thus encompasses paranormal events such as out-
of-body and apparitional experiences. She cited
Margeneau’s discussion in “Science, Creativity, and
Psi,” identifying paranormal experiences as the
ability to perceive within a four-dimensional
world: “It is our human lot to look at the four-
dimensional world through a slit-like opening....
Whenever the slit opens, and for some people the
slit only opens at the time of death, you see more
than a segmented three-dimensional slice of the
four-dimensional universe” (cited in McEvoy, 1990,
p. 211). Death itself is a transition, not an end, a
manifestation of increasing diversity as energy
fields transform.
RHYTHMICAL CORRELATES OF CHANGE
Rogers’ third theory, Rhythmical Correlates of
Change, was changed to “Manifestations of Field
Patterning in Unitary Human Beings,” discussed
earlier. Here Rogers suggested that evolution is an
irreducible, nonlinear process characterized by in-
creasing diversity of field patterning. She offered
some manifestations of this relative diversity, in-
cluding the rhythms of motion, time experience,
and sleeping-waking, encouraging others to suggest
further examples. The next part of this chapter cov-
ers Rogerian science-based practice and research in
more detail.
PRACTICE
Rogers identified noninvasive modalities as the
basis for nursing practice now and in the future.
Nurses must use “nursing knowledge in
non-invasive ways in a direct effort to
promote well-being.”She said that nurses must use “nursing knowledge
in non-invasive ways in a direct effort to promote
well-being” (Rogers, 1994a, p. 34). This focus gives
nurses a central role in health care rather than
medical care. She also noted that health services
should be community-based, not hospital-based.
Hospitals are properly used to provide satellite
services in specific instances of illness and trauma;
they do not provide health services. Rogers urged
nurses to develop autonomous, community-based
nursing centers.
In a 1990 panel discussion among Rogers and
five other theorists, Rogers maintained that “[o]ur
primary concern... is to focus on people wherever
they are and to help them get better, whatever that
means....Our job is better health, and people do
better making their own choices. The best progno-
sis is for the individual who is non-compliant”
(Randell, 1992, p. 181). She was an advocate for
people’s rights to make their own informed choices
in the belief that this would improve well-being. In
yet another panel discussion in 1991, Rogers ex-
plained that greater diversity necessitates “services
that are far more individualized than we have ever
provided” (Takahashi, 1992, p. 89), and went on to
reiterate her lack of support for nursing diagnosis.
Individualizing health care also negates the need
for care plans, care mapping, and so on.
Rogers consistently identified the need for indi-
vidualized, community-based health services in-
corporating noninvasive modalities. She offered
examples from those currently in use, such as ther-
apeutic touch, meditation, imagery, humor, and
laughter, while stating her belief that new ones will
emerge out of the evolution toward spacekind
(Rogers, 1994b). The principles of homeodynamics
provide a way to understand the process of human-
environmental change, paving the way for Rogerian
theory-based practice.RESEARCH
Rogers maintained that both qualitative and quan-
titative research methods were appropriate forRogers maintained that both qualitative
and quantitative research methods were
appropriate for Rogerian science–based
research, with the nature of the question
and the phenomena under investigation
guiding the selection.Rogerian science–based research, with the nature of
the question and the phenomena under investiga-
tion guiding the selection. However, she cautioned
that neither is totally adequate for the new world-
view and encouraged the development of new
methods.
Pattern manifestations have provided a com-
mon research focus, highlighting the need for tools
by which they can be measured. The earliest suchCHAPTER 13 Martha E. Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings 165