A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

The Regenerative Dynamics of Embodied Dialogue in Resonance with Life




AuthorsNummi, Eeva

Publication year2026

Journal: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science

Journal name in sourceThe Journal of Applied Behavioral Science

Article number00218863261438266

ISSN0021-8863

eISSN1552-6879

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1177/00218863261438266

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863261438266

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/516214363

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

This article develops a regenerative perspective on embodied dialogue grounded in autoethnographic action research within a public social and healthcare organization undergoing systemic transition. Rather than treating dialogue as a technique for alignment or control, it conceptualizes dialogue as a relational process through which human systems remain responsive amid turbulence. Through abductive analysis of reflective journals, observations, and dialogic episodes, three interrelated dynamics are identified: coherence, in which embodied presence gathers as settled being-with; potentiality, the ripening of a not-yet quality within that presence; and activation, the emergence of what has taken shape into speech or collective movement. These dynamics unfold as an asymmetric regenerative rhythm across self, relational, collective, and field dimensions. By introducing the field level, the study situates dialogue within wider relational processes and offers a framework for understanding dialogue as a regenerative capacity supporting relational renewal and ethical responsiveness.


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Funding information in the publication
The author thanks colleagues in the Finnish public health and social care organization where the fieldwork took place and acknowledges funding from the Kymenlaakso Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Finnish Work Environment Fund.


Last updated on 22/04/2026 04:13:39 PM