’s understanding is—especially now with carbon—is very challenging for me because it’s so reductionist. It’s even more reductionist than waste. And it’s so far removed from what is actually happening. And it allows for people to pretend that they’re doing something when they’re not. Yeah. So I still do some work, some sustainability consulting, but I try to do as little as possible. Every time I do have to go into that space, I’m always like, “Oh, you know, this isn’t meaningful, right?”
You get into moral dilemmas. And at some point, I couldn’t sort of unite that role with who I was, with my values. So I got into a conflict in the organization. And I had to stand for my principles—and then, yeah, then it ends. And I did that one more time in another organization … So then I decided to stop putting myself in a situation where I would get into that jam every time again. So I became a sort of almost by necessity, an independent.
It just makes everything easier… except paying the bills. So we have traded that moral hypocrisy and a lot of good easy money for a moral purity, and satisfying ourselves with a level of income that we think is still sustainable.
I’ve been doing this for six years now … And it’s always been my investigation, my concept—and of course you’ve got this sort of activist energy in a sense, like, “Hey, let’s do something”. There’s a positive sort of feel to it, and yes, I’ve always had this sort of positive energy in that sense. Recently, it’s a bit tiring, I guess I’d say—in a sense the ‘no change’ of it. Everyone’s saying “We’re f*cked with the climate crisis. You know, there’s nothing we can [do], we’re all [going to die] …” It hasn’t gotten to me in the past—I was more like, “Of course we can and this and make it …”, you know? And then recently … there was just a lot more information—it just, yeah, it just felt like really hard. Of course it’s going to be something I’m going to continue to preach, but it just sometimes feels you’re nadando en la contracorriente—you’re swimming in the wrong direction—you know what I mean?
The hardest part of … living conscious more consciously—is being aware of my actions and the impact that it’s having on the earth. Um, but also kind of needing to be balanced with that, because I live in a human body, in society as it is at the moment. And we have to make money … so it’s also being more compassionate around how much I can do.
And it’s like, I’m not here to save the world, it’s fine. I’m here to do my tiny, minuscule part. And I think that that actually has been some—a kind of a huge relief for me … Recognizing, actually, no, it’s fine—I’m just, I just have to save myself. And the more I save myself, I am that kind of particle of the universe. So, it’s like, as long as I can do my best to … be that vehicle in as authentic, clean way as I can. That’s kind of my main mission, really.
4. Discussion
4.1. Intraconnection
4.2. Personal Equilibrium
4.3. Social Change
“self-similar patterns that repeat themselves across a range of structures at different scales, extending from small social interactions to large national and international institutions. They can be generated by principles, values, ideas, initiatives, or endeavors that are designed with the same characteristics desired for the whole”[13]
4.4. Strengths, Limitations, and Future Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Element | n | % |
---|---|---|
Gender | ||
Female | 101 | 69.7 |
Male | 42 | 28.9 |
Transgender | 1 | 0.7 |
Gender Fluid | 1 | 0.7 |
Race | ||
Caucasian/White | 120 | 82.7 |
Other | 25 | 17.3 |
Country/Region | ||
United States | 55 | 37.8 |
United Kingdom | 41 | 28.3 |
Canada | 16 | 11.0 |
Europe | 15 | 10.3 |
Australia/New Zealand | 6 | 4.2 |
Africa | 4 | 2.8 |
South Asia | 4 | 2.8 |
Other | 4 | 2.8 |
Education | ||
Bachelors | 44 | 30.3 |
Masters | 32 | 22.0 |
Some college, no degree | 23 | 15.9 |
MD/PhD/JD | 22 | 15.2 |
Trade school/Associates | 12 | 8.3 |
H.S. diploma or equivalent | 11 | 7.6 |
No H.S. diploma | 1 | 0.7 |
Current Age * | Age at Time of Experience * | Time Since Experience * | |
---|---|---|---|
Median | 55 | 38 | 12 |
Standard deviation | 13.9 | 14.6 | 15.9 |
Minimum | 26 | 3 | 0.25 |
Maximum | 93 | 76 | 65 |
Shapiro-Wilk p | 0.347 | 0.707 | <0.001 |
Current Age * | Age at Time of Experience * | Time Since Experience * | |
---|---|---|---|
Median | 45.5 | 37.0 | 6.25 |
Standard deviation | 12.2 | 13.4 | 12.0 |
Minimum | 22 | 5 | 1 |
Maximum | 72 | 70 | 54 |
Shapiro-Wilk p | 0.229 | 0.727 | <0.001 |
Median Current Age * | Median Age at Time of Experience * | Median Time Since Experience * | |
---|---|---|---|
Screened in a | 55 | 38 | 12 |
Low MHI-5 b | 45.5 | 37.0 | 6.25 |
Delta | 9.5 ** | 1.0 | 5.75 ** |
Category | Personal Practices and Supportive Conditions |
---|---|
Contemplative practices | Meditation, mindfulness, prayer, mantra, chanting, practicing observer mind |
Self-discovery | Becoming an expert on myself, journaling, counseling, taking courses, reading, plant medicine |
Self-care | Self-love, self-compassion, exercise, yoga, good food, quality sleep |
Embodying values | Integrity, gratitude, compassion, discernment, authenticity |
Time in nature | Being outside, gardening, wild swimming, walking, hiking |
Personal environment | Solitude, calm, quiet, decreased sensory input, fresh air, clean, uncluttered |
Connection | With peer-groups, like-minded people, intimate partner, supportive friend(s), community, family |
Creative expression | Making art, making music, dancing, writing, creating poetry, cooking |
Expanding awareness | Of subtle world, of intraconnection, of self, of causes of suffering |
Category | Limiting Factors |
---|---|
Personal challenges | Getting started, need to do own work first, fear of judgement, fear of rejection, fear of failure, need for balance of work and personal life, need to maintain personal equilibrium, personal insecurity |
Demands of Daily Life | Lack of time, family commitments, limits on energy, challenges of daily life, parenting commitments |
Cultural Characteristics | Prevalent illusion of separation, collective resistance to change, entrenched dominant belief system, discomfort of polarized atmosphere, predominant capitalist agenda |
Financial Concerns | Personal financial concerns, insufficient pay for social change work, lack of funding sources for project work |
Group Dynamics | Avoidance of othering, avoidance of organizations with patriarchal structures, avoidance of commercial aspirations, avoidance of polarization, hostility, and negativity, avoidance of questionable ethics |
Personal Limitations | Limited stamina, age limitations, health challenges, limited personal capacity, personal circumstances |
Category | Supportive Factors |
---|---|
Supportive Elements | Shifting social landscape, reciprocal benefits from like-minded connections, being inspired by others, core beliefs, inner resilience |
Personal Equilibrium | Sustaining personal practices, contemplative practice, maintaining preferred personal environment, ongoing skill development, creative expression, use of therapeutic approaches |
Personal Perspective | Positive intentions to contribute, aligning life purpose with external efforts, awareness of personal agency, the nature of reality, and interconnection; embodiment of personal values, beliefs, and understandings |
Connection with Others | Like-minded community, spiritual community, social change community, peer support group, supportive relationship, and/or friend, family connection |
External Actions | Being of service, ethical career, ethical consumer choices, supporting wellbeing of others, social justice activities, philanthropic donations |
Pseudonym | Gender | Age | Ethnicity | Location | Education | Years Since Experience | Interest and Engaged? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ana | F | 29 | Caucasian | Spain | Masters | 10 | Y/Y |
[Maya] a | [F] | [32] | [Asian] | [India] | [Masters] | [10] | [Y/Y] |
Ibrahim | M | 42 | African | Kenya | Bachelors | 2 | Y/Y |
Muriel | F | 42 | Caucasian | USA | Masters | 5 | Y/Y |
Oliver | M | 43 | Caucasian | UK | Bachelors | 1 | N/N |
Diane | F | 48 | Caucasian | UK | Masters | 12 | Y/Y |
Neil | M | 54 | Caucasian | Europe | Adv. Degree | 7 | Y/Y |
Emilia | F | 54 | Caucasian | Switzerland | Masters | 11 | Y/N |
Lars | M | 58 | Caucasian | Netherlands | Masters | 28 | Y/N |
David | M | 67 | Caucasian | UK | Bachelors | 8 | Y/Y |
Practice | Ana | Oli | Emi | Nei | Mul | Lar | Dia | Ibr | Dav |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Avoiding othering | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Meditation | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Aligning/harmonizing inner and outer worlds | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Time in nature | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Reading on spirituality | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Creativity—writing | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Self-compassion practice | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Sufficient solitude | X | X | X | X | |||||
Physical exercise/yoga | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
Observer mind practice | X | X | X |
Category | Specific Values |
---|---|
Commitment to something greater than oneself |
|
Self-respect—accompanied by humility, self-discipline, and acceptance of personal responsibility |
|
Respect and care for others |
|
Care for other living things and the environment |
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Share and Cite
Halliday, E.; Bockler, J. How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry. Challenges 2025, 16, 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030030
Halliday E, Bockler J. How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry. Challenges. 2025; 16(3):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030030
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalliday, Elizabeth, and Jessica Bockler. 2025. "How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry" Challenges 16, no. 3: 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030030
APA StyleHalliday, E., & Bockler, J. (2025). How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry. Challenges, 16(3), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030030