The research project
The complete version part 2: Quantitative and qualitative results


3.    Results

3.1    Quantitative results

There was improvement in all respects over the course of the three sessions.  Interestingly enough, the improvement was greatest during the first session, as reflected in the difference between the pre-session and post-session answers, and was subsequently lost to some extent, as reflected in the ‘after the session’ answers which were given one or more days after the session.  The improvement seemed to stabilize more after the second session, and continue on with the third session.  Chart 1, which shows the overall trend over the course of the three sessions in all the variables, gives an impressive visual representation of this trend.

Table 1 lists the averages of the actual evaluations as well as the difference the sessions made to the ratings.  The first two columns give the values of the various variables immediately before and after the sessions and the differences between them are found in the third column.  The evaluations from the questionnaires that were filled out one or more days after the sessions are listed in the fourth column.

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What is clear from these results is that participants felt an overall quite strong improvement in their physical, energetic, emotional, and spiritual state during the sessions, and they felt a lot better about the issue they were working on with me after the sessions. 

This improvement is most impressive during the first session, but continues on as a trend throughout the three sessions, and is represented also in the averages between the three sessions (‘all sessions’). 

The strongest improvement is in relation to how participants felt about their issue (+1.7 on average), spiritually (+1.29 on av.), as well as emotionally (+1.02 on av.) and physically (+1.02 on av.). The only variable that is less strong in terms of improvement is the mental state.  I will come back to this point in the discussion. 

What is also noticeable is the marked improvement during the first session, especially in three variables: the emotional and spiritual states, and how participants felt about their issue (emotional: +1.55, spiritual: +2.05, issue: +2.35).  Some of that improvement is lost after that first session, by the time participants filled out the after the session questionnaires, especially in terms of their emotional and spiritual wellbeing (-1.7 and -1.4 respectively).  But these losses are regained and the gains are more stable after the second and third sessions.  There is a lesser loss of gains in relation to how people felt about their issue after the sessions, but nevertheless some loss compared to the gains during the sessions (-0.6, -0.8, and -0.5 after the three sessions, compared to + 2.35, +1.3, +1.5 during the sessions).

In looking at the results in more detail, then, it seemed obvious that there were slightly different trends for the emotional, spiritual and issue variables on the one hand, and for the physical, energetic and mental variables on the other.  I have therefore listed them separately in the following two charts.

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Chart 2 illustrates visually the marked pattern of very marked gains during the first session, subsequent loss of some of these gains, and the regain of these losses in the second and third session with stabilization during the third and after.

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As chart 3 illustrates clearly, the pattern of improvement in the physical, energetic and mental states is much more gradual and also less steep over the three sessions.  In contrast to the steep rise during the first session in the emotional, spiritual and issue variables, there is more improvement in terms of the physical state during the second and third sessions than during the first.  It is also obvious that the mental state variable shows the least gain, and even a slight decrease during the second session.
This difference in patterns between the two ‘bundles’ of variables is to some extent reflected in the final evaluations in the closing questionnaire.  Participants gave much higher ratings to the helpfulness of the sessions in terms of their emotional and spiritual wellbeing (8.6 and 7.8) compared to the physical and energetic ratings (5.83 and 6.92).  The only variable whose rating does not seem to fit this difference is, again, the mental variable: the rating of its helpfulness is quite high (7.58), but the actual trend during the sessions is the lowest of all variables.  I shall comment on this variable in the discussion.  Table 2 lists the values from the closing questionnaire.
Unfortunately, not all participants filled out all of the parts of this questionnaire, so the values regarding the helpfulness of the sessions with respect to the different levels are based on fewer responses (6 or 5, see listed numbers of responses).  But the trend is nevertheless very obvious: participants felt that the sessions were much more helpful in terms of their emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing (8.6, 7.58, and 7.8 respectively), as compared to their physical and energetic states (5.83 and 6.92 respectively).  The last three columns list the answers to the following questions: how beneficial the sessions were with regards to deepening their awareness of themselves (7.39), bringing healing to areas of wounding in their lives (6.1), and supporting them in their own personal journey (8.28).  Participants clearly noticed the impact of the sessions most at the more subtle emotional, mental and spiritual levels, and reflected this also in their emphasis on support in their awareness and personal growth.

The last table (table 3) lists the ratings of effectiveness of the individual sessions with respect to the issue that participants had chosen as the focus for sessions, as given in the after the session questionnaires, as well as the rating of overall helpfulness of the series of sessions from the closing questionnaire.
The average ratings of the effectiveness of the sessions in terms of helping participants with the issue they had chosen for the sessions increase with each session and are all in the ‘very helpful’ range (6.5, 6.95, 7.94).  It is interesting to note, though, that the most marked improvement in terms of how people felt about their issue was during the first session, which had the lowest rating.  However, the overall improvement that people felt across the three sessions is reflected in the upward trend of the ratings.  The last two columns give the overall helpfulness value from the closing questionnaire.  The first average includes the rating of the one person who did not have any improvement from the sessions for the physical problem that she had chosen to work on and who gave an overall rating of 1 (since her physical problem remained unchanged), the second average excludes that rating and is therefore much higher.

In conclusion, the quantitative results show overall improvement both during and as a trend throughout the three sessions in all the variables that were used to measure the effect of the work during the sessions.  The improvement is highest as far as the issue is concerned that participants chose to focus on.  It is furthermore more significant at the emotional and spiritual level than it is at the physical and energetic level and at the mental level.  The ratings of the helpfulness and effectiveness of the sessions were relatively high and increasing over time.

3.2    Qualitative results (click here and here to see the complete qualitative data)

In addition to the quantitative scales that I used in the questionnaire, I also included open questions in the ‘after the session’ and the closing questionnaires, in order to allow participants to express their experience in their own perspective and terms.  At the same time, the questions were formulated so as to provide more specific information about what aspects or moments in the sessions were particularly helpful for participants (or not helpful).  In addition, there were more general questions in the closing questionnaire about heart of Love healing as a therapeutic modality.  Not every question elicited an answer, as one would expect of qualitative questions.

In the ‘after the session’ questionnaire, which was filled out about one to two days after each session, participants were asked how they felt about their issue right now, both quantitatively, as listed above, and in general.  They were asked in addition whether there had been any changes or shifts during or after the session.  Out of 29 answers, 3 were negative (meaning no change – by the person whose physical condition did not improve throughout the 3 sessions).  All the other answers (26) were positive and often listed the changes or shifts that they had experienced either during or after the session.  Here are some examples:
-        ‘I felt more connected to myself (emotionally, spiritually) during the session, and afterwards to the “knowing”’;
-        ‘Better: I feel more hopeful, and more focused’;
-        ‘I feel more informed, better able to cope and make wiser choices’;
-        ‘feeling more loving, kind, empathetic’;
-        ‘not stuck, rather optimistic, it still is an issue though’;
-        ‘I have been meeting “the voice” that tells me I am not/have not been as I should be with gratitude for giving me the opportunity to NOT listen to it.  This is a huge shift for me.’
-        ‘connected to love; could see my issues and express them with deep clarity’;
-        ‘more grounding; grounding and peace’;
-        ‘emotional release during the session, felt lighter, openhearted and vulnerable’;
-        ‘I feel very empowered’;
-        ‘I feel a marked shift when I leave the session … my heart feels lighter’
-        ‘I felt like I had been given the space where my soul could come forward and express itself’.

The question whether there had been any new insights elicited less answers, but out of 19 answers, 17 were positive and went into more detail about the insights they had had either during the session about their issue, or insights which were related to the work done during the session.  One insight was particularly interesting as it was about the way issues were approached during the sessions:
‘It has been somewhat of a revelation to me that opening to the issue helps to overcome it.  It is also surprising how the issue is actually transformed in the process.  Furthermore, a lot of vital energy is released in the process.’

When asked how they felt about the session now, 11 times the answer was ‘good’, twice ‘nice’, twice ‘happy’, and once ‘grateful’.  The other answers mentioned what the session did for them, for example:
-        ‘the session left me with a sense of peace and lightness’;
-        ‘it seems to have moved something, I might not have felt safe to feel as (a certain situation) happened’;
-        ‘it pointed out my blockages to me’;
-        ‘I enjoyed the calm and resting during the session’;
-        ‘I feel the session was organic and supportive’.

The question ‘Was there something (or more than one thing) in the session that really worked for you?’ again elicited a lot of answers (28 out of 29 questionnaires).  Here are the main comments grouped together by theme:
-        Taking time to connect (‘tune in’) with the ‘inner world’ (emotions, feelings, sensations) from an open heart space (mentioned several times, also in the closing questionnaire);
-        The timing of those tuning in times;
-        Energy work (4 times), ‘finding balance’;
-        Relaxation, ‘release of inner tension’, ‘open for everything’;
-        Ideas that were new to participants: about what healing is, how to address certain feelings;
-        Insights that I had during the ‘tuning in’ periods and shared with participants;
-        Ability of participants to feel more clearly and acutely during the sessions (mentioned twice);
-        The naming of emotions or feelings;
-        Reassurance: ’really needed to hear this’;
-        ‘your openness and seldom faltering non-judgment’;
-        ‘your intense listening and ensuing comments’.

To the question whether there was anything that didn’t work for participants, there were 8 answers which stated something to that effect (out of 29).  One point was about the quality of the phone line.  The rest of the answers were about more detailed aspects of the sessions such as:
-        the timing/pace and the length of the session and/or the ‘tuning in’ periods;
-        too much talking (by a participant who wanted more energy work);
-        the examples that I used weren’t concrete enough;
-        there had been no change (by participant with the physical issue).
One answer, in the questionnaire after the first session, was that the participant ‘sometimes felt judgment coming from you but much less than in the past’.  When asked about this, the participant made it clear that their answer referred mostly to sessions that had taken place many years ago.  By the end of the series of sessions this participant had felt such benefit from the work that they expressed the intention to continue seeing me once a month.  They also mentioned the issue again in the closing questionnaire, saying ‘It felt good that we clarified some of my negative thoughts about our past interactions.  It cleared space for more open and frank connection.’

When asked about ‘key points or moments in the session', again most participants answered in a positive way (25 out of 29).  Some of the answers repeated points that had been listed elsewhere in the questionnaire or that had been mentioned by others in response to earlier questions, such as:
-        Tuning in periods;
-        Energy work, ‘a new energy’, ‘energy shifting, moving through the body (as a result of an emotional release)’;
-        Experiencing certain emotions or states more deeply or for the first time, emotional release; ‘feeling safe to feel’, ‘connecting with my child self’, ‘realizing I could go deeper if only I let it happen’;
-        Insights, seeing beliefs or emotions or needs clearly, or hearing them named;
-        ‘focusing on solutions’, ‘sharing my successes’;
-        Qualities that I brought to the sessions, such as ‘active listening’, ‘kindly questioning’;
-        Certain interventions during the session, such as my naming certain experiences or sharing images or needs or feelings that I had sensed in participants;
One participant mentioned the following key point for them: ‘To feel that I can travel deeper with you and that there will be other moments to be experienced in that kind of sacred space’.

Participants were given space to elaborate on their ratings of the effectiveness of the session in relation to their issue, and many did so by mentioning other aspects or changes or shifts that had happened for them.  There was also a last open question to allow them to express whatever else they wanted to share.  Many used this space to express their gratitude and their looking forward to more sessions.  One participant expressed regret that they had not heard feedback from me about the issue worked on in the session (the session was focused on their exploration of their experience), and another participant expressed worry that the changes that had taken place would not be permanent.  Participants also commented on other things that had not been covered by the questionnaire, such as the helpfulness of completing the questionnaire, the quality of the session ‘that was very subtle and very powerful at the same time’, and their appreciation of ‘a more heart and spiritually-based approach [compared with] the more traditional forms of psychotherapy … it resonates more, and it feels to me like it gets to things faster’. 

The closing questionnaire, which was to be filled out within 4 – 7 days after the last session, confirmed many of the themes that had already been mentioned in the ‘after the session’ questionnaires.  However, unlike the ‘after the session’ questionnaires, the focus in the closing questionnaire was on the review of their experience of the series of the three sessions as a whole with a few days’ distance.  The first question was about how participants felt about the process they had gone through during the time of the sessions and after.  All answers were positive and commented in more detail about their impressions and feelings.  Here are some of the answers:
-        ‘I feel like some definite progress has been made.  It was made in a way that was anchored inside me and that I can call upon according to need.’
-        ‘It was a very interesting and rewarding journey’
-        ‘I feel happy and complete with it.’
-        ‘I feel fascinated, intrigued, inspired, nourished, trusting about the whole process.  The realization of a whole new attitude towards life amazes me.’
The participant who had had no improvement in terms of their physical condition felt it was ‘a nice support’, and commented on the fact that they had found the body-mind connections that were made during the sessions helpful and insightful for them.

Much of the information in the closing questionnaire about participants’ experience of their sessions repeats themes that had already been mentioned in the after the session questionnaires and was very mostly very specific to the content of the sessions or the issue participants were working on, so I will not present this information in detail.  New and significant points in response to the question what was overall most helpful to participants were the following:
-        ‘you responding to me to clarify what you see beyond what I can’t see (blindspots)’;
-        ‘identification and explanation of how the issue was being expressed in my character’;
-         ‘the availability, the presence’;
-        ‘feeling safe and comfortable enough to share my most intimate thoughts and feelings’ (mentioned twice);
-        ‘the love coming full blast through the phone’, also ‘loving attitude’ and ‘loving energy’;  ‘empathy’; ‘good will’.

There were three new questions in the closing questionnaire about how beneficial the process had been to participants with regard to deepening their awareness of themselves, bringing healing to areas of wounding in their lives, and supporting them on their own personal journey.  As presented in the quantitative section, the answers to all of these questions were positive, and highest for the awareness and personal journey questions.  The following are some of the comments on the ratings that were given:

1.       Awareness:
-           ‘It’s always helpful to look in and have some assistance to be there and support’;
-          ‘The issue that we worked on is one that has been with me for as long as I can remember.  I am not sure I feel that my awareness of myself has deepened, but rather that I have become clearer about what I can do, from within, to counter some of the tendencies I have that are self-limiting.’
-          ‘The experience of deep peace seems engraved in my cells more than ever.  The memory of seeing life from a totally different angle has made its mark.’

2.       Healing of wounds:
-          ‘More insight than healing’;
-           ‘When I talk to you about the things that have taken place in my life I can see the connections to old wounds and childhood traumas.  This helps me put things into perspective and appreciate them as opportunities for healing and forgiveness.’
-          ‘I sense a beginning of healing.  I intuit that there is a lot more to be cared for.  I get what is healing is now.’

3.       Personal journey:
-          ‘I feel it is very helpful to moving forward with greater insight and clarity.’
-          ‘I feel like a layer has been peeled away allowing me access to my heart and my feelings.’
-          ‘It was beneficial for many reasons – including all the insights listed above.  But mainly, because it has given me hope, and some tools to work with!’
-          ‘I really felt supported more than ever in my life.  I’m still astonished at what happened.’

When asked whether they would recommend heart of Love healing to others, 8 out of 9 persons answered positively, but some mentioned that they would probably recommend it only to people who were open, or receptive or sensitive enough, to this kind of work.  Similarly, when asked whether it would serve them to continue the process begun during the research project, 8 out of 9 persons responded positively, with some stating that they were indeed continuing, or expressing a clear intention to continue in some way: ‘Yes, it would [serve me].  I would like a monthly spiritual and emotional “tune-up”.’

Finally, here are some of the comments of participants that were given in an open space at the end of the questionnaire:
-          ‘I really like this way of working.’
-          ‘Great work!’
-          ‘I think we covered quite a bit in just a few weeks. …’
-          ‘My deep gratitude for all the care, love, availability, nourishment… I would definitely like to continue…’
-          ‘Thank you kindly for your loving presence.  Heart of Love is very close to how I would describe you :)’.

(top of page)

The short version

You'll find the short version of this research project here.

Complete qualitative results and downloads:

In order to look at the qualitative results (answers to the questionnaires) in more detail you can also go to:
Qualitative results 1: comments about the sessions,
or to:
Qualitative results 2: comments about the overall experience.

Below, you can download a file of the complete version to print out and read more easily.  You can also download copies of the qualitative results, as well as the questionnaires that I used.
research project -- the complete version
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qualitative results 1 -- after the session questionnaires.pdf
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qualitative results 2 -- closing questionnaire.pdf
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Post-session questionnaire
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after the session questionnaire
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closing questionnaire
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