A qualitative research conversation needs to include a critical examination of a study's relational dimension. Excerpts are presented from two doctoral dissertations that discuss the nature of the researcher-participant relationships formed through the studies. The first dissertation, "Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: Educational Portraits of Anorexic Women" by H. Busier (1997), explored the educational experiences of anorexic women to understand the roles of schools in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa in some women. The other dissertation, "Among Adults: An Exploration of Adult Student Learning Groups" by Y. Pigeon (1999), observed adult learning groups communicating and constructing stories about their collaborative learning experiences. In each paper, the nature of the researcher-participant relationships formed is essential to the study. (Contains 51 references.) (SLD)