Personal Transformations of Participants in Transformative Wellness Event
Mannonen, Suvi (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023120434066
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023120434066
Tiivistelmä
Transformative wellness events and travel are a rapidly growing trend, with a primary focus on promoting personal growth, self-discovery and overall well-being. This thesis investigates the Finnish event, Natural High Healing Festival’s possible transformative effects on its customers. The focus is on customers' personal change and transformation as a result of attendance.
The background research introduces the central concepts of the study and opens up the history of the wellness concept, the markets that belong to it and the transformative wellness events that are part of it. The theoretical framework covers personal transformation through transformational learning theory and identifies concrete steps of the transformation process. It also discusses the key elements of successful transformative wellness events, the impact of external factors in events, motivations for attendance and transformative experiences through experience economy realms.
This thesis uses two qualitative research methods: observation and semi-structured interviews. Participatory observation of the festival's workshops was conducted in the summer of 2023 to gain an understanding of what workshops such festivals could contain and to support the interviews. Interviews were conducted among festival customers to gain an understanding of the motivations for participating, the changes experienced in oneself and what contributed to it.
Research data were compared to the theoretical basis of the thesis. Observation results were analyzed through experience economy realms and data showed that most of the observed workshops were able to provide experiences that filled all of the experience realms. In summary, the festival offers versatile and high-quality workshops led by various instructors. Interview results showed that most of the interviewees expressed transformative experiences and that participants went through concrete steps of the transformation process when the author compared the results with the theory. Many of the interviewees noted lasting positive and healthier changes and habits that they integrated into their daily lives. In summary the festival had many different transformative effects on its customers, such as increased positivity and courage, improved self-understanding and it provided skills to let go and overcome unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.
This thesis was written in three months, in September-November 2023.
The background research introduces the central concepts of the study and opens up the history of the wellness concept, the markets that belong to it and the transformative wellness events that are part of it. The theoretical framework covers personal transformation through transformational learning theory and identifies concrete steps of the transformation process. It also discusses the key elements of successful transformative wellness events, the impact of external factors in events, motivations for attendance and transformative experiences through experience economy realms.
This thesis uses two qualitative research methods: observation and semi-structured interviews. Participatory observation of the festival's workshops was conducted in the summer of 2023 to gain an understanding of what workshops such festivals could contain and to support the interviews. Interviews were conducted among festival customers to gain an understanding of the motivations for participating, the changes experienced in oneself and what contributed to it.
Research data were compared to the theoretical basis of the thesis. Observation results were analyzed through experience economy realms and data showed that most of the observed workshops were able to provide experiences that filled all of the experience realms. In summary, the festival offers versatile and high-quality workshops led by various instructors. Interview results showed that most of the interviewees expressed transformative experiences and that participants went through concrete steps of the transformation process when the author compared the results with the theory. Many of the interviewees noted lasting positive and healthier changes and habits that they integrated into their daily lives. In summary the festival had many different transformative effects on its customers, such as increased positivity and courage, improved self-understanding and it provided skills to let go and overcome unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.
This thesis was written in three months, in September-November 2023.