A narrative inquiry on RHS (Recovering the Human Spirit) meditation counseling experiences

Through narrative inquiry with three middle-aged participants who completed ten sessions of RHS meditation-based psychological counseling, the study describes a progression in self-awareness: participants moved from emotional avoidance to emotional awareness and eventually to observing experiences as they are. Within the counseling relationship, participants felt safety and relaxation and expanded their awareness. The presence of a guide, a safe space, and extending mindfulness into daily life were also important. Participants came to understand their emotions and experiences in new ways and reconstructed their relationship with their authentic selves. The study does not verify effectiveness but focuses on understanding the meaning of change as revealed through participants' experiences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the experiences of RHS (Recovering the Human Spirit) meditation-based psychological counseling among middle-aged adults through narrative inquiry and to understand the process and meaning of changes in self-awareness. Clandinin and Connelly’s narrative inquiry methodology was employed, and ten sessions of RHS meditation-based psychological counseling were conducted with three middle-aged participants. The data were analyzed within a three-dimensional inquiry space: temporality, sociality, and place. The findings revealed a progression in the temporality dimension from emotional avoidance to emotional awareness, and further toward observing experiences as they are. In the sociality dimension, participants experienced a sense of safety and relaxation within the counseling relationship, along with an expansion of awareness. In the place dimension, the presence of a guide, the formation of a safe space, and the extension of mindfulness into everyday life were identified. Through these processes, participants came to understand their emotions and experiences in new ways and reconstructed their relationship with their authentic selves. This study illuminates how experiences of RHS meditation-based psychological counseling are meaningfully constructed and understood in the lives of middle-aged adults, and interpretively presents the process of changes in self-awareness. Rather than verifying the effectiveness of a specific intervention, this study focuses on understanding the meaning of change as revealed through participants’ experiences. The findings suggest the qualitative applicability of the RHS model in individual counseling settings and provide foundational insights for counseling and educational discussions addressing midlife developmental tasks.