Practicing the Awareness of Embodiment in Qualitative Health Research: Methodological Reflections

Sharma, Sonya; Reimer‐Kirkham, Sheryl; Cochrane, Marie

doi:10.1177/1049732309350684

Cited by 59 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In the last decade, attention to embodiment has received increased attention in philosophy (Campbell, Meynell, & Sherwin, 2009), science (Gallagher, 2005) and social science (Johnson, 1999). Research that focuses on embodiment has also garnered growing attention in qualitative research practice; indeed, some scholars have suggested the need to re-embody qualitative inquiry Sharma, Reimer-Kirkham, & Cochrane, 2009). …”

Section: Embodiment In Research Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Embodied Nature of Occupation at End of Life

Lala¹,

Kinsella²

2011

Can J Occup Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The current Canadian milieu depicts a rapidly growing demographic of aging Canadians in need of end-of-life support; however, limited funding and resources are available to provide access to these services. The question of how to foster quality endof-life experiences for people who are terminally ill within this constrained context requires attention. Terminally ill individuals have articulated the inability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable as a factor influencing their decision to hasten their deaths. While occupational scientists and occupational therapists propose that occupation is a basic human need across the lifespan, there is limited understanding of the role of occupation at end-of-life, and its potential to facilitate meaningful end-of-life experiences.The purpose of this work was to examine the embodied nature of occupation at end-oflife, from the perspectives of Canadians 60 years of age or older who are diagnosed with a terminal illness. A phenomenological approach, with a focus on embodiment, was adopted for this study. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants. Data collection also involved close, participative observation, embodied methods, and reflexive journaling. Data analysis involved a hermeneutic process utilizing processes of detailed, selective and holistic analysis.This work is comprised of four integrated manuscripts. The first offers a systematic literature review that investigates what has been published about death and dying in the occupation-based literature. The second investigates phenomenology as a fruitful methodological approach for the study of human occupation. The third manuscript reports on an empirical study that examines the embodied nature of occupation at end-ofiv life, and presents the following six emergent findings; participants described orientations toward occupations that involved: living with death, reworking everyday life, being guided by the will of the body, focusing on relationships, attending to the small things, and engaging existential orientations. The final manuscript explores embodied phenomenological research as a methodological approach for qualitative research practices.The thesis contributes to knowledge about human occupation at end-of-life and offers a starting point to guide care practices that are attentive to the lived dimensions of occupation in this life stage.

show abstract

Section: Embodiment In Research Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Embodied Nature of Occupation at End of Life

Lala¹,

Kinsella²

2011

Can J Occup Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, a remarkable transformation occurred biannually when a multipurpose room was refurbished to host a Sikh service for hospitalized patients. Characteristic of the tradition of a Gurudwara, the service was followed by a lunch that welcomed staff, family members and other visitors from the hospital (Sharma, Reimer‐Kirkham and Cochrane 2009).…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sacred spaces in public places: religious and spiritual plurality in health care

Reimer‐Kirkham¹,

Sharma²,

Pesut³

et al. 2011

Nursing Inquiry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several intriguing developments mark the role and expression of religion and spirituality in society in recent years. In what were deemed secular societies, flows of increased sacralization (variously referred to as 'new', 'alternative', 'emergent' and 'progressive' spiritualities) and resurgent globalizing religions (sometimes with fundamentalist expressions) are resulting in unprecedented plurality. These shifts are occurring in conjunction with increasing ethnic diversity associated with global migration, as well as other axes of difference within contemporary society. Democratic secular nations such as Canada are challenged to achieve social cohesion in the face of growing religious, spiritual and ethnic diversity. These challenges are evident in the high-paced, demanding arena of Health care. Here, religious and spiritual plurality enter in, sometimes resulting in conflict between medical services and patients' beliefs, other times provoking uncertainties on the part of healthcare professionals about what to do with their own religiously or spiritually grounded values and beliefs. In this paper, we present selected findings from a 3-year study that examined the negotiation of religious and spiritual pluralism in Health care. Our focus is on the themes of 'sacred' and 'place', exploring how the sacred - that which is attributed as special and set apart as it pertains to the divine, transcendence, God or higher power - takes form in social and material spaces in hospitals.

show abstract

“…This article extends knowledge about embodiment of a cane versus a walker for older homebound women. We recognized the dialectic spanning the observable “object body” (Sakalys, 2006, p. 17) of each woman who carried a cane and the “subject body …, the phenomenological body, the lived body” (Sakalys, 2006, p. 17) of each woman for whom the cane was a “third leg” or “part of me.” However, we did not consider potential influences of researcher embodiment on findings, such as the non-verbal communication of interviewers (Sharma, Reimer-Kirkham, & Cochrane, 2009) during dialogue with participants about “my cane” and “the walker.”…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Homebound Women: Negotiating Reliance on a Cane or Walker

2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Canes and walkers are commonly characterized as assistive devices and as devices that serve the same purpose, as walking aides. These general views were reappraised and tempered in this descriptive phenomenological study with 40 older women (aged 85-98) who were unable to leave their homes without help. The purpose was to describe the phenomena of negotiating reliance on canes and walkers as walking devices and the lifeworld context underlying each phenomenon. Relative to lifeworld, there were differences between coming to terms with using a cane and coming to terms with using a walker. Data revealed similarities and distinctions between the basic intentions of relying on canes and on walkers and the associated purposes served by canes and walkers. Participants did not view either device as consistently assistive. Findings evoke opportunities for dialogue among older persons, scholars, practitioners, and designers of these devices about coming to terms with such devices and relying on them.

show abstract

Practicing the Awareness of Embodiment in Qualitative Health Research: Methodological Reflections

Cited by 59 publications

References 28 publications

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Embodied Nature of Occupation at End of Life

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Embodied Nature of Occupation at End of Life

Sacred spaces in public places: religious and spiritual plurality in health care

Older Homebound Women: Negotiating Reliance on a Cane or Walker

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About