Making sense of cranial osteopathy: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Objective This study arose from a praxial problem: how best to communicate with patients about the mechanism of cranial osteopathy. The research question was rooted in phenomenological concept ‘sense-making’, and expressed as: ‘What sense do osteopaths their make phenomenon osteopathy?’ Method Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) used explore ‘lived experience’ embedded sense-making pairs patients. Four Fellows Cranial College X (CCX) participated, as did one patient each. osteopath participants were experienced practitioners, had positive experiences interviewed experience semi-structured interviews audio-recorded, transcribed, analysed. analysis audited alongside use reflexive diary an account theoretical ‘fore-structure’ principal investigator, order monitor influences on hermeneutic data. Results IPA revealed that both practitioners establish epistemological grounds for embodied osteopathy (Theme 1: Making sense-making), they metaphor linguistic meta-metaphor understand lived 2: Metaphors mechanisms), is considered by arise part therapeutic relationship 3: meaningful osteopathic relationship). Conclusions main outcome model osteopathy, which posits shared, facilitates collaborative rapport enables come understanding source patient's malady, this causal context better health.