Gay Bradshaw: Depth Psychology (2005)

G.A. Bradshaw,(2005) Ph.D., Ph.D, is on the faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute in the Depth Psychology Program, and at Oregon State University in the Environmental Sciences Graduate Programme. She received her second doctorate at Pacifica in Depth Psychology in 2005. Under the supervision of Dr. Mary Watkins, Gay studied human-caused breakdown of elephant communities in Africa and Asia. Massive genocide, starvation, and the decimation of elephant elders has created severe trauma and symptoms such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in young elephants. Elephants reveal as both the doppelganger of human shadow and as ambassadors reaching out to in a plea to stop the pervasive violence that affects us all. Her work melds together psychological and ethological perspectives to understand the aetiology of this intense conflict between elephant and people and establishes the emerging field of trans-species psychology. Trans-species psychology engages conservation through the theory of ecopsychology and praxis of liberation psychology.

Dr. Bradshaw’s current research and teaching focus is on trans-species psychology and trauma recovery of wildlife. She is the director of the Kerulos Centre for Animal Psychology and Trauma Recovery that is dedicated to education and research supporting psychological recovery of animals in captivity and conservation of wildlife cultures. Her forthcoming book Elephant Breakdown: The Psychological Study of Animal Cultures in Crisis focuses on psychological trauma sustained by Asian and African elephants and their recovery through the development of inter-species cultures. This work was recently featured as the cover of New York Times (October 8 2006).

But that’s not all! Dr. Bradshaw is also founder of the International Association for Animal Trauma and Recovery a professional society of psychologists, psychiatrists, veterinarians, ethologists, and sanctuary personnel supporting the psychological healing and wellbeing of animals. She has written and lectured extensively nationally and internationally, and conducted studies in South Africa, Chile, Europe and the UK, China, and Amazonia.

NYT website: Are we driving elephant crazy? 8 October 2006