The rhythm method

Abstract

This article is a light-hearted, yet serious attempt to address the “gap” that exists between research and practice within the field of psychotherapy. Research is time consuming and exhausting, requiring much energy as it moves through the processes of planning, ethical approval, conducting the research, analysis, presentation of data, and dissemination. Each of these could be seen to have a rhythm. Energy moves in waves and, like the sea, has a natural rhythm. Taking the work of Gabrielle Roth as a starting point, this paper explores 5Rhythms™ (5R), applying them to research in an attempt to demystify the process and emphasize the common humanity shared by researcher and researched. Research methods need to be learned experientially and awareness of the body may make them less remote and more meaningful and interesting to practitioners who are invited to join the dance. Due to often-irregular cyclical rhythms this approach is at best only 75% safe and may lead to the conception of new ideas!

Keywords:

• Research methods
• embodiment
• rhythm
• imagination
• participation
• uniqueness
• individual and collective

Notes

Notes

1  Courtenay Young reminds us that initially in the work of Janet, the body was at the centre of psychotherapy. See Young, 2006, p. 18.

2  Perhaps these are more suited to qualitative researchers but we should remember that mathematics too, is like a dance: it has pattern, repetition, shape, space, angles, curves, spirals, and a recognition of limits.

3  Faith Whittlesey, former US ambassador to Switzerland. Responsibility for this quote also has been traced to a 1980s Frank and Ernest cartoon (Whittlesey, 1982).

4  Prologue 5 (Nietzsche, 1995).

5  From “The Tower” p. 217 (Yeats, 1998).

6  Quoted in Lewis, 2006.