Participatory dreaming: a conceptual exploration from a unitary appreciative inquiry perspective.

Dreaming is a universal phenomenon in human experience and one that carries multiple meanings in the narrative discourse across disciplines. Dreams can be collective, communal, and emancipatory, as well as individual. While individual dreaming has been extensively studied in the literature, the participatory nature of dreaming as a unitary phenomenon is limited. The concept of participatory dreaming within a unitary appreciative framework for healing is explored from perspectives in anthropology, psychology, and nursing. A participatory model of dreaming is proposed from a synthesis of the literature for use in future research using unitary appreciative inquiry.

All that holds: a story of healing.

Stories convey meaning and open us to the deep mystery of compassion. Stories are methodological tools in the aesthetic domain of nursing, paratelic ways of knowing that carry us beyond logic to a higher order of understanding. Through stories we are connected to each other and to ourselves. The purpose of this article is to tell the story of Valerie and her journey into healing through metastatic breast cancer. Holistic nursing as a process is contextually illuminated by creating a story within a story. This is an aesthetic work woven together from Valerie's narrative, an interview with her mother after Valerie's death, and from the author's own impressions. Literary quotations are used to highlight different sections of the story with metaphors that speak to the nature of healing. It is hoped that this story will open the reader to his or her own unique understanding of the meaning of healing.

Healing scents: an overview of clinical aromatherapy for emotional distress.

Individuals in emotional distress are often treated with psychotherapeutic agents, but other treatment options exist. One safe and effective adjunct for the prevention and treatment of emotional distress is aromatherapy. This article describes the physiological effects of scent, reviews the research on aromatherapy, presents practical information on the use of clinical aromatherapy for emotional distress, and suggests resources for additional training and education.

The incidence of deathbed communications and their impact on the dying process.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of deathbed communications (DBCs) during the 30 days before death and their impact on the dying process. A total of 60 hospice chart audits and 75 survey responses by hospice nurses across the United States were analyzed. Chart audits revealed 5 (8.33%) of the 60 included descriptions of DBCs. The survey of 75 hospice nurses identified 363 incidences of DBCs, with an average of 4.8 patient occurrences per nurse per 30 days. In all, 89% of the hospice nurses reported patients who experienced a DBC had a peaceful and calm death, with only 40.5% reporting a peaceful and calm death without the DBC. These DBCs have a positive impact on the dying process but are underreported in patient records and under described in textbooks.

Participatory dreaming: a unitary appreciative inquiry into healing with women abused as children.

Unitary appreciative inquiry was used to explore healing in the lives of 11 women abused as children using a model of participatory dreaming. Aesthetics, imagery, and journaling were used in a participatory design aimed at the appreciation of healing in the lives of the participants as it related to the abuse. Using Cowling's theory of unitary healing, research and practice were combined within a unitary-transformative framework. Participatory dreaming was useful in illuminating the life patterning in the lives of the women and promoted the development of new knowledge and skills that led to change and transformation, both individually and collectively.

Unitary appreciative inquiry: evolution and refinement.

Unitary appreciative inquiry (UAI), developed over the past 20 years, provides an orientation and process for uncovering human wholeness and discovering life patterning in individuals and groups. Refinements and a description of studies using UAI are presented. Assumptions and conceptual underpinnings of the method distinguishing its contributions from other methods are reported. Data generation strategies that capture human wholeness and elucidate life patterning are proposed. Data synopsis as an alternative to analysis is clarified and explicated. Standards that suggest enhancing the legitimacy of knowledge and credibility of research are specified. Potential expansions of UAI offer possibilities for extending epistemologies, aesthetic integration, and theory development.