The question of whether a proper phenomenological investigation and analysis requires one to perform the epoché and the reduction has not only been discussed within phenomenological philosophy. It is also very much a question that has been hotly debated within qualitative research. Amedeo Giorgi, in particular, has insisted that no scientific research can claim phenomenological status unless it is supported by some use of the epoché and reduction. Giorgi partially bases this claim on ideas found in Husserl’s writings on phenomenological (...) psychology. In the present paper, I discuss Husserl’s ideas and argue that while the epoché and the reduction are crucial for transcendental phenomenology, it is much more questionable whether they are also relevant for a non-philosophical application of phenomenology. (shrink)

I offer a preliminary examination on the importance of narrative for helping to overcome the issue of stigma surrounding mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. I maintain that engaging with first-person accounts of schizophrenia allows caregivers, and the broader general public, to better understand the phenomenological lived experiences of persons living with this mental health challenge and to better understand the experience of dealing with stigma. In doing so, I maintain that both caregivers and the public can begin developing more accepting views (...) of schizophrenia and begin to support those who need it the most. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper was to provide an example from phenomenological research of moving from rich descriptive interview data to coherent revelatory descriptions employing empathic bridges within the narrative structure of storytelling. We used transcribed data from two interviews concerning recovery from severe mental illness: one with an American woman in her early thirties, and the other with a Swedish man in his mid-thirties. Five investigators analyzed the transcribed data into individual first-person narrative descriptions according to existing empirical phenomenological (...) methods including an independent reading, identification of themes relevant to processes of recovery from severe mental illness, temporal ordering of themes meaningfully reflecting the sequence of the recounted events, and consensus development. Our findings support the use of empathic bridges as a methodological tool with the narrative structure of firstperson storytelling, as well as the viability and importance of employing this tool to better understand processes of recovery for persons with severe mental illness. (shrink)