How do you cope with the emotional and cognitive demands of phenomenological research?

Imagine you're an explorer in a magical forest, trying to understand the secret language of the animals and trees. You listen carefully to the whispers of the leaves and the songs of the birds. But sometimes, such adventures can make your head spin. So, what do you do? You take little breaks to sit quietly, maybe have a yummy snack, or draw some pictures of the forest. It's like giving your mind a nice, cozy nap. You also talk to your friends or family about fun things, which is like a refreshing breeze for your thoughts. And getting a good night's sleep is like giving your brain a superpower boost, so you're ready for more exploring the next day. This way, you stay happy and healthy while you're learning the secrets of the magical forest!

To prepare for research and dialogue with others, we need to engage consciously with out thoughts and research identity. Conscious engagement with our research identity and listening filters (Scollan & McNeill, 2029) provoke researchers to be aware of how and why we tune in to certain participant expressions more than others. For instance, how we listen, is influenced by personal, professional and social experiences. A combination of experiences contribute to beliefs and expectations that evolve and are created about chosen research topics. Therefore, it is vital to be able to internally manage thought processes utilising reflective thinking and diffractive questioning to harness and steer ethical research consciousness.

Phomenomenology is one of the most philosophically and psychologically deep qualitative research designs. If anyone has tried to read Husserl or even more modern works such as Moustakas, it can be really boring and tedious to begin to understand how one engages in bracketing or epoché. My advice here is more practical than academic. As a researcher, one must separate passionate for uncovering truth and letting that passion permeate through the researcher-participant boundary. Remember that you will do your participants the most justice by keeping that emotional boundary in place, focusing on letting them share their lived experiences, and translating that into scholarly research that is impactful in the real world.

1. Practice self-awareness: Recognize and manage your own biases and emotions. 2. Engage in reflexivity: Reflect on how your own experiences and perspectives may influence the research process. 3. Establish support systems: Seek out mentorship, peer support, or counseling to navigate challenging aspects of the research. 4. Take breaks: Allow yourself time to recharge and decompress, especially during intense phases of data analysis. 5. Embrace the process: Understand that grappling with complex phenomena is inherent to phenomenological research, and be patient with yourself as you navigate it.

When you consider doing this type of research, as cited below, consider a reflexivity statement. Try to understand your point of view as much as possible, in pursuit of a goal. Keep a diary both before and after interviews, and note how you feel when you ask questions.

Rapport is among our most valuable tools in qualitative research, although it is notoriously difficult to teach, since it is as much a matter of temperament as a set of teachable skills. For example, some--like me--are introverts, so rapport-building can take a good deal of emotional energy. Others do not feel comfortable with the lack of structure and give-and-take of an interview. And, of course, research participants often occupy different subject positions than the researcher, in terms of race/ethnicity, SES, education, etc. For me the key to building rapport is humility. I continually remind myself during the interview encounter that I am the student and the participant is my teacher, since they are the subject matter experts, not me.

Building rapport can be difficult with certain audiences, so I would suggest trying to understand how they might view you in order to build shared goals and trust. In my qualitative research with those affected by eating disorders, many of the people I spoke with were wary of me, especially as a man. Similarly, I had older folks distrusting me, a younger person, as I helped conduct focus groups on an issue most often seen in the elderly. By displaying sympathy and listening to their story before starting the interview, you can build rapport that establishes your communication on trust and shared understanding.

So many researchers conflate basic thematic analysis (e.g., à la Braun & Clarke) with doing a phenomenological analysis. Although there are clear parallels and coding IS invovled in phenomenological analysis, the two methods are two different end points. The purpose of phenomenology is to arrive at some tangible description of the structure of a person's lived experience. Therefore, do not think of a phenomenological analysis as trying to distill interviews down into themes. Rather think of the process as constructing a vignette of a person's psyche.

Data analysis for qualitative research is often not thought about ahead of time. I strongly recommend reading through the many ways one can analyse data before writing out questions, focusing on goals, deciding your sample size, deciding on who can help with the analysis to double check, and more. Because of its nature, people often forget that qualitative research data analysis can be more difficult than quantitative research because there isn't a single "right" way to do it, per se, but by thinking ahead, you might be able to save yourself time and ensure higher quality data analysis.

Reflexivity and diary taking isn't just for the data, but also for you. Your feelings can affect both the data collection and the data analysis, so making sure you have a strong support plan in place is a good idea. This goes beyond just one's emotional state, however; consider talking to others who have done the same type of research and discuss their challenges, and you will learn together!

I have found mindfulness immensely helpful to support me in integrating the heard and seen into my own inner world. To witness thoughts as arising in consciousness as temporary has been immensely helpful to keep healthy professional boundaries and to not (over-)identify with the phenomenological experiences of others.

Being part of the story is always going to have an effect, regardless of whether or not the stories of participants affect you on emotional level. This is, again, why it is important to keep a diary. Your views may change throughout the process, and your participants may have an effect on your opinions on a matter. This reflection is crucial when you consider any type of research that uses interviews, as you may change the way you navigate your environment. It may be worth considering acceptance and commitment therapy principles to build cognitive flexibility. These include acceptance, cognitive diffusion, seeing yourself in context, your values, your cognitive distancing, being present, and making committed action where needed.