A professor of religious studies and Indigenous studies, I teach and write about ecology, resilience, and building a more just and sustainable world.
Suzanne Crawford O'Brien
Teacher. Scholar.
A professor at Pacific Lutheran University, I teach at the intersection of religious studies, Native American studies, and environmental studies. I am incredibly lucky to be living and working in Coast Salish territory, in the homelands of the Puyallup and Nisqually people.
I study religion because it is where the very best and the very worst of us shows up. Religion has been used to justify terrible cruelty. And, it has also been the spark that fires resistance, the strength to endure, the means to heal, and the vision that illuminates a path toward radical compassion and true justice. I center Indigenous voices in my work--and those of the Pacific Northwest in particular--because I deeply love this place, and because I am committed to the decolonizing work of honoring tribal sovereignty and healing the soul wounds wrought by settler colonialism.
A fourth-generation Oregonian, I was reared on the wilds of the Cascade mountains, the storms of the Oregon Coast, and the netherest nether regions of Powell's Books. I am so grateful to the great teachers in my life--both human and wild, and even more grateful for the wonderful students I get to work with every day.
Books
Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience: A Guide To Kinship, Justice and Hope
Upcoming Release Sept 3, 2026!
“This is a generous and open-hearted book, and it will be a great resource for people trying to figure out how we make our collective way through an overheated century.” ―Bill McKibben
Religion and Culture in Native America
2020
“Suzanne Crawford O’Brien provides a sensitive, Indigenously-centered tour de force primer, rich with fresh vignettes of imagery and insight on the contemporary world of Native America. A book destined to be a classic, setting the bar high for subsequent scholars.” ―Rodney Frey
Coming Full Circle: Spirituality and Wellness Among Native Communities in the Pacific Northwest
2016
"Coming Full Circle is a strong example of interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research. By analyzing the historical, religious, spiritual, economic, and cultural factors influencing tribal peoples' healing and spiritual traditions, Crawford O'Brien demonstrates the beauty and resilience of tribal communities cultural traditions."—Michelle M. Jacob
Religion and Healing in Native America: Pathways for Renewal
2008
"A welcome addition to the body of scholarship about the medical beliefs and needs of Native Americans. The well-written chapters discuss such diverse diseases as cancer, diabetes, and alcoholism, as well as such diverse healing modalities as Sundance, storytelling, and the use of peyote." ―Journal of the American Medical Association/JAMA
Native American Religious Traditions
2006
Focusing on three Indigenous traditions (Coast Salish, Lakota, and Diné), Native American Religious Traditions highlights oral traditions and ceremonial practices, impacts of colonialism, and how Indigenous communities of North America have responded, and continue to respond, to colonialism and Euroamerican cultural hegemony.
Praise for Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience
“I talk a lot about the need for a spiritual revolution. [This book] takes us to one of the clearest places that revolution is needed: our relationship with the Earth. Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience reminds us that healing the planet will require not only science and policy-but a transformation of the human spirit.” --Rainn Wilson, actor, podcaster, producer, director, and author of Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
“This book brings soul and ceremony to the heart of climate distress. O'Brien offers a rare weaving of the sacred and the practical and reminds us that spiritual resilience is not a retreat from the world's suffering, but a profound act of re-engagement with life, justice, and community.” ―Steffi Bednarek, Centre for Climate Psychology (UK)
“As climate change fuels fear and despair, this deeply inspiring and remarkable book offers healing and hope. With heartfelt passion and empathy, the author uniquely and skillfully integrates science, religion, and Indigenous wisdom to remind us that the climate crisis is also a crisis of sacred relationships, inviting us to restore our relationship with one another, the living Earth, our ancestors, and the Divine.” ―Imam Jamal Rahman, author of Spiritual Gems of Islam
"Radically different and truly refreshing. It asks us to stop and listen-to the earth, to our ancestors, to each other-and embrace a spirit of interconnectedness. We can build the world we desire if we cultivate a ceremony of hope through our everyday acts within our communities. How beautiful is that? It doesn't cost a dime, it can be done by anyone, and it might even save us from ourselves. Pick this book up, breathe it in, and choose hope.” ―Amy Hall, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity and former VP for Social Consciousness, Eileen Fisher, Inc.
“Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience is a wise, grounded companion for anyone feeling the emotional weight of a warming world. Suzanne Crawford O'Brien weaves together spirituality, justice, and kinship with deep compassion. The book steadies the heart while inviting us into right relationship with one another and the living Earth.” ―Leslie Davenport, author of Transforming Climate Anxietyy: A Workbook for Courage, Clarity, and Collective Action
“This book has so much to teach and to remind us all. The introduction tells us it is 'a trail guide for those of us who know that restoring the world is sacred work.' If you don't know that yet, please read the book and be convinced...The trail ahead is not easy, but it will be easier, more joyful, and more inspiring with this book as a guide.” ―Kevin J. O'Brien, author of Meeting the Enemy: The Fossil Fuel Industry and the Power of Christian Climate Resistance
“A warm and gifted storyteller, Suzanne Crawford O'Brien skillfully bridges modern schisms between inner and outer worlds, mind and heart, politics and spirituality, public and private, to show how we can heal ourselves in healing our world. Full of heart and honesty, grounded in the author's experience and expertise, this is a deeply necessary book for sustaining and inspiring positive participation in the times we are in. Read, share, discuss, and above all practice what is so generously and warmly shared here in its pages” ―Sally Gillespie author of Climate Crisis and Consciousness: Reimagining our World and Ourselves
“In Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience, we learn we are not alone. This book envelops us in voices from spiritual traditions that survived colonial exploitation and extractive financialization-the same forces driving climate change. Crawford O'Brien shows us how to listen respectfully to those who carry this life-giving secret for us all: that all our work is in connection.” ―Libba Pinchot, co-founder of ClimateUnBound.org and Pinchot University, and author of Learning with Corporate Sustainability Leaders
Reviews
“When conversations turn to climate change or the broken political systems wreaking havoc on the Earth's ecosystems, it is easy to devolve toward despair. Crawford-O'Brien provides a thoughtful reframing of climate change as a spiritual problem, and furnishes readers with a rich array of ideas and practices that can help them respond with meaning and moral resolve. Drawing on a wide range of scholarly voices, religious traditions, and indigenous spiritualities, her honest, heartfelt prose guides readers toward an affirmative power to make the futures they want for themselves..” ―Evan Berry, Senior Global Futures Scholar and Professor of Environmental Humanities, Arizona State University
“Crawford O'Brien draws from a wealth of spiritual traditions, but most especially those of Indigenous and marginalized groups who have already survived world shattering events. She uses their wisdom to provide practical steps for engaging in effective self-care in response to climate anxiety, and, just as importantly, teaches us how to engage with those traditions so we can all learn from each other, grow in our understanding, and promote effective actions in response to climate change and anxiety.” ―Lawrence W. Gross (Anishinaabe), Endowed Chair of Native American Studies, University of Redlands
“This book reminds us that when the world feels like it is ending, it's time to double down on what gives us life-which includes the rituals, ceremonies, and spiritual habits that ground ourselves in goodness. The Indigenous genius and spiritual practices that have held our ancestors together remain reliable roadmaps for processing and transforming our anxiety into harmony and action. Crawford O'Brien beautifully weaves together insights from her own life, Indigenous and religious studies, and neurological/psychological studies in accessible, even humorous prose.” ―T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (Choctaw), author of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island
Upcoming Events & Appearances
March 28, 2026, 3pm
Online Levent
Tacoma Lit Fest: Climate Conversations
Join me and Leslie Davenport for a discussion of their forthcoming books on climate anxiety, action, and building resilient communities.
OCT 14, 2026, 6pm
Tacoma, WA | PLU Campus
Climate Psychology and Spiritual Resilience
Leslie Davenport and I will be teaming up once again with the students in my RELI 230 Climate Anxiety and Resilience course. The event is free and open to the public. Join us as we explore practices for living with purpose in a trying times.
Contact
I’d love to hear from you!
Whether you’re a reader, event organizer, or collaborator, please feel free to reach out.