463 thoughts on “The Value of our Expression in Research”

1. Since coming across Universal Medicine I’d say that my approach to my life has become more scientific. Observing behaviours and the energy behind them, practicing methods learnt in workshops and presentations then observing and reflecting on the results. It’s a brilliant approach to life.

2. I agree with you Ariana,
   Someone’s lived experience can transform a way of life that was deeply entrenched in function to one of knowing that there is so much more than what we have been raised to expect. This is worth studying because how is it that by reflection so much can be changed; so that many lives can be turned 180 degrees on their heads, from being withdrawn and miserable to leading a full and vital life. One day this will be researched because those people will stand out from the rest of society in such a way people will ask their own questions how is this possible and start their own research. It’s already happening in fact.

3. Jen you have raised a valid point, qualitative studies hold just as much value as quantitative studies. We need to study a cohort of people and how they live and ponder why are they so well when they have cancer, or a condition that would hospitalise people…

   Another example, if we researched why people prefer to drive one brand of car then another, you would discover an array of reasons. Sometimes it isn’t affordable for one car to be bought by everyone. And then once you ask about their experiences in driving these cars, you will find a whole load of personal reasons, which adds value for the car to be refined when a new model is manufactured.

   All research needs to have equality as all have its purpose in helping others. We shouldn’t just be relying on one type of research and it having superiority over all others.

4. ‘There is an intrinsic value and importance to our own expressions and experiences that persists even if they are not reflected directly in a research study, that does not make our experiences any less. Our experiences are just that… our experiences and remain valuable to us because they have been our experiences.’ Quite often we are, or our experiences are, dismissed by others if they don’t want to or can’t connect to what has been felt. What do we do in this instance? Do we negate them within ourselves and begin to dismiss them too, do we feel less for having felt what we have felt, or do we honour them in the fact of having felt them despite others’ responses or reactions?

   1. I’ve often found myself becoming distressed when I was reading quantitative research. The statistics, the tables, the wording etc. was painful to understand and why complicate things. Give me a person’s personal experiences anytime…

      1. When I am teaching, the moments where my classes have been the most engaged and present have been when I have shared personal anecdotes that are pertinent to the learning. The same is true for myself. I am always interested in a person’s personal accounts when they are relevant because there is so much learning to be had in the observation and in the new awareness shared.

5. “Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.” As you say in your article, one reason may be is that there is no money in this form of research. Yet I would suggest that many case studies, put together can form a very valuable piece of research, qualitatively. Individual experiences are important, and if many people have similar experiences, then doubly so.

6. To me the value in research is in the outcomes, because if we are changing as a result to improve our wellbeing, health, relationships, sense of purpose, etc, then to me the research is valuable.

7. I totally agree Gill- modern research is all about wanting/needing a specific outcome. However, case studies have no attachment to the outcome. They are simply the lived experience of people which is being expressed openly and honestly.

8. In my opinion, if “Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research”, what a huge pot of gold will be waiting at the bottom of this proverbial barrel for someone if they were wise enough to drain it. The lived experiences of people have the power and the potential to inspire others to explore the opportunities in their lives for change. I am one who has been inspired many times and as a result I have made some amazingly supportive changes to the way I live, and from these changes, the quality of my health and well-being have increased, immeasurably so.

   1. I agree Ingrid. One day, case studies will be looked at and there will be so many that they won’t be able to be ignored. No-one can argue with someone’s lived experience because it is true for them.

   2. I so agree Ingrid. “The lived experiences of people have the power and the potential to inspire others……” What could be more valuable than to inspire others to live a more vibrant healthy lifestyle?

9. Highly prized, research is an apt expression. Are these the ones that have a real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Are these humanitarian or greed based? Personal experiences research allows us to grow, not just our wallets.

10. We cannot underestimate the value of our expression fullstop. Everyone’s expression matters.

11. Do personal experiences only show up on those long pieces of paper in small print that come with some medicines that show the low adverse occurrences to some people?

12. We all have something to offer life from our experiences especially around health so it would be great to collate this as there are so many people that have by changing their life style, improved if not totally turned their health issues around. I know for myself I no longer or very rarely have back pain yet this used to plague my life and now If I do, I know what I need to look at and what changes to make, so I am offering myself my own medicine. This is the way forward with health, the Health Service can no longer cope with the demands we put on it, but I feel as yet the health professionals are too busy fire fighting and trying to fix us to look past the well trodden path and narrow way of looking at things that the scientists offer.

    1. As you say, the health services can no longer cope with the influx of ill patients. Many live in a less than an optimal state of health. Many also turn to google symptoms to try to find alternative ways of supporting them selves. The http://www.unimedliving.com website is a great source of inspiration.

13. Imagine if the quality of our expression were to be researched? Perhaps then we would be tapping into the truth of things and understanding the nature of life.

14. There is something not quite right within current research paradigms if it does not value a person’s individual experience. Everyone’s experience is important to them and if it is not valued, then what is the purpose of research, for would this not be the foundation of much of our research?

15. There is no end to the depth we can go in term of reconnecting back to who we truly are and the richness this brings back into our lives.

16. Our experiences, we are able to feel what is happening around us from our observation when it comes to the simple things like food and health should be a part of how evidence based humanology works. So our vitality and health as we deepen a healthy-life-style can debase the corruption and greed that can be within some of the so-called healthy ways.

17. “Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.” This does seem completely opposing, as to me, what truer evidence is there than that of someone’s lived experience?

18. I am always much more inspired by personal anecdote than any research statistic. It is the interconnection and personal experience with another that impacts me the most.

19. A big push in research is that you are supposed to specify before a trial what you are going to find. There are sound-looking statistical reasons behind this push but on first principles it seems strange that you are supposed to know what the result will be when you engage in a ‘trial’ or do re-‘search’. What kind of research knows the result (even in outline) beforehand?

    1. The practice of stating what you are going to find before doing scientific trials and research is a common and respected practice in the scientific world…

       and to me, this seems a great big elephant in the research room…
       On the most basic level, haven’t we all experienced how we can affect outcomes by how we are thinking and feeling about what we are doing?

       I have found the independent Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto’s body of work to be at the very least worthy of exploring further. Emoto spent many years studying the effects of intent on the formation of water crystals. His body of research depicts photos of water crystals next to the words, prayers and other stimuli they were exposed to while they formed. He has concluded that the energy of human thoughts and emotions have an effect on the molecular structure of water… and that water is a “blueprint for our reality”.

20. Such a refreshing read as ‘research’ as it is currently understood to be has for me come to feel very dry and boring, quite often completely unrelatable. I love what you share about our experience. We are all researchers if you think about it in our everyday lives. Why did I do that? What worked, what didnt, what will happen if… ?
    If we consciously go about this; having curiosity, exploring, and even documenting aspects of our lives then we are naturally also the scientist and our body and our life, the experiment. Personal experience has to have validity particularly when it comes from the place of lessons learned and wisdom garnered. I love to read that kind of research, I learn something.

21. I love to read blogs where people have shared their lived experience, because we all are enriched when a lived truth is presented as it offers us a reflection, or an insight that has the potential to shift something in ourselves.

22. ‘Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.’ Against the prevailing consciousness that the individual doesn’t matter, that we are to put everyone before ourselves, including our systems, it is clear that a person’s experience is deemed less than the evidence-based model that reserves the right to tell that person what that experience is, based on the science it knows and the evidence it can put into a box. That said, how often do we give our power away to those who say they know better than us, even when it comes to our own bodies and experiences not claiming what we know or what feels true?

    1. One of the reasons is that research typically only looks at a few people and much mathematics is used to get the most useful result out of it. With just a small number of case studies it is normally difficult to see trends. There is simply no experience of anybody presenting hundreds or thousands of case studies and then the bottom of the barrel argument may simply look ridiculous.

23. A very good point Gill. We need to keep good records of the miracles we see occurring with the Universal Medicine modalities. Writing our experiences cannot be left to peoples memories and hearsay many years later – as that can then be bastardised. We know how Chinese whispers can work – even in a room of company present at the time…..

24. I have always found it interesting that personal experience, anecdotes and case studies are not really considered to be true ‘research’. Yet academic research misses out so much of the human story. The research consciousness is huge and it would seem you have to join the club – to produce the results the funder wants. Time for a new model?

25. The important word that you have said here is value. How valuable we are, what we observe and what these observations have meant to us. It matters not what anyone else says or does with this. The important thing is that we hold the value of observations and express them as we choose.

26. I totally appreciate what you are saying Jen and from my experience also is that I may be shown some statistics and results from research but that doesn’t convince me that this is what is needed. Any changes that I have decided to make for myself have been based on lived experience either from myself or being inspired by someone that has made true lasting change that has resulted in a more vital, joyful and purposeful life.

    1. What you have shared here Natalie is something that needs to be researched. Especially with the exponential rise of chronic diseases caused by our lifestyle choices. What really does support people to make true change in their life?

27. Originally science was all about people and their observations of the world. There was no control of outcomes in it simply because of the interest and humbleness to understand more about life. It seems to the great deteriment of us all that modern science has lost this natural and open approach

    1. I love what you say about the origins of research being about “all people”. It is certainly not about all people now, even the results are not about all people. So really if it is not for all and it is seen to benefit some and not all, then is it true?

28. The personal narrative of our lived experience offers true answers to research.
    Since making lifestyle changes and exposing hidden hurts, various symptoms in my body and health have changed beyond measure.

29. The less we are connected with our body and ourselves the more we will need to have something from outside of ourselves that tells us what we have to do in certain situations. Yes we need education but this doesn’t mean we have also an inmate knowing of how to apply this learned knowledge in situations and this should never be seen as less than education or research.

30. There is art intimating life and then there are laboratory trials that are held more reliable and valid than case studies capturing lived experience.

31. Our lived experience is a hugely valuable research tool, if we are honest about what it reveals to us.

32. It’s a brilliant blog this that simply exposes the depth of corruption that exists in our society. Easy to see amongst politicians, or in big corporations or any of the other obvious places. But the true evil exists in places like this – where the voice and truth of the individual is shut down and, as you say, our expression is put to the bottom of the barrel.

33. And thus we are all ‘experts’ and all have a voice – rather than the current situation where that voice is limited to a very, very reduced and calculated few. Super inspiring what you share Ariana.

34. “Why is this the case?” Because you can’t control ‘personal experience research’. The purpose of most research is not to find the truth but to make money (by owning the approved medicine) and thus the system will overtly suppress any voice that may offer an alternate reflection. The supremacy of the pharmaceutical companies is very, very potent.

    1. Great pondering Otto. Control is it… in what is accepted as current research and especially around the hierarchy of what is the most valuable research and what is regarded as less valuable. The truth is just because there may not be research done on something does not make it less important. In the control in the ‘hierarchy of research’ this devalues automatically the value of our personal experience. However we do need to ask ourselves what we have allowed? Certain companies/people may have control but what are we handing over to them?

       1. Indeed – if it is just a quick fix we are wanting, then these pharmaceutical companies deliver it to perfection.

35. How important is it to share our personal stories – be it through conversation with others, through writing an article or through expressing through a blog – for all these are mediums to share the changes that we have been empowered to live and hence make a difference in our life. This is a beautiful way of inspiring another anywhere around in the world.

36. Jen you are asking some very pertinent questions here and what is highlighted is clearly the fact that as our world heads more and more towards a more evidence based approach then the case studies which hold enormous power risk getting lost – this is a huge loss to us as a society, as the evidence based and protocol based approaches (though important in certain areas), are not the whole picture and without those personal touches we will fall into the trap of text book treating when in reality no one fits a text book.

    1. This is very true Henrietta. It’s seeing the value of all research on equal footing, everything has a place – no more or less important than another. Working in healthcare I work with people who have diseases and conditions, not diseases and conditions who happen to be people. Because I work with people, they may have the same disease but everyone’s expression of this is different, because of all of the choices they have lived through the whole of their life. There is no double blind study that could ever tell me this, but in engaging with patients and my colleagues, discussing this we see it as clearly as the noses on our faces. This is research and builds everyone’s understanding of the choices we make through life.

37. What you say about the power and value of each case study when its full presentation and expression is allowed is so true. Fascinating what each number on a datasheet might have got to say given a chance.

38. “So, the question I have now is: why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?” Could the answer be that we would then see we do not always need research to know the truth.

39. A person’s lived experience and recordings of their learning in life is a very powerful form of evidence.

    1. One that I would trust over most evidence based medicine – unless that research was done in absolute transparency of who funded it, who carried it out, what was the process, methodology and how was the data interpreted – all of which is extremely variable and complex – thus the power of the simplicity of someone’s lived experience.

    2. Agreed. A person’s lived experience can be seen and felt in their body. This is the ultimate body of evidence.

40. Our lived experience is so valuable as there is so much opportunity for learning and reflection.

41. “….this personal form of exploration or research is as valuable and important as any other form of research.” Absolutely agree with you here Jen. Personal experience that comes from lived evidence simply cannot be ignored or denied. This type of research really does need to be taken seriously.

42. If a company wants to own the cure, then they first own the research.

43. A personal testimony, expressed in full, carries the potential to inspire another.

    1. Spot on Otto – personal stories and ‘word of mouth’ so to speak carry much power in their capacity to inspire another to follow likewise. And in our world where we are not encouraged to really take ownership and responsibility for our health, when someone does step in and take responsibility and make a change in their life, this is an opportunity to share it far and wide to support all.

44. As it is a limited paradigm, its limitations are becoming more obvious. We then have a choice to become more rigid in our approach or to consider that there is more to research than we currently consider research to be.

45. First there is our expression showing the way to be healthier and more joyous. Eventually – and it may be a long time – research may pick up on this but it would be normal if such evidence is ignored for a substantial amount of time.

46. This is very beautiful Ariana for it changes completely what we understand of research and its potential and science. Life become the research and the science and everyone is involved.

47. From reading your blog, it has made me see that there is great value of writing, be it a blog or a diary, as this is a form of qualitative data that is a rich source of content for research.. our life is worth researching and investigating as this brings insight, awareness and ultimately evolution.

48. All that I am today is all based on my experiences in this life but too in former lives as I have learned that life is about re-learning, a regathering of what we have lived before and because of our choice to delve into this life of creation have lost connection with. And actually nothing comes from a textbook from school or any other course I have been to until I met Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine that showed me our true origin and how to claim it back not only for myself but more so to share this by my presence and in my expression.

    1. I have been told many wise and inspiring things in my life, but it is when it becomes a lived experience that the learning can truly be embodied.

       1. Yes, like when we were a little child, not yet influenced by the education system in which we were told that we have to learn by the mind we were merely learning by doing and experiencing the result of it. I always like to refer to for instance learning to walk, ride a bike or a car. Once your body understands how to do it you do not have to think about how to do it, it is our bodies that just know and does it because it is embodied.

49. Case studies do not allow to put someone into a box on in any category, something that the current science loves to do and have there existence based upon. So case studies from that perspective are of the lowest value to them.

    1. It’s such an interesting point this – when I consider my life, the zillions and zillions of choices that I have made, the zillions of movements my body has made and the zillions of foods, drinks, substances or whatever that I have put in my body….there is no other body in the world like mine…it is totally unique…and thus, putting it in a box is always going go crop the full picture.

       1. And by putting the body in any confinement, like in a box, will rob of that natural expression from it. And in the case of the confinement being a box, our movements and expressions will have no other source than this box to source from and will make it all squared angled measured instead of spherical that otherwise would be our source to move and express from.

       2. Brilliant expansion Nico. Thank you.

    2. Case studies and the reflection of another’s personal experience and learning asks us to consider our own choices through life, they ask us to go deeper into ourselves and reflect on why we choose what we do.

       1. We have to go to another level of responsibility, more honest to ourselves, and consider case studies as supplementary to the scientific research we all know is so needed, to also have its foundation in how people are in their daily life.

50. There is still the pull to make lived experiences “scientifically sound” in some way–which is basically an oxymoron as we have yet to find ways to make living (not the biological piece, but everything else) into a true science–it is all theory and conjecture. So, case studies while fantastically real and descriptive, lack the ability to “prove” anything–and we seldom follow them up with more and more case studies until we reach saturation and can begin to create new theory and new conjecture.

    1. That’s a great point. What makes something scientifically sound and who determines this and then again what is science or what have we reduced science? One of the beauty’s I find in case studies – whether they are documented or not – is the personal exploration, especially when there is no investment or self judgment on what is being observed. There is a wonderment in what is being observed and why we make the choices we do. This is the sad thing about the way science is conducted, because there is no wonderment of observations and the revealing of what is underneath. When we each bring this way of science back to ourselves we return to this sense of wonderment.

51. Those of us who want more depth and the reflection of the natural variation between people in research hold qualitative research up as the ‘better’ option. Yet if a participant does not feel it has captured what she shared, there is something in the process that loses the power of the personal story that was delivered.

    1. So we can see then how important every aspect of research is from all the styles of what is currently accepted to case studies and the personal experiences of individual people. All need to be valued equally and used depending on what is needed.

52. A beautiful expression of the value of true research and our lived experiences in life that says everything and one day will be acknowledged more formally than at present even though we all know it already and always have done.

53. I was speaking to a scientist a while back and he openly admitted that the outcome of the research he was doing would determine whether he would get further grants and they kind of needed the further grants so what was determining the outcome; the true outcome or the money?

    1. It is so obvious when you have an eye for it, but when you go for the money to get your ideas to materialise we tend to close our eyes for the obvious that is there for us all to see.

    2. So we need to ask who is the research benefiting? From what you have said we can see how outcomes can be set up based on the need for security.

    3. Unlikely to bite the hand that feeds you.

    4. Some research is funded by specific organisations therefore with a vested interest – is that going to produce true results or those which suit the sponsors interests.

54. Naming what we feel to be true can indeed be a very confirming experience, highlighting that we all have the ability to know truth through our own lived experience.

55. Sometimes the greatest research is simply an expression of what is observed without an end goal or a desire to prove something

    1. Yes, sharing this observation raised awareness for others and indeed has the potential to inspire and initiate great change

56. True research comes from the truth we have lived and experienced and the appreciation of this is yet to be truly acknowledged but with more sharing and accessibility to this it really does offer others the opportunity to
    see and learn for themselves with the reflection and inspiration of others.

57. Each day could be like a mini-case study… if we take a moment to check-in with how we are feeling, what has happened, why certain things have happened, what caused things to happen the way they did… Observation is the first requirement in research… and this is something that we could utilise well in our every day lives. Observe rather than react…

    1. Absolutely Johanne. The more I observe my choices, what is going on for me without reacting then I am much more likely to honestly ask myself why. At that moment there is a clarity that often drops in and I just know the answer, which then supports to make changes.

58. These blog site have such a wealth and depth of wisdom, they have supported me no end to look at different pockets of my life. Lived experiences spoken with authority.

59. And to the rest of the world as well. Very true.

60. A research project usually takes months or even years of preparation and by the time the actual research is done, much of it has been tied down very carefully even in qualitative research and there is little scope for researchers to deal with something unexpected and to pursue it, except in a later project.

    1. That’s an interesting point Christoph. So really research as it is now is a snap shot of something in the past. Something that we could have moved on from already.

61. It is interesting how the quality you expressed in your interview was not captured in the themes of this qualitative research and yet you have a deep knowing of the innate value of your own self care.

62. One day, when energetic awareness is equal to if not more than, scientific validation, there will be such a wealth of material that will clearly show what is true and what is not.

63. Research results seem to depend a lot on who is funding the research. Just this week in the UK there is comment because the Alcohol Aware charity (funded by alcohol companies) is raising awareness with public health departments about alcohol consumption with advice to have a couple of dry days each week. Concern is being raised about the value and the ethics of this form of advertising.

    1. Interesting…of course that is what, if we are still drinking alcohol, we want to hear. We know it’s not good for us to drink alcohol so by seeing a recommendation to cut down our consumption we can agree, whether we comply or not. This also gives us permission to drink alcohol for the other days, in this case 5 out of 7 so we sink back into the comfort of our convenient hiding of the real truth and go on in our now, although possibly provoked, self deception.

    2. This really exposes the word charity and what that means and vested interests involved in research.

    3. We could say then that there is always bias. Something that is often claimed to be eliminated or minimised. But can we really?

64. Very true Gill. And as practitioners write up case studies these too are evidence. Expression – whether as practitioner or client has a wealth of information that is foolish to ignore in the long run. How many old wives tales were ‘evidence based’? Yet their proof is in the longevity and the fact that so many work. And how pharmaceutical companies are trying to copy the ingredients so they can make money out of what are remedies that nature offers for free….

    1. Even writing up our own personal observation of things that we have come to an understanding of; realised; ways of living that are no longer chosen are very valuable studies into life and how we are living.

    2. Are not clinical trials a reduced aspect of a case study where the research is aiming to capture one aspect of someone’s lived experience? But it is valued more because confounding variables are accounted for and the ‘evidence’ used to claim results and outcomes.

65. Jen I love how you describe your personal observations due to the reflections you get from others as research. It is indeed true research as we are offered a possibility and through exploration we can see if this possibility is true for us or not. We are the scientist, the research project and the science all in one.

    1. Carolien, your comment..”We are the scientist, the research project and the science all in one” is the way of the future in science.

66. Research is a great tool to present the facts and reality of what’s going on in any industry or area, and as you’ve shared it’s definitely worth exploring to support our work, writing etc.

    1. It certainly is a great tool and acts as a voice of many. If we were all to see ourselves as research projects – experimenting each day with how we live – then there would be a great many case studies to inspire others.

67. Observation without bias or judgement of what is happening to us or around us can offer great insight into the quality of energy that is flowing through life and us.

68. I love how confirming you are of the intimacy of our personal experiences and how they, by their very nature, do not need to be seen or heard by anyone else – something happens and we experienced it therefore it is true.

    1. beautiful Shami and I love how you describe it as an intimacy as this is exactly what it is, an intimate relationship with ourselves that honors what we feel and hold our own truth as such.

69. “…. why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?” A great question, especially when all put together many of these blogs are case studies and combined offer a way back to true health and healing. But there is no money here for BIg Pharma – who sponsor most research these days….

    1. Research in many ways is the systematic collection of highly selected parts of case studies where a small area is intensely investigated for many people at once. The problem is that individual variation is then considered more of a nuisance rather than a feature to be explored.

70. There is a realness and beauty in listening to personal experiences that any number of research statistics cannot offer in the same way as makes life about people first with lived experiences that can be felt at a deeper level of understanding from within.

    1. well expressed Tricia, it is much more real and therefor truly inspiring to listen to what person has actually lived.

71. I know for myself that when I am reading a research article I love reading anecdotal evidence as it brings the whole thing to life in a very engaging way.

    1. It brings life to the numbers that allow us to feel rather than see just raw data.

    2. I agree – reading about someone’s life lightens up research articles – which can feel a bit dry and full of maybe questionable statistics.

72. This is an important exploration of our relationship with research; our obsession with a certain type of academic research and the dismissal of anecdotal and personal experience… a further exposure of our attempt to live as walking heads rather than whole bodies, when it is our bodies that are such brilliant sign posts and reflect back the impact of our choices.

73. For years and years we have had people in religious institutions suppressing the inherent relationship with God and religion every single person has so that a select few could prop themselves up as the guardian of everything to do with religion and the necessary intermediary between the common folk and God.

    I am noticing the same with science. Instead of reminding everyone that we all have an inherent relationship with the intelligence of the Universe and access to great wisdom via our connection with our Soul, and teaching them how to access this as Serge Benhayon does, we have many who want to secure a place for themselves by defining some arbitrary accepted parameters for science which disallows anyone else’s input and contribution.

    1. We are all sons and daughters of God. Do some of today’s Scientists, believe they are Greek gods and can do as they please?

74. There are many periods or cycles during our life that actually become our very own case study as we progress through stages of our life, taking the time to observe, reflect and learn from our selves and our interactions in life. We get that ‘A-ha’ moment, the understanding and those rich insightful realisations about ourselves… Our whole life and the experiences we have can be a collection of many case studies or equally one giant case study…

75. It’s funny to me how much case studies are not as valued as other ‘evidence -based’ scientific peer-reviewed experimental studies, when I feel most people would agree that the super scientific ones are very much more difficult to relate to and so complex that they are hard to understand. Whereas case studies are so straight forward and relatable to people as they describe situations and events that tend to happen in all of our lives, and thus can be so much more of an inspiration to change our lives in a positive way.

    1. It is precisely because it can be so hard to understand that the evidence based work is preferred by those that champion them above case studies. It allows them to feel ‘better’ in their perceived ownership of the knowledge.

       1. And as has been discovered recently some of the statistics are questionable – depending on who funds the evidence-based research.

    2. I totally agree Michael. When evidence comes straight from someones lived experience, how can this be denied? And whatsmore, it makes it much more relateable to others.

76. It’s fabulous to hear that if reflected on, a qualitative interview can powerfully support our self-awareness and growth as a health professional (and person). A lot of the focus in research seems to be on the research and its outcomes but this should be a win-win situation for both parties.

77. We are all researchers with so much to share – if we just see that what we each feel is valuable we will understand the fact that we should never hold back.

    1. Brilliant Jospeh, I love what you’ve shared and I absolutely agree and we all hold a wealth of wisdom that we can access and share.

    2. Yes, Observation is the first ingredient of any researcher, so when we observe life, we are indeed natural researchers with valuable material that brings great understanding.

78. Re-reading this blog it occurs to me that for thousands of years people must have exchanged accounts about their own lives and experiences with one another and that this would have steered what worked and what did not. So this you could say is our oldest and most well known form of research.

    1. Transparency, honesty and expression… the way forward for research inspired by some lived wisdom past.

79. True research is based on the lived experience of others and any changes they have felt for themselves in their bodies as a result of whatever they have chosen to alter in their lives.

    1. Unless it is lived we offer nothing less than what we want others to hear. Live it and walk it!

80. The power and insight of our own lived experience cannot be denied as it gives rise to a realness and knowing from within that all can relate to as it is felt and not just facts and numbers.

81. Our lived experience can confirm that we are indeed a living science that can be observed and learnt from.

82. When I have a hurt in my body for example and I am open to accept the hurt as it is and trust that it will let me feel what is the reason that i have that hurt by embracing my body in a loving and inviting way many times the tears come up. There can be held so much old hurt in the body and I saw so much release from my body which made many pains disappear.
    This showed me how true healing works. I do not need scientific proof for that, the proof is already here in my body.

83. Being willing to explore and challenge the way we are living and experiment with other ways is a responsibility of finding what works for you and your body. This is the marker of truth as it is lived and felt in our own bodies.

84. ‘So, the question I have now is: why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?’ even understanding why we have the experiences we do would advance our learning and collective understanding of life to the service of everyone.

85. It is ironic that we live in a world where there is a powerful lobby (the media) dishing out gossip about people, twisted facts to suit agendas and personal opinion, all as ‘fact’ and ‘news’, and we also have a powerful lobby (section of science/medicine/research) selling the belief that real life accounts of people who are sharing their own personal experience should not be valid as fact. Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?

86. There is huge value in qualitative research, even if it appears not to be taken very seriously at the moment. One day this will be recognised, and we will have all the evidence ready and waiting.

    EM for AM

87. Most people love hearing about others lived experiences so it makes sense that this sort of research is used to educate.

    1. Very true Elizabeth. This is what most of us can relate to. Much more interested, informative and inspiring that reading facts on a page.

88. What I get from this blog is that even participating in research deepens our understanding of life.

    1. When we set the intention to find out more through observation the more we open ourselves up to being more aware.

89. The detail of how you described your self-care discoveries seems to have been diluted down in the larger qualitative research, so it does show how resourceful and valuable the detail is in case studies

    1. Whilst it is important to look at the broader common themes that a group of people share or even reach a place where statistical evidence is able to be shown, each individual story is also important as you say Jo “how resourceful and valuable the detail is”. The words here that stand out are valuable and detail. The detail of things matters a great deal and does hold great value when it comes to inspiring others. When we hold this for ourselves, then others can’t help but feel that.

90. There is nothing more powerful than someone talking about their own experiences on any subject, they have lived it and are usually quite passionate about it, because they have felt it in their bodies. Case studies are simply recording those stories.

91. A lot of people write research off as something they’re ‘terrible at’ but what if we could bring something incredible to a field such as this, through something as simple as expressing on an issue we care about, writing, investigating a particular topic or sharing our lived experience?

    1. Yep making it about love, care and people and breaking down and debasing the boxes we like or ‘need’ to tick or fit into. Like why would we want to squash something in a box that is ultimately part of the Universe ✨Gosh we really do have so much to learn and be aware of.

    2. When people get together as a group to discuss something it is often obvious how each person has through their own lived experience a particular flavour and insight to contribute, and how each expression when made in love, without a need for recognition but simply offered for the expansion of the All, it is so very valuable. It makes great sense that this would be the same in the bigger scale. Every input counts and matters.

92. Our research of documenting our stories will be found by those open to reading them and this will be the future of the kind of research that will serve humanity.

93. “… I would say they (case studies) have been much more important.” I agree Jen… we have all had experiences where someone sharing their experience has had a profound effect on us, often from that moment onwards. The power and truth that comes from lived experience cannot be denied.

    1. So very true Paula. There are many people who have amazing things to share that can stop you in your tracks and inspire you to re-assess and refine an aspect of your life. I have noticed that the students of Universal Medicine have started blog sites (such as this) and charities that offer affordable or free workshops to offer such inspiration more widely. How amazing it would be if the various publications embraced similar care and responsibility toward people.

    2. I agree with you Paula, the reason this is so powerful is because what we share is reflected in our body through our lived experience.

94. It’s interesting how we are allowed to stretch the truth of research findings. Saying a majority of people or 9 out of 10 have found X was helpful to them with no side effects. Where is the validity, if the sample size was 10?

95. Our lived experiences are what they are, lived. They may have a common thread that runs through them, but they are all, one of a kind observations. How much research, cherry picks from us, what they what to prove and support what they are telling us is true?

96. It is worthwhile asking “what is the purpose of research?”. Is it for a few people to act as if they ‘discovered’ and ‘own’ the information and for this to be circulated among invested parties, or is it instead to support everyone deepen their awareness and understanding?
    The answer to this question has a huge part to play in whether we stick to just quantitative research or whether we embrace the immense supportive and empowering value qualitative studies provide.

97. It may take a while Jennifer before what is clear and obvious to you will be heard and used.

98. ‘These same scientists can look with scorn on so-called ‘subjective’ research, in denial of the fact that all research has subjectivity at its heart’ – for too long we have handed over our responsibility and lives to ‘Gods’ in our lives – those who seemingly have all the knowledge and power – when we connect to the one true God we are also claiming our own power and equality with a God who knows no bias.

99. Case studies are a wealth of experiences that can be shared for the wider public for all to be inspired by. Each person has an experience to share, each person is a walking scientific experiment with much for us all to learn from.

    1. There is loads of information on any topic especially now with the advent of the internet. But there is nothing as inspiring and as directly applicable as hearing others sharing their practical real life stories.

100. Our experiences are our experiences and nothing can change this or take it away. Others can deem things to be a certain way because of number or statistics, but in the end the experience itself is what we take home.

101. Case studies are so interesting, as it offers a first hand experience of a situation which, as the reader, you are enriched with awareness, insight, understanding and are able to relate the scenario of the shared experience to yourself, like how would this or does this affect me? what would or how would I respond in the same situation…They are great learning tools.

102. Yes, agree…”every person is living science in it self,…: and this makes case studies very interesting and valuable data.

103. “So, the question I have now is: why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?” Perhaps another reason is that we do not value ourselves therefore don’t value our own lived experience enough and this translates into the research world.

     1. Interesting point you raise. When we value ourselves, our body and the signals it gives, then we would know what is needed. We would not need outside sources with heaps of numbers as proof for what was already with us in the first place. The wisdom is within. Let’s give that some more credit!

     2. very true Elizabeth and this varies. I speak to some people who are very clear about their experience and what they know of their body and yet some not only doubt but they hand everything over to another ‘authority’ because ‘they know best’. In terms of medicine say for example I have seen excellent doctors who know what the evidence says but then listen to their patients and work with them and their experience. This is amazing to watch.

104. “Our experiences are just that… our experiences remain valuable to us because they have been our experiences.” How very true. And because they have been our experiences, they cannot be denied, even if or when someone else does not want to believe them.

105. I love reading case studies because I get to feel the person and it actually means something to me, as opposed to reading a statistic which is de=personalised.

     1. It’s the same for me too Fiona. There is something about reading a personal account that is quite different than ‘straight’ research. I understand that their focus is about removing any potential bias, but in the process they remove what is inspirational that may invite change into our own lives.

        1. I for one love facts and figure and that is what the ‘straight’ research seems to be good at. But I feel the importance of such information needs to be seen in its right context, as a starting point of a conversation. Because it all becomes truly significant when it is applied to life. And nothing is as potent in offering inspiration and learning as a real life example of another exploring and expanding their life.

106. Today we have much anecdotal information on anything, which we can tap into on the WEB. We can check prescribed drugs side effects, product reliability or the best hotel to book.

     1. Yes and we would be fools not to take that information into account before parting with our cash.

107. Our lived experiences are energetic imprints that can be revisited at any time to feel the quality of our connection to our innermost or not.

108. I know that I respond much more to personal and anecdotal types of research – to hear about what has actually happened for other people – and this is why we need to bring case studies and lived experiences onto the same value footing as other types of research.

     1. One form of research is lived experiences; the other is condensing life into numbers!

     2. Many people do. This is both very useful and can be misused as stories can be taken out of context, exaggerated or simply made up. On the other hand, a large number of true case studies does carry weight.

109. These blogs on this site and many more that are on the internet, do show another way of life, one that is deeply supportive and healing and it is simple and clear that this has come about through choices. And they do not cost a thing, free, self empowering to choices to make changes, be honest and respond and build a relationships with the body.

     1. So what we are seeing is a collection of writings and sharing of personal experiences; personal research projects based on personal observations of the writers body. In years to come these writings will be referred to by many to support as people start to learn to listen and honour their bodies. These very relatable writings will inspire as they speak from personal experience and the imperfections of travelling through life.

110. Case studies do inspire others to have a look at their own lives and to start asking questions about the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ and can bring a true change because of this element of connection by sharing personal experiences. Do we want this change?

111. Nobody can deny the veritable fact of documenting [research] bodily and wellness changes as a result of introducing and deepening a more self-loving lifestyle. To deny this as not being research is to deny the fact that the sun rises.

112. Yes, there is enormous value as a personal expression in research as it can bring a wealth of understanding to shared experiences that can continue to keep on bringing understanding as it is shared and discussed further.

113. It is interesting how case studies offer the whole of a person’s experience and looks for themes within it. Whilst the nature of more quantitative research often reduces aspects of a person’s experience into one variable that can be measured so confounding variables are eliminated.

     1. True Jennym. It comes back to what is the purpose of the research? Is it offering something for people as a whole, a true benefit, even something that is healing for people or is it something that is simply going through the motions. In healthcare for example there is so much research going on, with a vast array of journals that is it impossible to keep current. But because of the amount it can be challenging to look at what is of true benefit.

114. Thanks to Serge Benhayon I have been inspired to understand the importance of our expression and our own personal experiences. To be able to share and appreciate the choices I make and the impact that this has on my life is such a healing in itself.

115. “Our experiences are just that… our experiences and remain valuable to us because they have been our experiences.” Big research can be very bullying and setting the standard because of the amount of people who showed a certain thing but what if the majority is not your experience? Does this mean what you are feeling is not true? That does not make sense. It is very good to always see that our experiences are important and that there can be much value in sharing them even if you the only person experiencing something.

116. There has been a push for favouring quantitative research over qualitative ones and in fact some say it ought to be the only type allowed. It uses data from loads of sources and measures one specific factor while (at least giving the impression of) eliminating the possibility of any other factor affecting the results. The aim here is to find the range in which the greatest number of whatever is measured falls and then that is taken to be the natural pattern in that particular relationship.
     But – and this is a BIG but – what happens to those readings that are vastly different? Should they just be ignored? or could they provide invaluable understanding of a relationship with some factors we have as yet failed to comprehend?

     It is so very short sighted to limit ourselves to just quantitative research. A whole wealth of information and insight will remain untapped.

117. When we use research to confirm our particular bias, we end up with a form of control. This reduction of the whole may only represent a part of the truth and not one whole unified truth and can only leave us living in a similar reduced way.

118. Evidence based research wants control yet the population want this. There is supply and demand because of the unwillingness to take responsibility for our lives. I was once mocked at and told that evidence based research knows more than me because I questioned whether it was true or not. For as long as we keep looking outside ourselves for answers then we will keep on being told facts rather than be encouraged to seek and discern what is actually true for us and that ‘should’ include being presented with case studies and personal experiences.

119. This is a beautiful inspiration on the benefits of sharing our own personal journeys in our health and well being case studies for others to read and learn from and be inspired by offering a true set of accounts of what we go through and ways we have found and lived with and feel and is very real and powerful .

120. We are so used to answering ‘fine’ when asked how we are it can be very refreshing to be asked in depth and truly listened to when we go into everything that is going on for us and to appreciate how far we have come in adjusting our lifestyle and the amazing effect it has on our health.

121. Reading this again today got me to wonder whether the lived experience of others in the healing of various health conditions is often dismissed by researchers as they have a vested interest in getting to the answer themselves, for their own glory. By acknowledging that some have healed their conditions by the way they are living and the choices they have made does not fit into the researchers model of how it should be; they want to be recognised for finding the answer not having someone else find it for them.

122. “Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.” this does astound me in many ways but I guess in others not so, the fact is our real-life experiences should be key and should be what is deeply listened to. Yet what we see time and time again is throughout our lives we tend to lie and not tell the truth about many things so could this be why our real-life experiences are not counted because they are not always known to be true? But what if even with that filter it is far greater to have real life examples than it is pure numbers as we get to feel and see exactly how any of us are with a given situation?

     1. In our early life we live a magical and colourful experience, but how is it customary to chart our growth? With a pencil line on the wall once a year!

     2. I certainly feel that there is much more learning in the sharing of real and lived experiences rather than stats that have often been filtered through the bias of the research funder.

123. I was speaking to an academic the other day who was very reassuring that we need all forms of research, qualitative and quantitative, case studies and real life experiences to complete a full picture, otherwise the research can be altered to suit the researcher.

124. When you say something shocking that is true, even if it is exactly what the researcher is looking for, it will take them some time to assimilate. Then again, there is also the research where the scientist is looking to confirm their opinion and has difficulty hearing other views.

     1. And instead of calling the latter Corruption, we have termed it ‘selection bias’… Nice name for a horrid behaviour.

        1. I searched for ‘Bad’ in a thesaurus. There are just over 100 words that express the same word. Do we choose other words, to be nice or to misdirect?

     2. So true Christoph. True research needs to be conducted with a very open heart, mind and finely tuned ears so that all the feedback can be properly assimilated without the researcher’s agenda muffling the feedback.

     3. I could feel exactly that Jane in reading the final research. From having an amazing connection with the researcher, who was very open and genuinely interested. What was presented in the final publication felt very capped and “this is how we do it”.

125. “why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?” . . . perhaps it is because it does not fit in our own agenda of ‘comfort at all cost’ or the agenda of the status quo as there is money to be made from sick people and having people taking responsibility for their own health is not a big money spinner. There is more money in pharmaceutical drugs, incontinence pads and insulin than in lifestyle changes and getting to the energetic root cause of all our problems.

126. How can we dismiss and convert a lived experience into a number that is then compared to another number, as being more or less?

127. Once we start to pay attention to what our body is presenting it can be the opening of the can of worms we have refused to open and offers us more to look at and clear.

     1. The only way I have managed to nominate hurts or issues has been by paying attention to my body first. I am incredibly grateful that my body doesn’t lie and shows me what there is I have to look at. Once I have an indication from my body what kind of thing I need to pay attention to – accepting/letting go, needing to go deeper in nurturing, etc., I can then get to the root of the thing..

128. I can’t help but feel that if we have a scenario with research which does not value our expression, then this must also exist in our wider way of life. Yes, it absolutely right to challenge research for its blinkered and shallow perspective however if we have previously accepted it in research, then we also need to look everywhere else.

129. In the end it is our own body that can confirm the truth of anything, therefore it is our body we need to listen to more than anything.

130. Our expression in research starts as a magnificent painting filled with colour and action, and in the end, is condensed into a monochrome line!

     1. That is a good analogy.

131. We cannot deny our own experience. Any research project would do well to listen to first hand experiences in order to get true and honest results for their investigations.

132. Could it be that the truth fell on deaf ears but when they are ready the truth will ring through their layers of resistance?

     1. Even the deaf bell-ringer can still feel the vibration!

        1. This is deftly portraying that we all feel Steve.

133. Reading this article again and considering how invaluable every person’s expression is in research, I started reflecting on how we could make a point of paying more attention to observing, understanding and deepening our awareness, as well as sharing our insights and inspiration with others. We are a living expression of an every day living exploration and organic research with its accompanied deepening of understanding and awareness. We do not have to wait for a formal research paper.

     1. I agree Golnaz. In a meeting I attended today it was clear to see and feel how we can very much lose sight of the bigger picture AND what is actually happening on the ground, we forget to keep it real, and do not want to hear people’s voices or what they are experiencing in research. The reductionist formula we have for research needs to be expanded by making it about love. The winner in this is making it about love.

134. Whether we are the participant or the researcher, there is so much to be learnt in the process of qualitative research. When questions are asked that we may not have previously considered or just taken for granted, we can find a new depth as we express as participant, and as the researcher, we are made much more aware of the value of that expression.

135. Unfortunately the research industry has been so caught up in eliminating so called variability and narrowing things down into small measurable parts that it has been dehumanised and complicated to the point of almost becoming irrelevant to every day life.

     1. Yep I agree, currently research is about stats not truly about people. It is actually reductionism and puts people or things into boxes which does not allow us to look at or get to see the whole and true picture.

        1. Mark Twain said; “There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies, and statistics”. This supports; figures lie, and liars figure. Things have not changed a lot in the last 100 years.

        2. We have allowed this because in every facet of life we have made it all about the system rather than the people the system is supposed to serve. We so little value our worth that we would rather everything look like it is functioning, but dig a little deeper under the surface and we can see that those operating the system and those in it, are broken by it because we have put ourselves second.

     2. Like what you are sharing here Jane about research itself being biased towards getting a positive result or so called success because that it what brings fame, publication and fortune, when we could easily learn just as much possibly more from the research that does not get a so called positive result or success. I read an article recently exposing how even the publication process and scientific journals are corrupt and are biased in their selection of which articles to publish, which then in turn influences what the scientists choose to study or not study and what results they choose to submit. The whole thing is geared towards what will get published rather than what will truly benefit humanity. So there is corruption on many levels in this industry.

     3. So true and your last five words jump out me Andrew – it’s possible that we are hiding in such research which means we do not have simple discussion regarding everyday life.

     4. Unfortunately yes, the narrowing down or reducing of the many many variables at play that affect a topic makes the end result incompatible to the everyday life… how can you only focus in on a few variables when a topic is affected by everything – many forces from many many angles… We don’t live in life being isolated from energy.

136. Personal experiences cannot be owned or patented, just shared and in the sharing, inspire others to learn how to observe our selves. When we master the art of Observation, the whole of life turns into one gigantic scientific experiment, with the nature of our choices at the core of it.

     1. You are touching on something important here Rowena which shows that research in general has become more about making money and self gain through patents and ownership of information and products rather than supporting humanity to evolve as a species. This is one reason I feel why anecdotal evidence is attacked and devalued so much in the research community, because it is the invaluable personal experiences that collectively tell a story about where humanity is at and where it is heading so that we can all learn and grow. They cannot be owned as you say or patented and therefore cannot be profited from, so those who only have the intention of profiting from or owning information, will never value them, even though they are our most valuable research resource.

        1. Have you ever had a prescription that had one of those origami instruction/warning sheets with print so small you can’t read? It is one of those required notices that doesn’t specify the size! Is research the same in it is only looking for results and not the information of how this information was gathered?

137. The power of case studies is in their relatability and the reflection and inspiration that they potentially offer to others.

138. Are our case studies like cave paintings? Are they not our expression on how we have lived in the past?

     1. Would not that depend on how wet the paint is? And what coloured glasses we are wearing?

139. Perhaps what you said was too radical and too strong to publish at the moment as it actually works?

140. It is great to reflect on our lives and how the way we have lived affects our health now and every day

141. When I value my experience that’s when I can feel what my next lessons are. If I don’t feel and value my experience I keep on repeating what isn’t working.

     1. That’s such a great point Karin- when we don’t validate or accept what our body is trying to say to us, and we ignore it , the experience will keep on repeating until we stop and become aware of the message.

142. There is something very compelling about reading case studies, particularly when the subject begins to report positive changes due to changing the way they care for them selves, it can be quite infectious.

143. Personal testimonies of what is and what’s not working are indeed valuable. Let’s face it so much of what we are told does not work long term.

     1. Why is it that when we have lived and experienced something that was not successful and attempt to express this to another, that free will creeps in and they try it anyway? Are there some things that have to be a lived experience, to be learned?

        1. In some cultures learning from the elders is still more highly valued than our own and here much more is learnt through the lived wisdom of others. Much can be learnt from this. If we were further lead by such wisdom instead of the arrogance of those who have the education and qualifications to believe they are right, we may start to arrest some of the repeated ill behaviour of our times.

144. Great blog asking great questions that need to be raised as we are otherwise allowing medical research or research in general to continue to be measured and controlled in the way has been. The thing is that we have corrupted the true meaning of evidence to be that which can be proven by means that are restricted by certain controlled guidelines. Therefore, if the authentication of evidence is measured, how can research offer us a reflection of truth? Our expression, including the quality of beingness in our bodies, offers firsthand experience of the quality of life being lived, as such offers us unadulterated evidence of what is in fact true. Our bodies cannot lie about the quality that it lives and the more we are open to hearing this truth, from not just one but many, the closer we will move to being able to learn and address the root causes of illness and disease as a humanity.

     1. I love what you have shared here Carola. Measuring research measures us and our experiences. It removes a part of something from the whole of something to put it under the microscope. But if it were not for the whole, the part would not be the same or possibly even exist. For me the whole shows the richness and perspective where the part provides the detail and the information (albeit important information).

145. Case studies and personal accounts can be deeply inspiring… they in fact offer others a point to aspire to, something to relate to, or something to change within themselves. The power of it can’t be underestimated.

     1. Yes, they are relatable – if that person could do it, perhaps I can as well?

        1. Yes, this is a way that we inspire and pull each other up, to expand evolution

        2. The fact that we see someone else make inspiring choices and we say, yes I can do that too, is way more powerful than reading research results in their current form… they often say very little and don’t offer inspiration to change.

146. ‘Well, one reason could be that there is no money in this form of research, but what stands out even more is the power held within each case study.’ could it be that there is no money as it cannot be shaped to suit those making the investment?

147. We even need training to be able to work out if the research is valid or not. One would think that this would be very obvious. But the publication of research has become so complicated that it’s only reserved for those who understand it.

     1. The pinnacle of higher education is to have something you gleaned that builds on a what if hypothesis and can build on expanding someone else’s published work. That may not ever be read except to use as a reference in another unread tome! Where is the lived life in these manuscripts? Except for the story of the effort to create it!

148. Serge Benhayon has been presenting ‘The body is the marker of all Truth’ – perhaps the reason why cases studies are looked upon as the lowest form of research is because if every choice we make is presented in the body then we would have to be accountable for our choices and that for most is too confronting?

     1. Recognising that ‘the body is the marker of all truth’ makes you realise the real value of case studies.

149. It is true that our true expression has value whether it is used or agreed with, we have experiences, understandings and knowings that shared offer something to humanity and also our own evolvement in life.

150. How can we fit our body that speaks the truth into; strongly agrees, agrees, no comment, disagrees or strongly disagrees?

     1. It’s impossible Steve, those surveys leave no room for any true expression.

     2. It’s interesting isn’t it. It’s the same with personality tests and psychometric profiling. You are asked to pick the answer which is closest to represent you on which judgements are made however this is not your expression in the first place, it is imposed.

151. People cannot be reduced to numbers as in a statistical survey – we all know numbers can be manipulated to show whatever is the desired result but case studies do not lie. They may be hard to analyse and fit into a numerical format, but the sheer quantity of results with the number of of people changing their lives and dramatically changing their health, cannot be ignored.

     1. Agreed Carmel but also we have to look at what is going on for us to need to do the research in this way in the first place, it’s like we want to know what is happening for a majority – something that is indeed important. But in that do we not miss out on the individual experience to get the really rich story.

152. Life is all about our livingness, the way we relate to and from our bodies day to day in this world, reading the various blogs that have been written has been for me a source of inspiration, deeper understanding of myself and others, offering the possibility of so much healing, these stories are alive with the energy of the true livingness.

153. By giving a voice to the body, we also give a voice to truth.

     1. Yes indeed Alexis. No room for error or arguments there. Would that be a problem…?

        1. Only for those who are choosing not to hear.

        2. Hmmm true.. would probably then have to work out a way to measure or limit the degree in which that truth is given a voice or credibility.

154. Case studies certainly have the ability to “… inspire others to look at themselves and their lives and to ask deeper questions about themselves…”

     1. They do, people’s experiences that are lived and understood from a deepening relationship with their bodies have great value.

155. Awesome to expose the truth of research and how it is not truly representing for all of us. I love what you write here Jen. Could we do a research (case) study on research? We have a case study in its basic form here — Is this actually the future of research right here and how it needs to be so we actually truly makes changes? … It does not cost much but some dedication and commitment and we may save billions of dollars.

156. Great question, Jane…where has research truly got us as it stands today, the pinnacle of human advancement of knowledge, but worth nothing if it does not include the expansion of awareness about what truly matters in life.

157. “invited me to ask deeper questions on life, to reflect more deeply on my relationships, on the meaning of medicine, health and wellbeing and on the person that I am” – We should make the time to do things that inspire us to ask these questions and review our lives.

158. Absolutely, Jane. Those that are doing the research are proposing that it is for the greater good. If it really were, then surely after the billions spent on it in monetary terms and simple man-hours invested, then we would have begun to see shifts in the health, well-being and vitality of society. Since we appear to be going backwards in this sense then surely it exposes the fact that there is something very centric happening in the academic field that is not all for the greater good, but for (dare I say it), a self-serving agenda?

159. When we are presented with a case study of what is lived we get to feel it in one way or another. We are inspired or not whichever the case may be. This is very powerful as what is being presented we know we also have the potential to live. Could this be the reason as to why we resist case studies and stick to that which feels comfortable?!

160. This is a perfectly valid question to ask…’ why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?’ It doesn’t make sense not to. Yet, I suppose it comes down to researchers not actually being open to getting results that they are not looking for, and the financial implications when they don’t get the answers they were seeking. It’s a flawed system!

161. I am inspired to share more of me and my experiences in life as it is through our lived experiences that we truly find interesting and want to hear more about as opposed to research that has either been proved in a lab or come to the fore through the mind of another.

     1. There is research that builds off of other works on the same topic to look at the subject from a different angle that can validate or debunk the original. Whereas other studies start with a premise and endeavour to find information that supports what we want it to be! So, are there two types of research: one expands and the other contracts?

162. Research is fascinating, a subject I had little interest in until meeting Universal Medicine actually, but its teachings and presentations on the laws of science have instigated a huge change in my understanding of this aspect of life. Everyone has something worthwhile to contribute to our research studies, as intentionally or not, everyone’s experiences reveal something new about who we are and the affects of our choices in life.

163. Even those studies which do not account for the expression of people’s opinions, feelings and experiences are an expression. The question is what are they expressing? Is it possible they are expressing a dismissal of part of our nature, trying to diminish all that we are and marginalise our true expression as something that is just humoured in research rather than deeply valued as it should be?

     1. Superb question Michael. Why are our current scientific trends snubbing our most valuable source of information, the expression of our experience? It doesn’t make sense to carry out research on animals who can’t talk and then to dismiss the evidence from beings who can.

164. All types of research can be bent like a river. When we look at anything in isolation, we can present what we want the results to show. What if you presented findings from only the strongly agree or disagree group?

165. We have an opportunity to ensure our experiences are held and counted as true, not only through ‘scientific research’ and publications but through sharing our experiences directly with the world. Yet the more we can bring this into publications the greater our experiences will remain and not get lost.

166. Yes, it is interesting how much ‘kudos’ we tend to give research, but what you share shows us that it is ultimately our own body that is the perfect body of evidence for what is or is not needed for us individually. Research is not a ‘one size fits all’ result.

167. There is a growing trend of including user reviews about products on websites, and many people refer to them when looking to make a purchase. This shows that the public are interested in hearing about other people’s personal experiences and consider them useful. It is silly to withhold information just because a handful of scientists want to maintain how they control the way we access information.

168. Maybe there will come a time when the scientific world places more value on our experience than quantitative research as when we tune into our bodies, we have such a wealth of information to share.

169. Jen, you are spot on, cases studies are powerful in their capacity to inspire another as it comes from a lived experience (from the body) and not from knowledge based information drawing a conclusion for others to attempt to live by even if this does not suit their body.

170. “Our experiences are just that… our experiences and remain valuable to us because they have been our experiences.” – not matter what the outcome, it is the quality of the experience that ultimately stays with us.

     1. It is only through our experiences that everything is known.

171. I agree Richard and therein lies the development of lived wisdom which becomes a true learning resource for all.

     1. It is only by living something that we know it to be true.

172. I have listened to and heard others share so many times how in interviews etc something important they have shared has been completely cut out in an editing process. We have to ask ourselves why do we not want to hear the truth and so willing to just completely discard this only wanting to hear what ‘we want’ to hear.

173. If you know how to deal with the crisis in nursing it becomes a question of how to show that understanding to others and there are lots of avenues – research, role model, training, both small scale and large scale, writing a book, making submissions to parliament etc.

174. The recognition of research is well known and valued but the importance and absolute gold offered from peoples lived lives and experiences is second to none in the depth of understanding and aliveness this offers with our true values being expressed.

175. This is an awesome article, and I really enjoy reading it because it does not contain the mental justifications of an intellect that supposes supremacy over the delicate value of experience led wisdom.

     1. ‘The delicate value of experience led wisdom’ I love how you have defined someone’s experience. In the uniqueness of the personal relationship someone has with what they experience we can indeed say it has a delicate value and as such it needs to be honoured. The fact it has been experienced at all supports with deepening one’s wisdom as they understand more about life.

176. Richard, the same with me. It’s that shared experiences that I feel most of us can connect to with great ease and it is these shared experiences that will empower others to feel inspired and make changes in their own lives.

177. Yes indeed, Jen. This is the true evolutionary potential of research – “when we share ourselves in such a way it can inspire others to look at themselves and their lives and to ask deeper questions about themselves.”

     1. I love the essence of this. At the end of the day “inspiring others to look at themselves and their lives and to ask deeper questions about themselves” is what truly counts, and most published research as far as I am concerned fail abysmally in this area.

178. The question we need to ask is what is the purpose of a research study? In your case it certainly was not to share an inspiring account of the benefits of self care as a nurse working in palliative care. Case studies can have a clear purpose to inform, share and inspire in order to transform the prevailing way of medicine and medical services. I have just read one such case study by the King’s Fund “The Montefiore Health System in New York: a case study’. I invite you all to read this as an example of what is possible.
     https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/montefiore-health-system-summary

179. Some research looks for the top of the bell curve and discards the magic that can lay at the extreme ends!

180. “As I read the research article there was very little, if at all anything on what I had expressed…” To me, this highlights how research tends to be governed by the intention of the author, and shows how case studies are perhaps more valuable and insightful than currently considered.

     1. That is quite common – if the researcher would have realised what you said it would have meant a complete revamping of their research.

181. Research is great because it asks questions about you and your life that perhaps you hadn’t thought about. The sad thing about some research is when they take out ‘anomalies’ when they might be the crucial piece. Many of us are bucking the trend with lifestyle choices that leave us feeling joy-full and vital, but that is not ‘normal’ as there are not yet enough people living that, so that way of living can be dismissed. Critical mass is approaching though as more and more doctors accept that lifestyle causes many of our modern day diseases.

182. No one can tell me that my life and what I have experienced doesn’t count. And the fact that there are those that try, means i’m doing something right.

183. The patients who come to see me for complementary treatments are their own living research by sharing their story and offering their body to be sensed. Complemented by the medical diagnosis and treatment they bring all it takes to facilitate what needs to be done.

184. Truth should never be held back and what you have shared Jen, is gold and gives us a deeper understanding of how we can bring something different but if it does not fit the so called normal parameters then lets not rock the boat. But when a system is on its knees so to speak one wonders why a different approach to self-care is not given any consideration?

185. It seems that we are very quick at giving our power away, and could relying on research to tell us what is ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ be one of the many ways we do this? There is a common theme I can see and that is many people have forgotten how to discern for ourselves and often rely on an outside source to help us make certain decisions, i.e what is the best diet, the best hair product, the type of exercise, how much water to drink, etc.

186. It feels to me that the intention behind research is to prove something, whereas case studies are about observations.

     1. And do we not constantly observe what works and does not work around us?

187. Inspiring to read this article, and so agree every one of these blogs holds gold for any researcher looking for case studies concerning health and well-being. Blog upon blog of meaningful, real life changes often with very consistent long term turn arounds.

188. What you share Jennifer is very important crucial in fact to making knowledge relative to all of us once again. Imagine learning science at school from the basis of lived experiences shared by real people and not just facts and stats out of a book? Man would that class be interesting again!

189. For academia to regard case studies as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ exposes how research is less interested in the people they are studying, than collecting data to prove a point.

190. The sharing of how valuable the participation in the anecdotal research was for yourself as well as the depth of wisdom it provides for everyone else, shows how science and research can be a natural and organic part of society that benefits all concerned.
     It is a shame we have reduced these invaluable aspects of life to a few people jealously guarding their self imagined ownership of what ought to be open and transparent to the whole public.

191. I agree Richard, its been the same for me as well. When I have made changes to something it has been because I have felt that it is true for me, but based on being inspired by someone else. Mind you this has worked both ways in terms of what has been very good for me and what has not been good. But all that is based on how I am at the time. Research has never come into it and if it does, it’s well and truly after the fact.

192. “There is an intrinsic value and importance to our own expressions” – Well said Jen. Another illusion we have is that people with more ‘interesting’ lives, such as an intense career or who travel a lot, are more interesting and important in what they have to say, but every person in equal when it comes to our worth and importance within our global community.

     1. What you are throwing up here for discussion is important. it exposes how we have invested in knowledge and qualifications rather than the natural wisdom and expression we all innately have. In looking out at others and measuring them by the amount of knowledge they contain and comparing ourselves to them in the process, we have sorely reduced ourselves and society by dismissing the ‘intrinsic value’ we all have just be being who we are.

193. Life asks us to be our own researchers, to keep questioning why things occur as they do and with an open heart, look to understand the truth of love. We should never settle for superficial statements when we can unlock divine facts.

194. I have heard that how the question is phrased is very important in research, so that the desired outcome is reached… hang on a minute… I have thought the idea of research was to produce a non-biased finding of something. It appears this is not the case.

195. Research should provide us with the chance to look through a window at a particular situation rather than be established to prove or disprove a point.

     1. The power of true observation.

     2. ‘Life’ should provide us with the chance to look through a window at a particular situation rather than be established to prove or disprove a point.

196. Thanks, Jen. I am just about to decide a research project to complete my uni course and what you present here gives me confidence to carry out the qualitative study I am interested in, to value the case study method and the rich potential of what each participant will bring to light.

     1. That’s awesome Janet. It is definitely on the increase, however the predominate ‘school of thought’ is to favour and place as more important the double blind study. The more who are willing to explore narrative style or case study style research the more the value of these studies will be seen for their true and equal worth. Just because a case study is on one person, how do we know the widespread effect that this one case study has on people who connect with it? Enjoy your research.

197. It appears to me, that researchers in the medical world, in the main, are not at all interested in peoples lived experiences which is actually quite astounding when you consider that each “experience is completely owned by that person and is completely alive within their body”. And if one person changed their whole life and health by making different choices you’d think that researchers would be knocking on the door asking how this happened?

198. There is an intrinsic value and importance to our own expressions and experiences, when we know this it allows us to accept and validate another – rather than deny and write them off.

199. When we speak from our experiences it is like tried and true advice coming through, not just learned or predicted. It is like getting advice from an old hand at something instead of an inexperienced person with qualifications but no life experience.

200. Have you ever had a personal recommendation for a tradesman that doesn’t have a website but has a reputation for quality work? There has always been a powerful source of information in our own lived experiences.

201. Agree, case studies are an intimate rich source of information and detail – detail that seems to be buried or lost in the jargon of big qualitative or quantitive research.

202. Our bodies are the living evidence.

203. It seems an obvious question to ask but if we’re not going on the lived experiences of humans, then what are we going on and why?

     1. If we are willing to explore and be inspired by the lived experiences of others then we are not constantly destined to keep repeating the same behaviours. We do not all have to e.g. have a reaction to something to understand that our behaviour needs to change – we are not here to do it on our own…

204. The quality of our expression equates directly to the quality of our lives.

     1. Interesting to observe this – if we feel like we’ve got nothing to say, write, express, what this reflects to us about how we’re living life – are we fully connecting to all that is on offer, the magnificence and magnitude of the entire universe, or just floating along on the surface, distracted by our own issues and with our eyes closed?

205. Unless it’s shared by the body then it does not come from truth.

206. How many times is scientific research tested and checked only to at a later date be shown to not be conclusive or, the whole picture or simply not true. We are choosing to face in the direction of that which is blinkered because we choose to be that way ourselves. We have the choice to look at everything we feel but instead prefer a limited view as this does not ask us to be responsible for all that we know.

     1. It’s like everything needs to be standardised. But this is impossible really. Even with medications, which undergoes extensive research, when it comes down to using them on people, there is no medication that is suitable for everyone. There is always someone that cannot take a medication for some reason whether allergy or side effect profile. Even with medications they need to be tailored.

207. There is a reason why quantitative studies are not the only type, because they cannot and do not portray the whole picture.

208. When we read a personal case study it can be both more tangible, a real live person and their experience and accessible, not some random number but a person who we can relate to or not … I wonder if we dismiss case studies because they in fact challenge us and show us that life and how we live it is about choice and here’s a real person talking about theirs?

209. It is amusing on one level, but really ironic that those who claim to be the most intelligent among us, have been trying to limit all research so that we do not deepen our awareness of the enormous impact of our personal choices on every aspect of life.
     Are they perhaps trying to avoid the possible exposure by such studies that there is a far greater intelligence into which we could be tapping?

     1. I’d say yes to your question Golnaz because they feel like a huge distraction to divert us away from truth and from accessing greater intelligence.

210. Case studies tell us a lot about people and what’s going on in society, and as a result should be valued equally to other data and evidence. Statistics are great at painting a big picture of what’s going on, but case studies offer us an opportunity to observe life and intricately study something e.g. a behaviour.

     1. That’s very true Susie. And by observing life more intricately we see the level of responsibility needed in living life.

211. We have fixated on quantity and statistic numbers, but one thing they don’t communicate is quality – which is important as that is what the whole world’s about.

212. If we are not caring for ourselves how can we care for others? When stay up late, push hard to get things done and continue to disregard the messages from our body we are left feeling so exhausted and depleted that there is no way we are fit to care for others.

213. As long as we have research that tells us what we want to hear, that alcohol in small doses is good for us, everything in moderation is not harming, we will continue in the same vein of accepting research that is based on money and not truth. Until humanity stands up and says this model of life is not working, research I feel will always be flawed.

     1. Well said Alison – only last week the UK government are relaxing controls around cannabis for medicinal use and suggesting this could go further. No coincidence that this also provide one of the easiest ways to be numb and check out of life.

214. We cannot control qualitative research in quite the same way we might control a laboratory experiment or a double blind study, or so we like to think. But I wonder then if the difference in this research lies between someone staying open to hearing what is presented, as random as it might seem at the time, and allowing the answers to materialise from this soup of information, verses seeking an outcome and attempting to control the environs of the experiment to deliver it?

215. Exactly Jennifer, each blog is a potential case study, that is a huge body of work living and breathing in each of our bodies. If each person on the planet gave their own lived story, in a simple ‘let’s just hear it how it is’ way, we might get a better picture of how humanity IS rather than rely on quantitative research to prove or disprove a particular hypothesis it has in mind.

216. A lived experience is an autobiography that is rich and full. Other types of research seem to only focus on the ingredients of what is in the bottle!

217. Money does play a big part in research as how many times these days do I hear or read news saying research show that something like coffee or alcohol used in moderation can be good for you, which make you instantly wonder who bankrolled or conducted the research.

218. Wow! This is a very much-needed conversation around research and how what we experience in our-life is-paramount in what the health-systems of the future will hold!

219. I love how you naturally reflected with all of this which brought you to a deeper awareness, observation and understanding.

220. Research could be used as a way to inform us of a truth but sadly, since money is involved, and a great deal of it is at stake, it has been in many cases twisted and corrupted to show results that are wanted.

     1. How long is the list of rare diseases, that there is no or little research afforded, because not enough money can be made, from the costly research?

     2. Yes, wanted results to keep us continuously blinded, but the truth we know deep within calls us towards responsibility in how we live.

221. The lack of integrity of some research studies related to health is well known. For example failing to reveal claimed benefits of a treatment that was based on clinical trials carried out on animals but never tested on humans.

222. I also know that qualitative personal experiences hold little clout in research, the thought being, it is only one person’s experience. But that one person is very valuable, especially when there are others with similar experiences, because our expression has clarity and is totally unique. This data is as equally important to be studied as quantitative work.

     1. Agreed Gill, if we allowed ourselves to value the individual experience and held it up with the individual experience of many others, would we not then start to see patterns? For example, if we were to ask one woman with breast cancer if she ever nurtured herself in the lead up to the diagnosis, she might say no and whether she put everyone first before herself throughout most of her life, she might say yes. If we were to ask the next 100 women the same thing, and their answers were the same, we may just have found the missing piece we have been looking for in terms of preventing breast cancer. In this context, surely assessing case studies would lead to the very heart of what evidence-based science is purporting they want to get to, but keep missing because they are looking in the wrong places and can’t find any evidence for?

223. Case studies are the true measure of what works and does not but sponsored science is scared, lest some very dishonest if not outright fraudulent shenanigans and massive manipulation be exposed. After all, if someone has a headache and asks for medication, we don’t question, doubt and double-blind them against a control group before we offer help.

224. The stories of how people have turned their lives around in so many different ways I have found more inspirational and a stimulus for me to make changes to enhance my life than any research articles that I have read.

     1. I can totally relate to that- I don´t need many scientific proven facts to then change something in my life. Whatever I changed in my life came from reflection through someone who lived it in front of me. Everyone is a case study on its own. We just need to talk about it and allow direct inspiration to happen.

        1. The reflection of a lived example is the most powerful teacher there is.

225. Research in my view is about observing all the evidence before us and that includes the truth of people’s experience.

226. “As I read the research article there was very little, if at all anything on what I had expressed…” It’s interesting how this happens, which does highlight the value and contribution of case studies. Case studies are interesting, personal, offering a rich source of detail, research and inquiry that raises and advances understanding for everyone.

227. “Because in each case study is a person who is sharing a lived experience. That experience is completely owned by that person and is completely alive within their body…” This to me is the basis of evidence-based research… the fact that the body is a living body of evidence, a body of lived consequence of choices, and this in my opinion does hold a level validity.

228. The valuable and rather exposing point is that we literally pay and invest more in the knowledge of our human mind than we actually credit our true living experience. How valuable is this realisation for it shows us where we have gone to an opposite direction making science about the opposite of love. We have put our mind over our true intelligence that is and has always come from our divine body.

229. There is nothing akin to what our body offers us daily – our own personal living-life-science-laboratory that offers extraordinary feedback and wisdom to all when choosing to listen to it! It is very inspiring to read these stories that deepen our awareness to our body and daily living way – in my experience this is far more personal and meaningful beyond reading a scientific study paper.
     “And when we share ourselves in such a way it can inspire others to look at themselves and their lives and to ask deeper questions about themselves. It becomes an intimate and personal connection through this way of sharing.”

     1. I agree our bodies are a wealth of evidence that never lies and is only biased towards love.

230. Evidence-based trials and case studies, ie. so-called objective and subjective data do not contradict but complement each other. What meaning would any double-blind randomized controlled trial have without the lived reality and experience of those who are the recipients (patients)? And how often is personal experience blind to the greater picture, biased and or simply not aware or in denial of the underlying causes? We need every approach and angle to raise our awareness, deepen our understanding of life and self to heal, evolve and blossom.

     1. “We need every approach and angle to raise our awareness, deepen our understanding of life and self to heal, evolve and blossom” To stay open to subjective and objective evidence is the way. The problem is when case studies and real life experiences are invalidated by research and scientific community or considered to be lesser evidence if not verified as part of a clinical study.

231. Where health and well-being is concerned there is so much information out there that people are jumping from one idea to the next, one research study to another without looking at the finer detail of the study and how it was conducted.

232. Every type of research has an equal part to play in life. All types bring something different but we should not make that mean that one is better that the other one! It is a bit like gender equality, woman don’t have to become men for them to be equal to men – it is about honouring the qualities of both genders equally.

233. Our lives are a living testimony of evolution and health. Is ourselves appreciating and expressing it in full who can give life to a new research model.

234. What you are saying doesn’t make any sense to me
     ” Case studies are basically regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.”
     How come when I go to buy any beauty product it may say on the packaging or advertising that in ‘case studies’ on x amount of people the cream was effective in reducing x,y,z. So how can it be considered to be the bottom of the barrel for some researchers and not others? Surely there needs to be some consistency in research?

235. In our true expression much more is contained than just the words themselves but a quality of energy which directly challenges that of much of our science-based research and development. Science therefore resists it and seeks to de-value or in some cases discount it completely but what are we missing in this? When the same thinking and reliance on science has not brought us the answers we so need, we have increasing rates of illness and disease and humanity faces a plethora of issues which are not new but are worsening. Rather than seeking to further develop our current science as the solution, if we get better at it, should we not be more open to something else and an understanding from people and what they feel and express.

     1. The current scientific pick-and-choose-your-criteria-at-will model has failed us in its randomness and is as far divorced from real everyday life and the power of responsibility and choice as can be.

236. We are all a can of worms that is opened before birth. Science still doesn’t fully know lots about us. How does one dividing cell know to become a brain cell or a toenail? So, why are we put into boxes and become numbers? Every one of us is a unique case study, but we look for patterns in Johns and Marys!

237. One person’s ah-ha moment based on an experience they have had is incredibly valuable when another can relate to it. We are all living, breathing and moving human beings and therefore face similar issues and have the same capacity for self realisation… it’s beautiful when we share that.

238. Maybe there is just too much truth in qualitative studies and not enough left to guess work and what the person conducting the study wants to achieve as the outcome, their own personal investment.

239. We know when we do our own reaseach experiments on ourselves that nobody can take the results away from us, that’s powerful because each unique person has their very own experience of life and no two people are the same so perhaps when we group people together and look for the common result we are missing the point of the wisdom held in each different lived body.

240. Of course we need objective data in the sense of reliable information and understanding of the matter we explore and or research otherwise we wouldn´t be able to produce the amazing things and results like in technology, architecture, medical diagnosis or surgery and many other areas but that on its own without the lived and living experience and expertise that we bring as people with all the super evident-based capacities like compassion, intuition, sensitivity and sensing, care, understanding the multidimensional aspect of life we would be very poor in regards to being who we are, with each other in relationships, families, communities and as one humanity. We are made for love, relationship, brotherhood… and we only can maximize the potential to make that our lived reality by resourcing quality, hence the significance of qualitative research, very individual case studies etc for an all-encompassing approach in science that is for the true benefit of people.

241. Awesome blog Jen, your questions are great and thank you for sharing your understanding of research and case studies. I have learnt something from reading your blog and I got to understand and feel the difference between the two.

242. In time our stories of turnaround from ill health to vitality and joy will be known. At the moment there are only a few hundreds, a tiny fraction of the world’s population, but that number is growing every day as we realise lifestyle is the answer to world health and not any money-making pharmaceuticals, fancy foods or exercise programmes.

     1. Indeed Carmel, the fact of miracles will be known far and wide and the reality is those miracles start from everything that has been shared here, and when we go beyond the numbers we discover the gold.

243. Are we honestly searching for the truth in life? Or would we just prefer a quick fix to make things alright? If it’s the latter all our investigations are like rolling in mud – not very enlightening!

244. Life itself is the best research experiment that there is: in every moment we’re given the opportunity to feel what works and what doesn’t and to constantly refine what we’re choosing.

     1. And that’s how simple it is, without the complications of any lab coats or fancy triple-blinded language. The intention might once have been good, but the model has dismally failed us, as demonstrated by the obesity epidemic and the ever growing rates of ill health.

245. This is really interesting and it would be interesting to read the article or the completed research you are talking about. What I felt reading this was why would someone who took so much time doing a study not include everything, obviously on some level it needs to be clear and succinct but it feels like so much gold has been missed here. From my observation it seems we get so caught up in results, statistics, kpi’s, how things are presented etc that we completely miss out on the most important aspect and that is … the people. Research or any form of work needs to be done with love and true care at the core and carried right the way through not dropped in the middle or end.

246. “our experiences and remain valuable to us because they have been our experiences” – We can finish school and come out with outstanding grades and with prizes but if we have felt awful in the process and been bullied and felt like there were no friends there with us, what we take home is an empty prize, a prize that confirms and celebrates the empty experience that we had. Of what use is this?

247. Jen what you are sharing here is key in terms of the quality of life that we can have and experience. Our current research has the focus on the quantitative aspect of things – looking at numbers and box ticking but falls short when it comes to exploring the quality itself. In the end we live with the quality and this is what makes our life, not the numbers alone. How these can be dis-associated is a dis-service to us all. It is about combining the two to really get the most for us all.

248. There are lots of very interesting stories and understandings available for researchers who do qualitative studies. I wonder how long it will take for this understanding to spread.

     1. I have been told that this is a burgeoning area of research that is beginning to make in roads, which is great. It’s important that all forms of research play their equal part.

249. People learn far more from each other than they do from reading a scientific article. And really we come across more people in our every day than scientific research. Not negating the research but weighting our interactions with people and their lived experiences.

     1. Well said Sarah, after all when someone has lived something and speaks from their body and experience, it is very powerful in inspiring another. But reading something that is black and white, though interesting and potentially helpful, does more often than not, not hold the same authority as the lived expression from a person.

        1. Yes absolutely, we can connect when we read another’s experience and coming from someone who isn’t a big reader I’m far more likely to continue reading an article if it’s from personal experience versus one on statistics. Not that statistics and research aren’t hugely valueable, of course they are, but what could we learn if we valued people’s personal experiences more?

     2. Absolutely Sarah, I agree with you 100%. We learn and grow from observing and interacting with each other and nothing can really substitute this.

     3. Very true Sarah. Really the only way I hear about research is through the media and they certainly filter what they share. Interestingly, have I changed anything from hearing about something in the media? No I haven’t. It’s been through the inspiration of others.

250. Personal experience is a superb form of research because it introduces the un-predictable, the unexpected and unanticipated aspects of life that can bring huge advances in our awareness along side quantitative research projects.

     1. Yes the combination of the two approaches provides a depth of understanding that neither can do on its own.

251. It is a bizarre state of affairs and a wall we hide behind when we are afraid to take a chance. It is the way we have lived for eons, for example needing an evidence base that the world was round not flat. Looking back it is quite embarrassing that we had such a narrow view of life but clearly people were afraid beyond what they could see and I suspect the same is true here. Our view of what constitutes proof and our desperate need for that proof has reduced our willingness to trust what we sense and know from our own bodies, even the openness to consider the ‘what if’ scenario because there is more and more we cannot explain and that increases our fear.

252. Our expression is a form of healing and as you share, by taking part in the research you offered yourself an opportunity to explore your relationship with self-care at work on a deeper level. That was an opportunity for you to appreciate just how much of an effect the way you live has on your relationship with the work you do. One day that will form the crux of the research.

253. If someone’s experience of something feels very real and true for them, should this not be at the least listened to? In my nursing work I have seen this but I have also seen this be denied because there is “no research to back this up”. In the former I have seen a person empowered by the fact that they have been listened to and not judged and no surprises the opposite effect of the latter.

     1. Pearls of wisdom and truth Jen! Thank you for this amazing sharing and blog!

254. Great blog Jen. What came to me while reading it was the avoidance by academics/ researchers to acknowledge the power of one’s lived experience due to their investment in ‘proving’ particular claims / ideas.

     1. And these more focussed studies can be ‘directed’ to prove or disprove pretty much anything, often guided by the source of funding and what their intention is.

255. I like that, research the research. How much do we believe information only because it carries the button of research on it?! Would it not be a great tool to manipulate then, when people blindly believe the result? There is so much abuse with power in this world – could it be that research gets used by that abuse also to cover up, what is truly going on?

256. One life experience shared from another can change your life, if you are open to it. Why don´t we listen more to each other as humans and need instead proofs from research to at least stop for a moment? And isn´t it true that we only accept those researches that do not rock our boat too much?

     1. We can automatically discount our own innate wisdom and that of others by asking “and where is your evidence?”

        1. And we don´t see and allow the possibility that everyone around you, in any certain moment, can deliver you a gem from heaven. Could it be, that we ourselves don´t see us as gems and as a result cannot see the gems in another and only trust those who we put as trustworthy?

257. The corruption found in some research is now coming to light, with fraud and irregularities as companies who fund their own research don’t have to provide all the data that comes forth. They can pick and choose what suits them best. This doesn’t feel very transparent to me.

258. Being a lover of science, knowledge, wisdom and deepening awareness, I am astounded that a relatively small group of people choose to claim that their way of research which is indicative of their personal choice of how they observe life is superior to the rest of humanity and some of them go as far as dictating that it should be the only way. And what’s more lobbies have been set up intend on stopping anyone else adding their expression.
     This goes so against the grain of what science, enquiry and true research is about.

259. Every single one of us is a living experiment and has an experience unlike any other. A case study can cover so much more as it can be more free-ranging in its outlook than the usual parameters of a research study. I find case studies far more interesting to read. If hundreds – or even thousands – of cases come to a similar conclusion, I would trust that implicitly.

260. We can’t ever stop speaking up about our truth, about our lived experience even if it is not listened to, we cannot discount the power of just expressing it and giving people the chance to hear

     1. A very important point you share here Rebecca and a beautiful reminder of how powerful it is to keep expressing truth no matter what.

261. Just because research tries to box things down into numbers, it does not detract from the value and wealth of our lived experience

262. We are absolutely our own research project and it is so valuable that we are able to treat each day as an experiment. Otherwise if we don’t – we strip research back to something clinical.

263. Every life is an incredible research study in itself. Imagine 70, 80 or even 90 years made up of so many moments, details, experiences, interactions, lessons and activities, all graphed in a case study. Every person is rich in wisdom and lived experience.

264. I was at a presentation earlier this year and saw a presenter given a very hard time by a participant because they presented a case study. They were asking where is the evidence? Even though it was in front of them, but not the way they deemed as acceptable. Its a supremacist approach to research where a whole part of research is ignored and condemned because it is seen as lesser than the other part.

265. From a young age we are guided away from our own inner truth, being told that our experiences are not what we think they are, that we are wrong in what we feel, that we imagine things and so we lose connection with and trust in our own inner wisdom and knowing, eventually resulting in thinking we need to rely on tests and scientific data (for whatever that may be) to tell us what is true.

266. How tempting it is to give our self responsibility over to the world of scientists and research instead, which is in service of that which we want it to be, rather than to listen to ourselves, our own body and get all the data loud and clear that is calling us to be responsible and loving.

267. Very well said, Jen. What many academics fail to realise is that the answers to all of our societal and health problems lie within each and every one of us, so tapping into this endless source of true intelligence can and will change research into something evolutionary and expansive rather than reductive.

268. Life is constantly evolving. True research means to keep up to speed with what life offers us, reflect on where we are in relationship to it and what the next steps are to step it up. And then live what there is to be lived. And perhaps research even can and or should help us to live what is ahead of us, i.e. help us to evolve based on the steps already been taken and therefore learning from the past to live the future.

     1. Yes, research can distribute understandings and we as individuals are always doing research – of varying quality and with varying interest in the result.

269. Case studies are relatable and give us the possibly of changing our lives if we choose to, because there is a connection between you and another/others that is practical and real.

270. Case studies generally raise more questions, which when explored truthfully lead to expansion, a deepening and evolution, rather than providing answers. With the commonly accepted understanding of research the purpose it is to get answers to questions that have initiated the research: this has the tendency to be reductionist in outcome and consequently keep us fixed in time instead of space.

271. It feels like we are constantly being asked to prove – prove ourselves, prove our experiences and perception. And we doubt ourselves too. Are we so untrustworthy and unauthoritative? Maybe if we are numbing ourselves and checking out as many of us do.

272. Relying only on what experts have to say diminishes our own experience and what the body is telling us. We have been conditioned to hold ourselves as less when it comes to speaking our truth about our experiences.

273. Surely we have been doing this anecdotal research process naturally for as long as there have been human beings – share with each other our collective experience and as a result everyone learning and growing and advancing our societies together? So in a way it feels like the oldest and most natural form of original research on the planet.

     1. Very true, Andrew, and I wonder how much acclaimed ‘research’ has arisen because of someone’s personal experience that has impulsed it? I would proposed that this is generally the case hence anecdotal and personal case studies are the source for true development rather than the research itself.

274. I agree that anecdotal evidence or case studies are often looked down upon in the world and I can really understand reading this blog how much power they actually hold and how inspirational reading about or hearing someone else’s experience can be.

275. Jen, very interesting what you have shared. We are each our own science experiments and from what we have learned can share with others our ‘lived experience’. And because we are individual there is no one things works for all and so it is very hard to replicate something and even more so to do a double blind study – well impossible really. Yet what we can learn is that whilst we may all have slightly differing out plays it is the underlying basis or foundation we stand on which can be studied. So lets say I do this, this and that and it dramatically improves my health and well being it does not mean everyone else should do exactly the same thing rather than learn from it and take aspects from what I have learnt. This is then far more powerful as get a tailored approach to our health and well being rather than a blanket one size fits all.

276. It feels that case studies are placed at the bottom of academic importance because they offer the potential for evidence to emerge which can challenge the accepted authority of controlled scientific experiment etc. funded by investors with an interest in the results for many, including commercial reasons.

277. Have case studies, become like our modern CV vetting that is scanned for patterns and keywords, and who you are is a short condensed cover letter? We become a number on a sheet and called data!

     1. True Steve and yet it’s the stories that people love the most in the world, the experiences we’ve all had. If in the wider society this is so important why don’t we make it such a key part of our research as well?

278. The work of Universal Medicine has not required traditional research methods to validate the truth of its work. Multiple research projects on the move every day in real life experiences of people speak for themselves. We accept as evidence the transformed lives of those who love and care for themselves, Each one of us leading our own research project owned by no one but ourselves.

279. If we are to truly bring healing to the human, then we simply need to put the human back into the equation and not discount the living breathing and very tangible evidence we have access to when studying people and how they live their lives.

280. What an amazing subject to bring up, our lived experiences and expression of them have got to beat any other sort of research hands down and it is just typical of the science we have today to not hold this type of research as high in value as any other type.

281. Great blog Jen! I am more the practical type of person and therefore I very much love a case study or a personal experience as I can relate to something lived – what is not only theoretical or expressed in words I could not understand. Therefore I very much appreciate your question: “why is it that we do not value case studies or our personal experiences on an equal footing in terms of research?” I only can speak for my self as I am valuing them very much and will never stop listening to them and recommend them to others as this is the easiest way to get every information I need and on top of it get the inspiration to change.

282. Just observing how someone is through their day is a form of research. What I find interesting is when we don’t want to be totally honest with how our body feels doing xyz then research is a great companion because there is a magnitude our there of every type allowing ourselves to justify against what our bodies have known and felt instantly.

283. Living experiments and research with our body is gold and these results can be accumulated by our observations every day. We don’t need no invitation to participate in any formal research, we can be this research and live its results and share it with the world. We may not get the official recognition back immediately, but the results are impacting so many already that it’s asking us if we see through self-gain and recognition or what truly is our purpose.

284. Some research I have participated in has offered me set answers and directed me to number 1 to 10 their level of importance, existence etc in my life. This type of research feels imposing and dictatorial in that it does not allow the expansion and offering I may have to bring to the topic under research. This brings up the question whether or not our true feelings are wanted or whether there is an existing agenda to tick a certain box. Qualitative research feels open, inviting and allows deeper development for all those involved. It also allows for truth and the unexpected.

285. We are all our own case study and, if lifestyle changes have resulted in amazing turnaround in mental and physical health, they need to be expressed, because these days there is more recognition that many of our illnesses and diseases are lifestyle related, and our experiences can support others to make different lifestyle choices to help themselves. Pharmaceutical industry will of course not support these because there is no money in it for them, but for Humanity, our stories need to be told.

286. When you’re coming from the medical / scientific research paradigm, anecdote is given short shrift, by and large. But in fields more social in nature, auto-ethnography – telling your own story – is quite accepted. I am currently working on producing a paper with 3 academics which includes our personal experiences of the topic. There would be other examples probably in your field Jen. Some of the research produced by nursing academics I’ve seen has explored topics that wouldn’t please the establishment, so it is likely nurses are also flying the flag in terms of utilising the richer approaches to research that are both available and valid.

     1. That’s great to hear Victoria. Interestingly even working in a medical area, there are still very big social impacts, not only on the incidence of disease but also of someone’s experience and expression of that illness. I see this constantly in the area that I work in, where pain for example is very much caused by unresolved emotions even though someone feels this physically. Without love, current physical treatments can have a limited effect. This is where an open approach to research is much needed in the area of medicine.

287. Regardless of the findings, science always has a basis to criticise if the results do not suit the person interpreting/ reading them.

288. Doing research on research, is like calling a meeting about all the meetings we are having! We do need a spotlight on research though, we can’t give our power to science because we assume they know better than us, as it seems that area of human life truly needs the public’s input, as ultimately it’s the public that is impacted.

289. I suppose the question may be asked about the various types of research is “do they bring about truly positive changes for individuals and/or society?” Though we definitely need statistics, I feel learning from others experiences is much more supportive because it’s a whole package from another human being who has achieved a way of living that is accessible to other human beings – I can do something with that by applying it to my own life, but I can’t do much with statistics. Connecting to other human beings and their experiences is so valuable, much more than information alone.

290. We are living evidence, each and every one of us. Living proof of our collective experiences. I have done some case studies for work and I loved doing them as people shared what was true for them. No-one can (or should) really argue that, because it is theirs.

291. It is so much more interesting and real to read about personal experiences, than read a scientific journal.

292. I think one factor in why case studies can be dismissed as not being worthwhile ‘evidence’ is that there can be a belief about interventions needing to be a one-size fits all approach rather than appreciating the learning we can make through observing what appears to work for different individuals.

     1. Absolutely Fiona. There is also a sense of supremacy in the evidence-based model, a consciousness that wants to own knowledge (and thereby power?). In the case study approach the researcher can’t own the outcome, the ownership of the experience stays well and truly with the person being studied.

293. In a formal environment like a classroom, it is when I talk about my personal experiences that my students are most engaged. It is precisely because it is personal that my students feel inspired. I have found that the only way to really inspire someone is to touch them in a way that does feel personal and you can’t do this simply through the intellect. To devalue case studies is to devalue the truth of someone’s experiences. This, of course, hurts the individual and is therefore not acceptable.

     1. Like you Michelle I use anecdotal evidence in group work drawing from my own and other’s experiences. It brings session to life and inspires.

     2. I love what you have said here Michelle….”To devalue case studies is to devalue the truth of someone’s experiences.” It’s a great way to reduce someone’s confidence in what they know, reducing it so much that we need to be told what we think we don’t know, but actually do.

        1. Yes – evidence-based science feels it has the right to own knowledge and has claimed a monopoly on it. In that sense of ownership, it has to work hard to maintain its grip in keeping up the wall that says anything else simply can’t pass.

294. This weekend I watched a very short video of a man who’s life changed so much from losing weight, to being free of kidney stones and feeling joyful again in life. This was a casestudy in itself. The man was talking from the experiences he had in his body and everyone can learn from this.

295. Agreed Jane, Jen – for me what I love most talking to our customers is not the stats but the real-life experience of how the people feel. That helps to develop a business that transforms lives not just does a good job.

296. Our own observation and research is what is so deeply missing from our lives. We have come so accustomed to relying on what the experts say and always searching for the answer in books, in good advice, and in others that we do not value our own lived experience and observation.

     1. We have come to rely on the segmentation of the human body and the intelligence that is derived from this reductionism, rather than see the body as a whole with many parts that comprise it. We simply cannot isolate a part and ‘fix’ it without taking into account the whole body and the being within in.

     2. Yes this is a good point, in the current research model we currently have the ‘experts’ or the ‘researchers’ who do the research and hand it down to the population who are not as learned and do not consider themselves researchers and as a result give their power away to academia. But for me this takes away the true power and purpose of research and how accessible it is to every person on the planet to be their own scientist and researcher on life and their own ‘expert’ on their life and their body.

297. I’ve always found case studies and qualitative research to be enriching to my understanding of a matter – there are so many nuances that cannot be captured in a yes /no type scenario and questions can be very difficult to answer meaningfully.

298. “Empirical research is where you conduct “hands on” experimentation. In other words, you get your results from actual experience rather than from a theory or belief.” (http://www.statisticshowto.com/empirical-research/) I remembered this form my school science days. Apparently Pavlov’s dogs experiments were a great example of empirical research back in his day. Researchers can make figures fit in with their hypothesis, whereas recorded observation cannot be fiddled with, as long as all the facts are presented – which should occur in all types of science – not just choosing the ones that suit.

299. It’s interesting how evidence – based medicine has become the be all and end all for research. And the fact it is funded by companies who often conduct their own research makes me wonder about the outcome in certain areas. One can often make figures prove what you want them to. Why aren’t personal evaluation and case studies more revered? Nothing can be more revealing than people sharing their own story and experience. When many people do so, surely the accumulation of those results are worth something?

300. When research is done this way it makes it less personal and relative to each of us. I find a research study which is rich with anecdotal accounts far more easier to understand and relate to.

301. If anecdotal evidence is not important then why does the term ‘qualitative study’ exist?

     1. Is that the box that needs to be ticked, to do the research that turns us into numbers?

302. What is seen as high level of evidence is often big randomised clinical trials and systematic reviews. What counts is the number of people in the sample and this often means evidence is gained through having numbers. But have a look around, high numbers of people are choosing to have a lifestyle that is unhealthy, large numbers of people smoke or live in disregard. It just goes to show that we maybe have to look more at how people are living even when it is just one person. Evidence about true health does not weaken by having less people doing it, if it works for us we have evidence.

303. “How confirming it was to discuss with a researcher how my life has changed with the simple activities of self-care” A beautiful opportunity to appreciate how we are our own researcher and case study.

304. You have really offered us something to ponder deeply on here Jennifer, something which is way overdue for a long and very honest appraisal, and that is the value of case studies in the medical research field. I was quite shocked, but in retrospect probably not surprised, to read that cases studies are “regarded academically as the ‘bottom of the barrel’ when it comes to research.” For me, someone’s lived experience is what is inspirational. It is a real account of changes in their life, changes I may just learn from. So, the question is why are they so little regarded when they could be so life-changing? To me it feels that behind the research that has become the norm today there lurks a hidden and very self-promoting agenda, one which is not to support all of humanity but to benefit the individual, person or organisation.

305. Research to me is the ability to question and look again for truth in life, yet in so many ways we have made it about re-proving previously held views and agendas. This in itself it great evidence to me that we are willfully skewing the true facts of life. There should be paper on that.

     1. Absolutely, Joseph. When research is reduced to looking for the confirmation of a previous ideas then we will never get the truth. People’s individual experiences cannot discount the truth of what they have experienced in their body.

     2. Yes Joseph when research studies work to a preset agenda, there is no advancement, no intention to change the way things are only justify what already exists.

     3. Great point Joseph, so often research is about proving a point – so the whole study is set up and designed to prove or disprove something rather than allowing us to fully see and grasp the truth.

     4. When research is used to look for truth in life, we can approach it with a sense of wonderment and natural curiosity, otherwise it becomes all about driving for a result.

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