Phenomenological research is assembled from first-person reports of life experiences.
The reports are only validated when the “knowledge sought is arrived at through descriptions
that make possible an understanding of the meanings and essences of (the) experiences”
(Moustakas, 1994). In order to establish a point of understanding, the researcher must make attempts to be free of suppositions. In preparation for hearing and eventually understanding the
true essence of a phenomenon, the researcher must articulate all presuppositions and set these
aside, which is known as bracketing (Moustakas, 1994). As a precursor to the interviews, as a
way to make my own presuppositions transparent, I recorded my beliefs, understandings, and
experiences related to this phenomenon in my field journal.