Shaping of ‘Embodied Expertise’ in Alternative Medicine

Pedersen, Inge Kryger; Baarts, Charlotte

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73939-7_11

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Users place special importance on the CAM consultation, reported in one study to be four times longer than biomedical consultations (Weiss & Lonnquist, 2006 in Pedersen et al., 2016). Users particularly value the deep listening, emotional support and dialogue with practitioners and describe being given control over their wellbeing through CAM's emphasis on self‐healing (Baarts & Pedersen, 2009; Danell, 2015; Pedersen & Baarts, 2018; Pedersen et al., 2016; Sointu, 2012).…”

Section: Health Empowerment and The Self In Cammentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Australia, for instance, 36% of people report visiting an acupuncturist, naturopath, chiropractor or other CAM practitioner, despite needing to pay out‐of‐pocket for these therapies which are not accessible through the government‐funded health system (Steel et al., 2018). Research shows that the CAM consultation holds a particular appeal, being longer than standard medical appointments and more personalised and patient‐centred (Broom, 2009; Pedersen & Baarts, 2018; Sointu, 2012). CAM users feel empowered by CAM's emphasis on self‐healing, with social scientists linking such empowerment to wider notions of self‐responsibility in neoliberal health discourses (Barcan, 2011; Fries, 2008; Sointu, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The salutogenic gaze: Theorising the practitioner role in complementary and alternative medicine consultations

Brosnan

Tickner

Davies

et al. 2023

Sociology Health & Illness

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Research on why people use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) shows clients value the CAM consultation, where they feel listened to and empowered to control their own health. Such ‘empowerment’ through CAM use is often theorised as reflecting wider neoliberal imperatives of self‐responsibility. CAM users' perspectives are well studied, but there has been little sociological analysis of interactions within the CAM consultation. Specifically, it is unclear how user empowerment/self‐knowledge relates to the CAM practitioner's power and expert knowledge. We address this using audio‐recorded consultations and interviews with CAM practitioners to explore knowledge use in client‐practitioner interactions and its meaning for practitioners. Based on our analysis and drawing on Foucault (1973), The Birth of the Clinic: an archaeology of medical perception and Antonovsky (1979), Health, Stress and Coping, we theorise the operation of power/knowledge in the CAM practitioner‐client dyad by introducing the concept of the ‘salutogenic gaze’. This gaze operates in the CAM consultation with disciplining and productive effects that are oriented towards health promotion. Practitioners listen to and value clients' stories, but their gaze also incorporates surveillance and normalisation, aided by technologies that may or may not be shared with clients. Because the salutogenic gaze is ultimately transferred from practitioner to client, it empowers CAM users while simultaneously reinforcing the practitioner's power as a health expert.

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