Expressions of vitality affects and basic affects during art therapy and their meaning for inner change

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.The aim of this study was to describe the occurrence of vitality affects and basic affects and to shed light on their importance in terms of patients’ inner change through art therapy. In an earlier study, where 17 women were interviewed about inner change through art therapy, a secondary deductive content analysis of images and statements was performed exploring the presence of vitality affects and basic affects. Nine of the 17 interviews contained clear descriptions of vitality affects and basic affects in the intersubjective communication between the patient and the therapist; these affects were also mirrored in the patients’ painted images. Three cases are used to illustrate the result and how affects are related to inner change. These three cases differ from each other in that they describe vitality affects either; arising from the art therapist’s empathetic verbal or non-verbal response, from a particular experience in nature, or from the interpreted symbolic language of the image. The common denominator identified as uniting the three cases was the intersubjective communication with the therapist. This study indicates that image making in art therapy gives rise to vitality affects and basic affects that contribute to inner change. It also indicates the importance of having trust in both the method and the art therapist.publishedVersio

Å skrive om trøst og livsmot

I situasjoner hvor livet byr på utfordringer, motgang og lidelse har gode mellommenneskelige relasjoner som preges av et oppmerksomt nærvær stor betydning for hvordan vi mestrer livet. Trøsten som formidles i slike relasjoner kan få stor betydning for livsmot og håp. På lik linje kan naturen og steder som vi setter pris på, være et fristed hvor vi kan samle oss og finne trøst. Trøstens elementære betydning har vært gjenstand for filosofiske og religiøse betraktninger og har gitt opphav for litterære verk, billedkunst og musikk. I denne innledningen til temanummeret «Trøst» gir vi en kort beskrivelse av dette fenomenet. I tillegg oppsummeres temanummerets åtte bidrag, de fleste skrevet av medlemmer i forskningsgruppen Liv og Livsmot ved UiT, Norges arktiske universitet. Bidragsyterne beskriver sine erfaringer med trøst i en helsefaglig, sosialfaglig eller livsfilosofisk kontekst

Out of the wave: The meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by tourists who experienced the tsunami on 26 December 2004 and lost loved ones. A lifeworld approach, inspired by the French philosopher Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception, was chosen for the theoretical framework. This catastrophe totally changed the survivors' world within a moment. In this new world, there were three main phases: the power of remaining focused, a life of despair, and the unbearable becoming bearable. Life turns into a matter of making the unbearable bearable. Such challenging experiences are discussed in terms of the philosophy of Weil, Jaspers, and Merleau-Ponty. The survivors of the tsunami catastrophe were facing a boundary situation and “le malheur,” the unthinkable misfortune. Even at this lowest level of misfortune, joy is possible to experience. This is part of the survivors' ambivalent experiences of their lifeworld. In this world of the uttermost despair there are also rays of hope, joy, and new life possibilities

Caring and non-caring consolation

Syftet med avhandlingen är att, ur ett vårdvetenskapligt, och ett i detta inkluderat vårdteologiskt perspektiv, belysa innebörden av fenomenet tröst och hur tröst förhåller sig till lidande och vård. Det görs i två empiriska intervjustudier med vårdare och äldre vårdtagare samt en tredje delstudie som analyserar tröst såsom den framstår i Jobs bok i Gamla testamentet. Dessa delstudier behandlar vårdares upplevelse av tröst och att trösta, äldre vårdtagares upplevelse av tröst samt Jobs upplevelse av tröst. Metodologiskt har forskningen sin utgångspunkt i fenomenologi och hermeneutik. En fenomenologisk-hermeneutisk metod, inspirerad av Paul Ricoeur, har använts för textanalyserna. I avhandlingen behandlas också det som är signifikant för poetisk och religiös text. De metaforer som förekommer i de empiriska delstudierna med vårdare och äldre analyseras för att ta tillvara det överskott av mening som metaforer, enligt Ricoeur, kan uttrycka. Resultatet visar fem övergripande innebörder: Den motsägelsefulla trösten, Den sammanbindande trösten, Den stumma trösten, Den okontrollerade trösten och Den vilsamma trösten. En vårdande tröst är motsägelsefull såtillvida att den innebär dels att den lidande överlämnar sitt lidande till någon annan, dels att lidandet kan ges tillbaka för att lidas. Tröst kan således vara att lida. En sammanbindande tröst är närvarande, d.v.s. är hos den lidande och utgår från dennes lidande. Denna tröst kännetecknas av djup gemenskap, en upplevelse av att vara förstådd på ett djupare sätt. Resultatet visar också en tröst som är stum. Denna tröst svarar inte an på den lidandes upplevelse av sitt lidande, är oformlig och saknar följsamhet för lidandet. Ett exempel på en stum och icke-vårdande tröst är vännernas tröst i Jobs bok. Denna tröst förmår inte trösta därför att den inte är där Job är, d.v.s. i hans upplevelse av sitt lidande. Vidare framstår en vårdande tröst som okontrollerad därför att den dels är spontan, dels bistår den lidande att släppa kontrollen över lidandet. Att släppa kontrollen innebär bl.a. att den lidande ger upp försöken att förstå lidandet för att istället låta det oförståeliga vara oförståeligt. Genom att ge upp det som på olika sätt binder lidandet infinner sig en tröstande och hälsobringande vila i eller från lidandekampen. Resultatet som helhet tolkas ur ett vårdvetenskapligt perspektiv som vårdgemenskap, tro, hälsa och offer. Tröst som hälsa förstås utifrån en teoretisk modell, inspirerad av Katie Erikssons ontologiska hälsomodell. Filosofiskt-etiskt belyses forskningen utifrån företrädesvis Emmanuel Levinas. Resultatet diskuteras i förhållande till tidigare forskning och i förhållande till vårdvetenskap, samhälle och vård.The aim of the thesis is, from a caring science perspective including a caring theology perspective, to illustrate the meaning of the phenomenon consolation and how consolation relates to suffering and care. Two studies were completed where staff and elderly care receivers were interviewed and a third study focused on an analysis of consolation as it is presented in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. These studies deal with carers’ experiences of consolation and consoling, elderly care receivers’ experiences of consolation, and Job’s experience of consolation. Phenomenology and hermeneutics form the basis for the methodological approach. A phenomenological-hermeneutic method, inspired by Paul Ricoeur, has been used for the text analyses. The thesis also covers significant aspects of poetical and religious texts. The metaphors that occur in the interview studies with the carers and the elderly are analysed in order to take care of the excess of meaning that,according to Ricoeur, can be expressed in metaphors. The result show five overall meanings: The contradictory consolation, The bonding consolation, The mute and rigid consolation, The uncontrolled consolation and The restful consolation. A caring consolation is contradictory in the sense that it entails that the sufferer on the one hand passes on his or her suffering to someone else and on the other hand that the suffering can be returned to be suffered. Consolation can thus entail suffering. The bonding consolation is present, i.e. is with the sufferer and is based on that person’s suffering. This consolation is characterised by a close fellowship, a feeling of being understood at a deeper level. The results also reveal a consolation that is mute and rigid. This consolation does not respond to the sufferer’s experience of his or her suffering, is shapeless and therefore unable to follow the suffering. An example of a mute, rigid and non-caring consolation is the consolation of the friends in the Book of Job. This consolation is not capable of consoling because it does not correspond to where Job is, i.e. in his experience of his suffering. A caring consolation is also uncontrolled because it is on the one hand spontaneous and on the other hand helps the sufferer to lose control over the suffering. To lose control entails, amongst other things, the sufferer giving up trying to understand suffering and instead lets that which is incomprehensible be incomprehensible. A consoling and health-bringing rest in or from the struggle with suffering presents itself by giving up what in various ways is tied to the suffering. The result as a whole is interpreted from a caring science perspective with the following important concepts: caring relationship, faith, health and sacrifice. Consolation as health is considered on the basis of a theoretical model inspired by Katie Eriksson’s ontological health model. The research is also illustrated from a philosophical-ethical perspective, mainly based on the work of Emmanuel Levinas. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research and also to caring science, society and care.With English summary</p

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“Don’t stop believing!” From health religiosity to an equality-enhancing hermeneutic of health promotion

Purpose: Health beliefs are usually regarded as subjective understandings of one’s health. They can, however, be re-interpreted by drawing on the understanding that the structural features of the health discourse resemble the characteristics of a religion and on the spiritual dimension of health with its possibly salutogenic influence. The applicability of the notion of“health religiosity” and its consequences for individual health promotion are explored. Method: Data consist of already existent semi-structured interviews. These have been reana- lyzed in a deductive-hermeneutical way by using a five-dimensional concept of religiosity as deductive template. Results: The concept of religiosity proved to be productive and revealed that all health dimensions in the case are infused with spiritually ennobled ideas. Conclusion: We conclude that, irrespective of their factual accuracy, the salutogenic potential of ennobled ideas may best be utilized by understanding them hermeneutically. An explora- tion of a narrative hermeneutic approach to individual health promotion is suggested as the merging of meaning horizons in a hermeneutic dialogue is expected to increase awareness of spiritualized aspects of health beliefs. This may mitigate healthism and health disparities. Moreover, three challenges for individual health promotion are anticipated: realizing the situation, recognizing its complexity and resisting a simplistic practical approach. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group

Nurses' consolation : a grounded theory study

To date, consolation has not been clearly defined in nursing science. The purpose of this study was to identify the phenomenon of consolation from the perspective of practising nurses. Data from interviews with 21 nurses were analysed by means of the grounded theory approach. Consolation comprised supportive consolation, avoiding consolation, insufficient consolation and inaccessible consolation, which were integrated into the nurses’professional approach and personal outlook. More basic research is required in order to illuminate the meaning of the phenomenon of consolation with focus on supportive consolation as well as the non-consolation phenomenon comprising the so-called avoiding, insufficient and inaccessible consolation. In order for nurses to be able to prescribe, carry out and evaluate consoling care which alleviates patient suffering, there is a need for further knowledge of what constitutes and does not constitute consolation

Nurses' consolation : a grounded theory study

To date, consolation has not been clearly defined in nursing science. The purpose of this study was to identify the phenomenon of consolation from the perspective of practising nurses. Data from interviews with 21 nurses were analysed by means of the grounded theory approach. Consolation comprised supportive consolation, avoiding consolation, insufficient consolation and inaccessible consolation, which were integrated into the nurses’professional approach and personal outlook. More basic research is required in order to illuminate the meaning of the phenomenon of consolation with focus on supportive consolation as well as the non-consolation phenomenon comprising the so-called avoiding, insufficient and inaccessible consolation. In order for nurses to be able to prescribe, carry out and evaluate consoling care which alleviates patient suffering, there is a need for further knowledge of what constitutes and does not constitute consolation