Polysensoriality and Aesthetics: The Lived Sensory Experiences of Adults with Mental Illness

Abstract

Background. Research in neuroscience shows that adults with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders experience atypical sensory processing (e.g., deficits in sensory gating and mismatch negativity). Despite significant evidence proving these biomarkers are common among adults with serious mental illness, it is unclear how their sensory experiences impact their occupations in daily life (i.e., real-world implications of atypical sensory processing). Purpose. To explore how the lived sensory experiences of adults with psychotic disorders affect their occupations. Method. We used Walking with Video, photo-elicitation, and semi-structured interviews to study how the lived sensory experiences of adults with psychotic disorders ( N = 6) relate to their occupations. Informed by a phenomenological perspective, we analysed data from semistructured interviews, and undertook analyses through iterative rounds of coding to develop themes and two cycles of group reflective practices to identify researcher biases and assumptions. Findings. Analyses revealed the following themes: polysensoriality, embodied aesthetics of everyday life, habits of sensing and sensory anchors, and active sensory beings. Implications. In clinical contexts, occupational therapists should carefully consider the situatedness of sensory experiences while avoiding assumptions that sensory preferences and aversions mechanistically generalize across contexts and occupations.