Abstract

In this keynote talk, the author considers one way of articulating a more intimate relationship between the findings of qualitative research and the practice of care in health-related contexts. Drawing on the writings of Gadamer and Gendlin, he considers the kind of understanding that may be particularly relevant to everyday practice. He calls this ‘embodied relational understanding.’ The author further pursues the question of how the findings of qualitative research can become a rich resource for sensitizing practitioners to engage with the complexities of practice. He argues that providing such a resource requires us to pay more attention to the evocative power of our findings and its potentially transformational power for personal and professional development