Phenomenology (Research Methodology)

The topic of forgiveness has received increased attention in the psychological literature; however, definitional and operational clarity remains a stumbling block. We propose that the study of first-person experiential accounts can enrich ongoing definitional and psychometric efforts. We systematically examined such accounts of forgiveness, identifying recurrent themes and then clustering these accounts according to similarities in theme profiles. People reported forgiveness through interpersonal confrontation with their transgressor (Cluster I), intra-personal evaluation of human fallibility and moral commitments (Cluster II), and attempts to resume a positive relationship without presuming that the transgression could be ignored or forgotten (Cluster III). The findings of the present research help to integrate recent studies of forgiveness, and the implications of a tripartite model of forgiveness are considered.

Michael, P., Luke, D., & Robinson, O. (2021). An encounter with the other: A thematic and content analysis of DMT experiences from a naturalistic field study. Frontiers in Psychology: Consciousness Research, 12, 720717. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720717

Introduction: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the qualitative content, over and above structure, which the drug occasions. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses of experiential content, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, uncontrolled use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences, i.e., producing very strong psychoactive effects.

Methods: We report on the first naturalistic field study of DMT use including its qualitative analysis. Screened, healthy, anonymised and experienced DMT users were observed during their non-clinical use of the drug at home (40–75 mg inhaled). In-depth semi-structured interviews (inspired by the micro-phenomenological technique) were employed immediately after their experience. This paper reports on the thematic analysis of one major domain of the breakthrough experiences elicited, the ‘other’. Thirty-six post-DMT experience interviews with mostly Caucasian (83%) males (eight female) of average 37 years were predominantly inductively coded.

Results: Invariably, profound and highly intense experiences occurred. The first overarching category comprised the encounter with other ‘beings’ (94% of reports), encompassing super-ordinate themes including the entities’ role, appearance, demeanour, communication and interaction; while the second overarching category comprised experiences of emerging into other ‘worlds’ (100% of reports), encompassing super-ordinate themes of the scene, the contents and quality of the immersive spaces. Many further mid-level themes and subthemes also illuminate the rich content of the DMT experience.

Discussion: The present study provides a systematic and in-depth analysis of the nuanced content of the otherworldly encounter within the breakthrough DMT experience, as well as elaborating on the resonances both with previous DMT studies focusing on entity encounters and other types of extraordinary experiences entailing such encounters. These include the alien abduction, folkloric, shamanic and near-death experience. Putative neural mechanisms of these features of the DMT experience and its promise as a psychotherapeutic agent are discussed in light of such findings.

The purpose of this article was to explore the police officers' experiences during police vehicle pursuits. Interviews of 3 US police officers were conducted and the descriptive phenomenological psychological method was used to analyze their naive (unanalyzed) accounts of their lived-experiences. The psychological constituents of the experience of leading a successful chase and capture of a fleeing criminal found are: (1) Alert to Possible Car Chase, (2) Suspect Identified, (3) Anxiety and Excitement About the Chase, (4) Awareness of Primary Chase Role, (5) Radio Coordination with Others to Take Actions to Stop the Suspect, (6) Ongoing Evaluation of Chase Situation and Persistence, (7) Reading the Suspect's Driving Behaviors, (8) Car Chase Transition to a Coordinated Physical Capture, and (9) Making Sense of the Experience through Inquiry. The differences and similarities in Japanese and American police that might influence the research finding's relevance to japan were brought to light. Insights garnered from this study may be useful to police, policy makers, trainers and others interested in emergency and crisis decision-making.

Aims: This study explores radiation therapists’ understanding and interpretations
of the concept of caring within their profession.
Background: Health professions’ concepts of care have been explored in disciplines such as
nursing and medicine. However, there has been little previous attempt to describe what caring
means to radiation therapists.
Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used and 27 radiation therapists were
interviewed in four focus groups. Discussions were transcribed and analysis was performed to
identify themes from the data.
Results: Threeoverarching themes emergedfromthedata:humanconnection establishedbetween
radiation therapists and patients, technical care as the use of technology and procedures in treatment
planning and delivery, and the therapist’s unique identity as compared to other professions.
Conclusions: The concept of carewas seen by radiation therapists primarily as a supportive relationship
with the patient but they were unable to agree if the technical aspects and procedures were
considered a part of caring. Further research is needed to further examine the connection between
technology and care.

Attempts to think anew about philosophical questions from the perspective of breath and breathing.

As a physiological or biological matter, breath is mostly considered to be mechanical and thoughtless. By expanding on the insights of many religions and therapeutic practices, which emphasize the cultivation of breath, the contributors argue that breath should be understood as fundamentally and comprehensively intertwined with human life and experience. Various dimensions of the respiratory world are referred to as “atmospheres” that encircle and connect human existence, coexistence, and the world.

Drawing from a number of traditions of breathing, including from Indian and East Asian religion and philosophy, the book considers breath in relation to ontological, hermeneutical, phenomenological, ethical, and aesthetic concerns in philosophy. The wide-ranging topics include poetry, theater, environmental issues and health, feminism, and media studies. http://www.sunypress.edu/p-6557-atmospheres-of-breathing.aspx

The summer/fall 2016 issue of EAP include the following entries: EAP editor DAVID SEAMON reviews architectural historian PETER L. LAURENCE’S Becoming JANE JACOBS, the intriguing story of how her influential urban study, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), came to be written; Egyptian architect and designer TAREK WAGIH offers a critical commentary on the recent death of the controversial Iraqi-born British architect ZAHA HADID; naturalist and educator PAUL KRAFEL draws on the experience of moving a boulder to point implicitly toward a phenomenology of how smaller, order-initiating possibilities can generate constructive, larger-scale change—in this case, erosion repair and landscape restoration; independent researcher STEPHEN WOOD continues his first-person phenomenology of moving to a new home; environmental educator JOHN CAMERON writes an eleventh “Letter from Far South,” which focuses on the question of how one’s relationship with place shifts over time.