Stories of despair: a Kierkegaardian read of suffering and selfhood in survivorship

Knox, Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard

doi:10.1007/s11019-019-09908-4

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…It may also be difficult to see clearly what life is like and what one longs for because life feels different and there are significant health challenges to handle in everyday life. As observed in other studies, living with uncertainty may lead to a feeling of otherness or something unknown, which cancer survivors may feel unable to avoid or manage (Ellingson & Borofka, 2020 ; Hvidt, 2017 ; Knox, 2020 ). At its extremes, uncertainty may increase the burdens of life, and being uncertain about oneself and one’s place in the world may threaten one’s existence (Peters et al, 2017 ; Van Den Bos, 2009 ).…”

Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Through one’s innermost longing, it might be possible to experience a transition and slow transformation of self as a long-lasting inner movement (Galvin & Todres, 2013 ). This suggests that people may be able to move beyond the experience of cancer through self-reflection and an awakening of selfhood (Knox, 2020 ). This movement could be facilitated by acknowledging one’s uncertainty as caused by the losses and embodied health challenges, and using this self-knowledge to move beyond the uncertainty and, hopefully, towards a more existential well-being.…”

Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the research on life after cancer treatment is limited to symptom-based measures focused primarily on psychosocial needs, particularly anxiety and depression (Tindle et al, 2019 ). To our knowledge, few research studies have focused on the embodied existential lived experiences associated with life after cancer treatment (Ellingson, 2017 ; Ellingson & Borofka, 2020 ; Hvidt, 2017 ; Knox, 2018 , 2020 ; Mikkelsen et al, 2008 ; Tindle et al, 2019 ). Our study was initiated to obtain knowledge about existential longing and to initiate a discourse for people after cancer treatment that is more broadly representative of this group (Tindle et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life after cancer treatment – existential experiences of longing

Ueland

Rørtveit

Dysvik

et al. 2020

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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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.

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Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Life after cancer treatment – existential experiences of longing

Ueland

Rørtveit

Dysvik

et al. 2020

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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“…Our study reveals a variety of illness expressions that touch upon serious existential postcancer challenges. Cancer might disrupt the lifeworld experienced in the form of a disconnect with the self, alienation with the self and bewilderment (18). The term ‘cancer survivor’ ineffectively captures the different phases of the cancer journey and fails to serve well those it is meant to describe (19).…”

Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These interviewees experienced living in a different world, one that was impossible to understand when their bodies were depleted, and were not fully functional. Experiences after cancer treatment therefore appear to disrupt the inner equilibrium (18), and these individuals appear to live life in a state of liminality (i.e. a space between two living spaces) (20).…”

Section: Theoretical Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homeworld/Alienworld: a qualitative study about existential experiences after cancer treatment

Ueland

Dysvik

Rørtveit

et al. 2020

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

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Background As a group, cancer survivors experience significant vulnerability and existential challenges. The biomedical approach dominating health care is insufficient to meet such existential challenges in an individualistic, holistic way. Objective This study aimed to explore the existential experiences of those treated for different cancers. Methods An exploratory phenomenological–hermeneutical design was used to obtain an understanding of existential experiences after cancer treatment. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews with 21 individuals who represented a purposive sample and were recruited from a cancer organisation. Results Three overriding themes emerged from the phenomenological–hermeneutical analysis are as follows: Experiencing an unfamiliar tiredness; Experiencing not being fully oneself; and Experiencing a feeling of being alone. Conclusions Existential suffering after cancer treatment involves living on the edge of the old homeworld and the experience of a new alienworld. Individuals undergoing such suffering need a transformational process, from the alienworld to the homeworld, which must be supported by the healthcare system. Implications for practice To facilitate the transformational process, healthcare professionals should communicate with patients throughout their cancer journey about how their existential experiences have been integrated into their lifeworld, allowing them to tell their own story from the perspective of lifeworld brokenness.

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