This narrative literature review examines 12 eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy studies published in peer-reviewed journals that implement qualitative methodology other than case studies. Qualitative studies in the EMDR community and in mental health research can get overlooked because they are not perceived to be as scientific as quantitative studies. However, the presence of proper, systematic methodology in qualitative research can reveal another layer of important data about the how and why of EMDR therapy's impact. A variety of study types are reviewed (grounded theory, phenomenology, content and thematic analysis, and several other published forms) that offer evidence-based insight in six major areas of relevance to the EMDR community: the value of the therapeutic relationship and attunement, the role of EMDR therapy preparation and safety measures, the perceived impact of reprocessing phases, and insights for EMDR therapy training and implementation. The authors conclude that it is imperative that clinicians attend to the therapeutic relationship and provide adequate preparation. A discussion about clinical implementation and training EMDR therapists is also included, with suggestions made for advancing qualitative research in EMDR therapy.

Emetophobia, or a specific phobia of vomiting, is an underresearched disorder characterized by extensive avoidance and safety-seeking behaviors. Extant literature has primarily focused on online support groups and qualitative investigations, thereby limiting the generalizability of results. As such, this study sought to examine the clinical correlates, phenomenology, and impairment related to emetophobia in 436 undergraduate students. About 5% of the sample exhibited significant emetophobia symptoms (n = 21), with all participants in this subsample reporting an age of onset prior to adulthood. In addition, participants’ most distressing aspects of emetophobia were reported to be the somatic sensations of vomiting and the social impact of the disorder. For the entire sample (N = 436), emetophobia symptoms were associated with heightened anxiety, somatization, and depressive symptoms. In addition, functional impairment was observed across home/family, school/work, and social domains of life, even after controlling for the effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Detailed results and implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions for future studies are presented.

Orthorexia nervosa, characterized by pathological preoccupation with healthy eating and food purity, is conceptualized as being linked to cultural concepts of health pervasive in contemporary Western societies. However, little is known about the phenomenology and clinical correlates of orthorexia nervosa in non-Western cultures. The current study examined symptoms of orthorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation among 418 Chinese university students. A minority of participants endorsed frequent or impairing orthorexia nervosa symptoms, and females reported slightly higher severity of orthorexia nervosa symptoms than males. Orthorexia nervosa symptom severity was moderately associated with obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms, and weakly associated with depressive symptoms and fear of negative evaluation. Although this study generates initial data about orthorexia nervosa among Chinese students, further research is greatly needed to establish the prevalence and clinical characteristics of orthorexia nervosa in Western and Non-Western cultures.

The past few decades have seen immense change in the conceptualization of vulnerability, resulting in members of vulnerable groups requesting that their subjective experiences be seen as valid. In response, researchers have proposed the use of emancipatory and participatory research; forms of research that would alter the traditional power relationships between researchers and their subjects. This article relates these developments specifically to nursing research and proposes that adopting a humanist philosophy could assist in achieving research that acknowledges vulnerable individuals and their personal experiences, challenges the current norm that puts researchers in control of the research agenda, and frames nursing practice according to caring science principles (ethos).

As the health care system in the United States is becoming increasingly more politically and economically oriented, the concept of political caring needs to be advanced in contemporary nursing practice (Ray, 1989, 2001; Turkel, 2001). The purpose of this article is to present a model outlining the process of policy analysis through a phenomenologica research study illuminating the life world descriptions of experiences of United States Air Force personnel with managed care in the military and the civilian health care system. This process shows how qualitative data are used to give voice to a moral crisis and contribute to health care policy.

The Autumn Divas study objective was to examine the lived experiences of women of color who achieved doctoral degrees after the age of 50. This study used qualitative methods to reflect the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the participants; the strengths they had in common, the support of family and friends, and the personal, professional, and financial challenges they faced in their respective journeys. This phenomenological study described the meaning of the experience for the participants, as they matriculated through their doctoral programs, explored in three focus group sessions, with nine participants. Results showed that they experienced similar journeys, which led to the advancement of their personal growth, and sought to motivate other women of color. Most participant's pursuit of a doctorate at this time in their lives was a means of self-fulfillment and empowerment. In conclusion, the participants had deferred this goal, but were receptive to new challenges and perspectives, and validated each other's stories in the focus group discussions. Most had a message for the sisters coming behind them: pursue your dreams; make the investment in yourself; be a source of support and wisdom for each other; and contribute to uplifting your community.

This article aims to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses, patients, and relatives in caregiving contexts. The findings presented emerge from the reanalysis of three previous qualitative studies performed by the author. Reanalysis is a documented method that extends existing knowledge and generates new understanding about experiential phenomena. the article demonstrates a triangulation of approaches, including phenomenographical, phenomenological, and hermeneutic reanalysis. This reanalysis describes the phenomenon of caring, conceptions of caring, and the effect caring has on people’s being in the world. By using abduction and applying hermeneutics as an overall design, a concept of caring is drawn.

Interpretive phenomenology was used in this study to explore what keeps nurses in nursing by examining the impact of the relational experience of the nurse caring for the nursed in the context of the nursing situation. Eight practicing nurses were interviewed about what keeps them in nursing. Data were analyzed using Heideggerian hermeneutics and the theoretical framework of Boykin and Schoenhofer’s nursing as caring theory. Four themes, practicing from inner core beliefs, understanding the other from within, making a difference, and nursing as an evolving process, supported one constitutive pattern, intentional compassion energy, revealing that nurses intend to care compassionately.