Intuitive Inquiry: Transforming Self and Others through Research Praxis Rosemarie Anderson, PhD Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

An Epistemology of the Heart Claiming the Researcher’s Imagination –Intuitive Inquiry begins like a light in the dark of winter because the impulse to explore a topic claims the researcher’s imagination often in an unconscious and surreptitious way. Compassionate Knowing of Particulars –“Beloveds” are not only people but those topics, places, and events, in life that claim a person before she knows them well. This yearning to understand is Eros or love in pure form because the intuitive inquirer wants to know her beloved topic fully. Transformation of Researcher & Culture Transpersonal & Holistic Perspective –in response to dissertation students at ITP

Overview of Intuitive Inquiry Hermeneutical method with origins in Gadamer, Merleau-Ponty, Heuristic and Feminist Research, and Gendlin’s “thinking beyond patterns.” Seminary training. Invites intuitive and imaginal processes into research. Highly personal process. Findings often “break set” with established theory and scholarship. Auspicious Bewilderment. Implicit trajectories in the data projecting toward the future. What does the future ask of us? Five Cycles give soft structure or sacred “container” to intuitive process.

Five Cycles of Intuitive Inquiry

Vai Kei Leong, Photographer, Macau, 2007

Cycle 1: Clarifying the Research Topic (or what is your topic?) Selecting a “Text” That Claims Your imagination (EE) Susan Carlock’s (2003) study of true joy among Christian Mystics: Michelangelo's Pieta. Katherine Unthank’s (2007) study of trauma survival: Rembrandt sketch, Jesus Saves Peter from Drowning (1632). Diane Rickards Greig (2006) study of the feminine cultural shadow via WW II female espionage agents: Marcus Binney’s (2002) book about British female agents. “Agents were flown into France during moon periods—one week on either side of the full moon, when there was sufficient light for night flying.”

Types of Possible Texts in Cycles 1 or Cycle 2 Historical accounts or archival data Literary accounts, poems, narratives, screenplays, etc. Sacred texts, scripture, and mystical accounts Paintings, sculpture, photos, images, drawings, films, mandalas, symbols, performance, dance, etc. Statistical analyses, graphs, and figures from quantitative studies Mathematical equations and formulas Descriptive accounts from qualitative studies Summaries of research findings Theoretical or philosophic writings Combinations of the above

Cycle 2: Preliminary Lenses via Imaginal Dialogue (Lit Review) Selecting a Texts to Clarify Your Pre-understanding of the Topic Articulating Preliminary Lenses in Words (Symbols, Images, etc.) Catherine Manos’ (2007) study of creative expression of women nature artists: Lenses via the art and writings of Hildegard of Bingen and Georgia O’Keeffe. Developed 15 lenses. Sharon Hoffman’s (2003) study of story-telling: Lenses developed through dialogue, photography, and psychodrama. Cortney Phelon’s (2001) study of healing presence.

Style Differences Between Intuitive Inquiry’s Forward and Return Arcs Forward Arc (Cycles 1 & 2): Reflective, Introverted, Self-Critical and Discerning, Clarification of Self, and Imaginal Dialogue. (in-breath) Return Arc (Cycles 2, 3 & 4): Engaged with Others, Extraverted, Discerning of Others, Synthesis of Others, and Imagining the Possible (out-breath)

Cycle 3: Collecting Data & Preparing Summary Reports Researcher Identifies of the best source(s) of data for the research topic, Develops criteria for the selection of data from among these sources, Collects the data, & Prepares summary data reports in as descriptive a manner as possible.

Descriptive Modes of Presentation of Data in Cycle 3 Written Portraits of Participants (Moustakas, 1990) Participant Stories, Narrative Accounts, Documentary Film, etc. Thematic Content Analyses (TCA) of Texts or Interviews (my website) Embodied Writing Excerpts Organized by Themes Summary and Inferential Statistics Without Interpretation Textual or Statistical Summaries Presented Systematically Graphic or Artistic Presentation of Participant Stories, Portraits, etc. Participants’ Creative Expression Presented Systematically with Text or Narration Summaries (as above) Accompanied by Quotes, Poetry, Embodied Writings, Art, Photography, etc. Combinations of the above

Cycle 3 Data-collection & Reporting Jay Dufrechou’s (2002) of grief, weeping, and other deep emotions in response to nature: Data gathering via exchanges using Embodied Writing. Sharon Hoffman’s (2003) story-telling collaboration of a woman living with breast cancer: Mixed media gallery exhibit in San Francisco and questionnaire to attendees. Aurora Hill’s (2006) study of joy in a circle of Native American women: Data included transcript of ritual-story telling gathering recorded by captions transcriber, transcripts of interviews with tribal leader and captions transcriber, and the women’s art. Diane Rickards’ (2006) interviewed Belgian, Dutch, French, Irish, Polish, Turkish, and American-born women WWII espionage agents, now in their 80s and 90s. Prepared “portraits” of the women using their interview transcripts, art and memorabilia, and letters from war era. (Her own paintings, not included in dissertation.)

Cycle 4: Transforming and Refining Lenses Cycle 2 lenses are modified, removed, rewritten, expanded, etc., reflecting the researchers more developed and nuanced understanding of the topic at the conclusion of the study. Vipassana Esbjörn-Hargens (2003): New, change, and seed lenses. Cortney Phelon’s (2001) study of the healing presence of a psychotherapist. Cycle 4 lenses:  Alignment and receptivity to client  Attentional ability & personal congruence  Inner awareness and commitment to personal growth or spiritual practice  Kinesthetic aspects of presence  “Seasoning” of a mature psychotherapist through years of practice

Cycle 5: Integration of Findings and Literature Review Completes the Hermeneutical Circle Telling the truth about the course of the research project, including  mistakes made,  procedures and plans that did not work,  the researcher’s apprehensions & puzzlements about the study and findings,  the style of intuitive interpretation used (with examples, and  whatever remains unresolved or problematic about the topic or the method.

Unique Features Transformation of Self & Culture Writing in Your Own Voice Theory-Building Potential Auspicious Bewilderment

Finale.

Heart Sculpture, Lake Siskyou, CA All photographs in PowerPoint by Rosemarie Anderson unless otherwise noted.