Research Imitates Life: Researching Within Your Lived Experience

This personal narrative article seeks to bring awareness to and provide an overview of the various aspects that come with being a lived experience researcher including the host of benefits and challenges that come with conducting research within one's own area of lived experience. Throughout this narrative, we (Bethany Donaghy, an autistic person, and Delane Linkiewich a person living with chronic pain) share our perspectives on what it is like to be lived experience researchers. Our narratives discuss how the many identities we hold both improve the impact and relevance of our research while also posing challenges for us like the additional responsibilities we hold and the reflections we have to make. Most importantly, we present several recommendations to all researchers on how to promote inclusive spaces and increase respect and appreciation for the expertise that people with lived experience hold. This piece outlines critical considerations of what may be considered as best practice for future inclusive research and we encourage researchers to actively consider embedding these recommendations within their own working practice.