Hi, everybody,
I'd like to echo Richard's suggestion that we look at the Rogerian dissertations
as "evolutionary emergents." Going back another decade or two (from Richard's
time), my classmates and I were searching for a way to conduct research in
relation to Martha's conceptual system. As Richard said, there was no
discussion of appropriate methods, and we were being taught the traditional
scientific paradigm. The best we could do was try to come up with parameters of
wholeness, like personal space, movement, and time perception. But, as you well
know, we forced them into the control and predictability of the scientific
approach. (I don't remember the studies of bioelectrical fields very well, but
I imagine they, too, were trying to measure the total field.) Much later, as I
gradually gave up the objectivity and predictability of the traditional methods
and allowed myself to participate in experiential studies, I felt as though I
was beginning to understand the unitary process. It has been amazing to me to
see how quickly and importantly today's researchers are able to elaborate on the
unitary view via their research.

We've come a long way.

Margaret Newman

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