Humanity is overwhelmingly in denial about the \u2018biological annihilation\u2019 facing the other species on the planet, heirs to a 13.8 billion year shared history. This paper argues that these questions can be addressed through action research, an ethical research practice, focused on issues of pressing concern to humans and the ecological communities of which they are part. At the heart of the paper is a story, which takes the reader on the author\u2019s 20-year journey to cross a threshold into empathy with the more-than-human world. The story is presented as a worked example of a first person practice demonstrating how, in the face of denial within us all, it is possible to stop, bear witness and to seek positive outcomes. Located within action research and its qualities, the characteristics of bearing witness are explored, resulting in a potential definition, description and critical appreciation. Finally the paper argues that first person inquiry into bearing witness needs to become a bedrock for practice across society and offers recommendations for how this might be achieved. –\u00a0Abstract provided on behalf of the author,\u00a0Helena Mary Kettleborough<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n