Exploring the phenomenon of open awareness and its effects on stress and burnout

Abstract

This article introduces research in open awareness (OA). The qualitative research method of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was utilised to investigate the characteristic phenomena that are associated with the state and perspective of OA, including its effects in terms of stress resilience, burnout prevention and psychological well-being. The research project involved exploring the experiences of people with high stress and burnout levels who practiced the OA technique for 24 days. The overall outcome of this research suggests that the OA technique may promote resilience to stress, while helping to improve well-being and performance, which in turn may support the prevention and treatment of burnout. This conclusion is supported by current literature, covering how distress and the onset of burnout may be associated with chronic tunnel awareness, which the OA technique was found to counteract. Two distinct areas of future research are proposed involving OA with implications for social renewal.