I am planning a research project to explore the experiences of people who have used homeopathy, and if you have used homeopathy yourself then I would be really grateful if you would consider taking part in my research.

I would like to interview people who have used homeopathy, have been pleased with the results, but have encountered negative reactions to your use of homeopathy from others. Perhaps your GP has advised you not to use homeopathy, perhaps friends or family have told you that you were wasting your time, or perhaps you got into an argument with someone on the internet. It doesn’t matter who reacted negatively to your use of homeopathy: I am interested in learning about how users of homeopathy experience negative reactions in general.

The research will take the form of a short interview of about 30 minutes (which can take place in a location of your choice), in which I will ask you about your experiences and how they seemed to you. I shall be using a phenomenological approach to the research, which means that I am interested in learning about your experiences from your own point of view, rather than trying to fit them into a pre-existing theory.

This research is part of a degree in social sciences that I am doing with the Open University. Specifically, it is part of a module in social psychology.

In the interests of transparency, I should tell you that I am sceptical of the benefits of homeopathy. However, my intention in this research is not to challenge your views about homeopathy, it is to come to a better understanding of them.

If you decide you want to take part but later change your mind, that is fine. In that case, any materials from your interview would be returned to you or destroyed, as you prefer, and your interview would not be used in my research.

Please be assured that your participation in the study would be kept strictly confidential.

If you are interested in taking part in my research or if you would just like to know more about about the project, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Adam Jacobs

Update 29 January 2015:

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered for this project. I now have enough data, and so I no longer need any more volunteers.