Embodied interpretation: a novel way of evocatively re-presenting meanings in phenomenological research
Les Todres, Kathleen Galvin
November 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1177/1468794108094866 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that an aesthetic phenomenology using evocative, poetic writing, informed by Gendlin's philosophy of the body and the practice of 'focusing', can give ontological weight to common humanity and facilitate recognition and 'homecoming'. Applying embodied interpretation to research on caring for a lifelong partner with Alzheimer's disease, the authors conclude that this approach yields understandings that touch both 'head' and 'heart'. |
Abstract
This article contributes to a growing trend in articulating an aesthetic phenomenology that exercises more evocative and poetic forms of writing. Our task is to give ontological weight to our common humanity, thereby facilitating experiences of recognition and `homecoming'. This developing trend could benefit from Gendlin's philosophy of the body and his practice of `focusing', which finds words that carry forward the textural dimensions of experience. We apply this practice of embodied interpretation to research about caring for a lifelong partner with Alzheimer's disease. We conclude that the value of embodied interpretation is that it serves the kind of knowledge that is particularly important in human sciences — it provides understandings that live in ways that touch both `head' and `heart'.