Bud to blossom : an intuitive, auto-phenomenological inquiry into maturation and transformation through vision fasting

Abstract

This thesis examines the effect of a vision fast experience on worldview from an auto-phenomenological perspective. Using an intuitive inquiry methodology, the study is conducted through five iterative cycles of hermeneutic interpretation. After clarifying the research topic (Cycle 1), I created a set of personal worldview statements that, with the aid of relevant literature, were critically examined and refined (Cycle 2). Those worldview statements were then used as interpretive lenses for a four day and night vision fast experience in Death Valley, California. After reporting the vision fast experience from an embodied perspective (Cycle 3), I then re-examined my initial worldview statements to determine if a change in worldview had occurred (Cycle 4). The lenses were then synthesized and insights drawn, with particular attention being paid to their practical implications and potential relevance beyond myself (Cycle 5). The thesis concludes with an outline of potential future directions and research possibilities.