Life after cancer treatment – existential experiences of longing

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to gain insight into existential longing as experienced by people treated for cancer. Method: An exploratory phenomenological–hermeneutical design was used, and data were collected through in-depth interviews with 21 people recruited from a cancer organization. Results: Three themes emerged: longing to be oneself, longing for relief from suffering, and longing for rootedness. The theoretical understanding of well-being developed by Todres and Galvin was used to illuminate how the life-fulfilling power of longing is inherent in dwelling–mobility. Conclusions: During the theoretical interpretation and discussion of these findings, a new analytic step revealed a state of uncertainty that can influence longing. The findings of this study may help fill the gap in the current health-care approach to cancer survivors by highlighting the importance of a new professional perspective of listening to patients describe their existential burden. Such an approach may create greater clarity and thereby allow longing to flow more freely towards future possibilities and well-being.

Cervical cancer survivors: The experiences of the journey

“…Overall, these trends indicate volatility in the emotional and behavioral coping process during the recovery period, after difficult and intensive treatments. Consistent with other cancer survivorship literature (Ueland et al, 2020), the recovery period among cervical cancer survivors raises existential questions and leads women to experience internal conflicts. On the one hand, they must cope with past experiences related to dealing with the difficult treatments they have undergone; on the other hand, they also cope with the desire to look ahead toward the future, and even grow as a result of the difficulties experienced because of the disease.…”

The chase to be vaccinated and aggressive new strains: how protraction of the COVID pandemic is affecting resilience

“…We understand how unseen psychological threats affect people. One prime example is observed in cancer patients, especially in the hundred days following the cancer diagnosis [1]. However, as clinicians, we have learned and adapted care pathways to ameliorate harm [2].…”

The Looming Cancer: A Qualitative Study on the Experience of Living with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) before the Initiation of Treatment

“…As cancer confronts one with the fnitude of life, one's fundamental sense of security is also threatened, it limits their freedom, and autonomy is placed [11]. Tus, death anxiety, fears of recurrence, demoralization, and hopelessness often ensue [12][13][14].…”