The use of body-mapping in interpretative phenomenological analyses: a methodological discussion

Abstract

The increasing popularity of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) in social research brings an increasing criticism about its validity, robustness and, more recently, its lack of expressive features. Recently, the novel arts-based research approach called body-mapping was recognized as enhancing social science research in creative and nuanced ways. Body-mapping allows for unique insights into participants' lived experiences, the meaning thereof, and into how meaning is impacted by their socio-cultural contexts. This article provides new understanding about the potential use of body-mapping as part of an IPA framework by drawing upon existing literature to critically discuss their philosophical and methodological congruence.The following discussion demonstrates how particular strengths of body-mapping align with weaknesses of IPA and that, when merged, they may be especially useful for research with vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. Limitations of this discussion and implications for future research are provided.

Birth Mapping: A Visual Arts-Based Participatory Research Method Embedded in Feminist Epistemology

“…We did not recruit birth trauma survivors. People who have participated in body mapping exercise have often reported a positive experience and have found the experience interesting, entertaining, empowering, helpful and a great opportunity to think reflectively and creatively (Coetzee et al, 2019; Klein & Milner, 2019; Lys, 2018; Orchard, 2017).…”

“…Studies have shown that arts-based research methods, such as body mapping, tend to minimize power-based imbalances between researcher and participant. It reverses the traditional the power dynamics to present the participant as the expert knowledge producer and the researcher as the facilitator and co-creator of the outcome of the arts-based research (Boydell et al, 2018(Boydell et al, , 2020Klein & Milner, 2019;Lys, 2018;Sweet and Escalante 2015).…”

“…We added an inclusion criterion for women who have given birth in the last 5 years, but later realized that it was not necessary as number of years was not a barrier to their memory of their birthing experiences. Finally, the smaller sample size makes it less appealing in comparison to dominant research methods (Boydell et al, 2018), as data saturation can not be established (Klein & Milner, 2019). However, this is a strength of my study, because the sample size allows for a deeper dive into the complexity of the phenomena being studied.…”

Using Body-Map Storytelling for Accessing Insights in an Educational Intervention for Food Consciousness

“…(Marisa) Sweet and Escalante (2015) describe that body experiences are based on cultural and social practices, which allow body feelings (sensations, moods, and states of being) to be a means of detecting and incorporating these experiences. By exploring the experiences directing them to the embodied representation, the BMST confers the possibility of reinforcing embodied knowledge and communicating the meanings that this knowledge acquires in the face of an individual repertoire (Klein & Milner, 2019).…”

“…The BMST enabled the valuing of personal knowledge (Klein & Milner, 2019); engaged consciousness about experiential experiences by turning to experience with the body (Lys, 2018); and contemplated cognitive aspects, as it integrates somatic experience with mental processes (McCorquodale & De Luca, 2020). Thus, the representations expressed the body as a means of knowledge acquisition owing to its centrality in everyday experiences, as assumed by Collings & Smith (2020).…”