Contemplative Inquiry in Movement: Managing Writer´s Block in Academic Writing

Abstract

This exploratory study stems from a meditation exercise in contemplative inquiry with transdisciplinary researchers. A master’s student with writers block was asked to perform body movements reflecting a thesis writing process over time. An interview with a phenomenological hermeneutic method was used to uncover the significance of the student’s experience during the exercise, including bodily sensations, feelings, and thoughts. New embodied knowledge helped the student to enable identification and acceptance of both adverse and blocking information. By systematically using a “thinking in movement” approach after applying body movements, new self-confidence was generated in the writing process. The interpretation of the study is called the “Contemplation in Movement” (CIM), and is considered as a rite of passage. Due to the use of CIM as a rite of passage, the following processes occurred: acceptance, identification of emotions/inner space, body/mind expansion, body memories, bodily metaphors, and symbols. This study suggests that non-verbal ways of learning can be applied in research writing. The conclusion is that embodied knowledge after contemplative inquiry with body movements may be helpful both in student supervision and in the research writing process to move through obstacles in the academic writing process.

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