Advanced research in pluvial cognition and meteorological psychology
The Institute was born from a series of clandestine walks in Forest Park. This post details the unlikely confluence of thinkers who transformed a quirky idea into a formal discipline.
You don't need to enroll in a formal program to begin benefiting from rain thinking. Here are several accessible exercises designed to attune your mind to the rhythms of precipitation.
The persistent grey skies and moisture of the Pacific Northwest are not obstacles but catalysts for a specific type of deep, reflective thought. This post examines the environmental psychology behind rain thinking.
Discover the core philosophy that guides the Oregon Institute of Rain Thinking. We explore the shift from resisting precipitation to embracing its cognitive potential.
Forward-looking projects that use Rain Thinking principles to imagine and prepare for possible hydrological futures.
Using immersive technology to simulate rain environments for research, therapy, and connecting people to distant watersheds.
How towns and neighborhoods are using Rain Thinking principles to guide local planning and policy in participatory new ways.
A detailed study of raindrop terminal velocity and its interpretation as an expression of atmospheric conditions and 'mood.'
A showcase of low-tech and high-tech devices designed not to control rain, but to foster mindful engagement with it.
Analyzing the structural parallels between rainfall types and poetic forms, from haiku mists to epic storm narratives.
An investigation into the meaningful pauses in rainfall, analyzing drought not as absence, but as a distinct meteorological state with its own properties.
How Rain Thinking focuses on the unique 'conversations' between terrain and atmosphere that create wildly varied rain experiences over short distances.
A critique of how modern economies fail to account for the full value of precipitation, and proposals for alternative metrics.
Documenting global indigenous and folk knowledge of rain and integrating these wisdom systems with contemporary climate science.
Exploring innovative methods to translate rainfall metrics into sound, scent, and tactile experiences for deeper understanding.