The meaning of acceptance (Thum‐jai) in Thai people: Letting it go…so life goes on

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the meaning of acceptance (Thum-jai) as a culturally embedded coping strategy in the lives of Thai people who have experienced adversity that caused suffering. Thematic analysis was used to examine the responses of 47 participants to written, open-ended questions or face-to-face interviews. The EQUATOR's COREQ checklist for qualitative research was followed. Participants came from diverse religious' traditions and geographic regions throughout Thailand. Findings revealed seven themes: circumstance and emotion; thought and action; time, experience, and effort; social and moral support; religious and spiritual ethos; acceptance and hope; and survive and thrive. The adverse circumstance is central to the concept of acceptance. Before acceptance, there is often hope; yet Thai people reach an existential point whether to accept the reality of the situation or continue in distress. Purposeful approaches to deal with the event flow from the cultural contexts of spirituality and social support. Drawing upon psychological strength, Thai people undertake purposive thought and action to facilitate redirecting their lives for better mental health. Thum-jai brings release and peace of mind. Clinicians may find that people experiencing adverse life events are best served by nondirective approaches. Acceptance and change in thoughts and behaviours may come from meditation and therapeutic mindfulness practices that allow those in Western and non-Western cultures to use their own values, expressions, and societal expectations to cope with suffering and formulate effective decisions.

Suffering experiences of people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A meta‐ethnographic study

“…The identified movements toward transcendence and resilience corroborated results reported in studies that rejected the idea that suffering can be treated as a reductionist cause and effect relationship (Filhour, 2017; Mills et al, 2019; Svenaeus, 2014). When a person's suffering is judged in advance, the hypothesis that this experience has a negative meaning is made and, when searching for evidence to support the hypothesis, researchers borrow a method from empirical science that can pathologize suffering by turning it into a psychological symptom (Svenaeus, 2014).…”

“Like a wake-up call for humankind”: Views, challenges, and coping strategies related to public health measures during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Thailand

“…These socio-culturally embedded beliefs and practices played a significant role in participants' attempts to cope with COVID-19, making them feel more resilient and at peace in the face of uncertainty and loss. Mills and colleagues describe the Thai culturally embedded coping strategy of acceptance ('Thum-jai') as "accepting and letting go of the negative situation, forgetting the bad feeling, calming or steadying the mind, and developing patience and understanding" [86], finding that the emotion-based coping strategy of 'Thum-jai' helped Thai people develop purposeful approaches of thinking and acting in light of adverse events which cannot be changed [87]. Our findings also echo other research on the positive association between social support and coping from Thailand (e.g., HIV [88], breast cancer [89,90] and COVID-19 [91]) and internationally (e.g., religious coping in the context of COVID-19 [92][93][94][95], healthy ageing [96] and terminal illness [97]), highlighting the important and beneficial role of spirituality and religion in coping with adverse health events and crises.…”

Decision to Withdraw Life- Sustaining Treatments: The Experience of Thai Family Caregivers

“…Thum-jai is culturally embedded in Thai society; it is a religious coping strategy used by Thai people when confronting a stressful and unescapable event (Mills et al, 2017). Furthermore, Thum-jai is a subjective concept of acceptance that necessitates conscious thought, a willingness to live in the moment, the realization that one cannot alter an unpleasant or undesirable reality, and the need to come up with strategies for thriving (Mills et al, 2019). For our participants, the decision they had to make for their relatives’ health care at the end of their life constituted a major and irreversible life event.…”