The Lived Experience of Feeling Loved: A Study of Mothers in a Parolee Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to uncover the meaning of the lived experience of feeling loved. The site of this study was a shelter-based parolee program. The framework that guided the study was Parse’s human becoming theory, and the method was Parse’s research methodology. The finding of this study is the lived experience of feeling loved is an unshakable presence arising with moments of uplifting delight amid bewildering trepidation. The findings integrated into the human becoming theory show the paradoxical and dialectic nature of feeling loved. Feeling loved is linked to living freedom, trust, and hope.