Healing Connections: On Moving from Suffering to a Sense of Well-Being

Abstract

Life-threatening illness is an assault on the whole person--physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. It frequently presents caregiver and sufferer with a paradox--suffering does not correlate with physical well-being alone. Drawing on a purposive sample of 21 participants, a phenomenological study was carried out to explore the relevance of the existential and spiritual domains to suffering, healing, and quality of life (QOL). The phenomenological method was used to achieve an in-depth description of both existential suffering, and conversely, the experience of integrity and wholeness, in persons with life-threatening illness; identify "inner life" and existential contributors to suffering and subjective well-being in advanced illness; and develop a narrative account of these QOL extremes. The importance of meaning-based adaptation to advanced illness was supported, as were Frankl's sources of meaning and Yalom's sources of existential anguish. Divergent themes characteristic of the two QOL extremes were identified. Four types of "healing connections" involving a sense of bonding to Self, others, the phenomenal world, and ultimate meaning, respectively, were identified. They situated the participant in a context that was greater and more enduring than the self, thus leading to enhanced meaning and QOL. The assumptions underlying the construct "health-related QOL" are questioned.

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Arteterapia en el final de la vida

“…El sufrimiento tiene múltiples componentes, unos son evitables y por consiguiente se conseguirán aliviar, otros son inevitables porque es lo que solemos sentir los humanos ante nuestra finitud y por consiguiente se tratará de acompañarlos lo mejor posible (Mount et al, 2007). A pesar de los formidables avances realizados en el control del dolor y de otros síntomas físicos (Nabal et al, 2006), principalmente gracias al desarrollo de los tratamientos farmacológicos como los opioides y sus derivados, se ha señalado que aproximadamente un paciente de cada cinco presenta un síndrome de desmoralización.…”

“…Se expresa en tres ejes interrelacionados: 1) la relación con uno mismo o intrapersonal (sentimiento de integridad y encuentro de sentido a la propia existencia), 2) la relación con los demás o interpersonal (ser reconocido como persona y respetado en su dignidad, ser amado y amar, estar en armonía con las relaciones presentes y pasadas) y 3) la relación con el inconsciente colectivo o transpersonal (posibilidad de pervivir en sus obras, ser recordado y dejar un legado, tener confianza y esperanza: en el cosmos, la historia, un Ser Superior, Dios, etc.) (Mount et al, 2007;Benito et al, 2014).…”