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In response to Jones's (2022) article, we argue that if we understand personal construct psychology as being less rationalistic and more holistic than is often assumed, important synergies between it and Jungian analytical psychology can be observed. We argue that the two theories can be considered to align with each other on a number of points. These include taking a similar epistemological position, a recognition of psychological processes operating outside of immediate awareness, and the implications that these can have for personal change. We argue for a more "social" understanding of personal construct psychology than Jones allows for, and further suggest that possibilities for its alignment with social constructionism should not be understated. We conclude that both theories deserve greater visibility in the world of academic psychology, and argue for greater consideration of their potential use in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining adequate blood supplies requires the recruitment of a significant number of regular donors. However, research examining the first-hand experience of blood donation from the perspective of regular donors is very limited. This study sought to describe the essential features of this experience from the accounts of 10 regular donors, analysed using Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method. Eight essential themes contributed to the fundamental structure of the experience, emphasising issues of blood donor identity, comfortable routine, feeling good helping others and human connectedness and interaction in the donation process. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Empathic physician behaviour is associated with improved patient outcomes. One way to demonstrate empathy is through the use of non‐verbal communication (NVC) including touch. To date, research on NVC, and specifically touch, has been relatively limited in medicine, which is surprising given the central role it plays in conveying affective and empathic messages. To inform curriculum development on NVC, this study aimed to examine physicians' experiences of communicating by touch. Methods: We conducted an interpretative phenomenological study. A total of 15 physicians (seven women and eight men) from different specialties, including both recent graduates and experienced doctors, described in detail specific instances of touch drawn from their clinical practices. Interview prompts encouraged participants to recall exact details such as the context, their relationship with the patient they touched and their physical experience of touching. Interviews (45‐100 minutes) were analysed with template analysis, followed by a process of dialectic questioning, moving back and forth between the data and researchers' personal reflections on them, drawing on phenomenological literature to synthesise a final interpretation. Results: Participants described two dimensions of the experience of touch: 'choosing and inviting touch' and 'expressing empathy.' Touch was a personal and fragile process. Participants interpreted non‐verbal patient cues in order to determine whether or not touch was appropriate. They interpreted facial expressions and body language in the present to make meaning of patients' experiences. They used touch to share emotions, and to demonstrate empathy and presence. Participants' experiences of touch framed it as a form of embodied empathic communication. Conclusions: Touch is a powerful form of NVC that can establish human connection. Phenomenological accounts of empathy, which emphasise its embodied intersubjective nature, can be used to theoretically enrich pedagogical approaches to touch in medical education and to deepen our understanding of empathy. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what value hath a touch? The authors of this study describe how doctors communicate empathy through touch, raising awareness of why non‐verbal communication skill should be incorporated into communication skills training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses our use of a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology to explore the lived experience of feeling joyful. Semi-structured interviews were used to discuss two contrasting experiences of joy for each participant. Analysis was informed by van Manen's human science method, facilitated by King's template analysis. Our findings suggest that joy was a profoundly meaningful sense of positivity. Sometimes this feeling was fleeting, at other times it was described as a longer lasting experience. Regardless of duration, joy involved a desire to relinquish control which could be expressed as a freedom of movement, and could be enabled by the security that significant others provided. We discuss our findings in relation to distinctions previously drawn in the literature between happiness and joy and argue that, despite differences in experiences, the participants' accounts support an understanding of joy as a meaningful and social phenomenon which, though often unexpected, requires intentional engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicine as Embodied Practice: Bodily dysfunctions bring patients to their doctors and even diseases of the mind can originate in patients' bodies. Doctors respond by using their own bodies – hands, eyes, ears and sometimes noses – to make diagnoses and treat diseases. Yet, despite the embodied nature of practice, medicine typically treats the body as an object, paying scant attention to the subjective embodied experiences of patients and doctors. Much health professions education (HPE) reflects this, prioritising cognition over learners' sense of embodiment. Hence there is a gap between the embodied realities of practice and the disembodied nature of medical education. This article introduces readers to 'body pedagogics' as a framework that can help to re‐establish embodiment as a central principle of HPE. Body Pedagogics: This embodiment theory, drawn from sociology, anthropology and phenomenology, has informed such disparate fields as glassblowing education and military training. Body pedagogics emphasises learning as a physically embodied process. It illustrates how multisensory experience causes embodied changes that become an automatic part of physician expertise. We introduce core body pedagogic concepts using physical examination as an example, examining the bodily means of HPE, students' bodily experiences and the resulting bodily changes. Implications: Body pedagogics can help us to focus attention on embodiment as a central principle of HPE that transcends the discipline‐specific teaching of clinical skills. Moreover, it provides a set of conceptual foundations for an interdisciplinary practice within HPE with implications for instructional design. Body pedagogics can also help us to make strange the habits and disregarded aspects of embodied learning and in so doing help us to consider embodiment more critically and directly in practice and education, and in the ways we research them. In the lastest instalment of the Cross‐cutting edge series, Kelly et al. explore how physical experiences of learning shape health professional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Peabody's maxim ‘the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient’ inspired generations of doctors to relate humanely to patients. Since then, phrases such as ‘managed care’ have impersonalised caring. The term ‘patient‐centred’ was introduced to re‐personalise caring. Ironically, however, such terms have been defined by professionals’ preconceptions rather than patients’ experiences. Using patients’ experiences of doctors being (un)caring to guide doctors’ learning could reinvigorate caring. Interpretive phenomenology provides qualitative research tools with which to do this. Methods: Ten patients, purposively selected to have broad experiences of primary, secondary and tertiary health care, consented to participate. To stay close to their lived experiences, participants first drew ‘Pictor’ diagrams to represent relationships between themselves and professionals during remembered experiences of (un)caring. A researcher then used the depictions to structure in‐depth, one‐to‐one explorations of the lived experience of caring. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using template analysis. To remain very close to patients’ experiences, the researchers assembled a narrative description of the phenomenon of caring using participants’ own words. Results: Caring doctors were genuine. They allowed their own individuality to interact with patients’ individuality. This made participants feel recognised as individuals, not just diseases. Caring doctors listened and spoke carefully, encouraged expressions of emotion, were accessible and responsive, and formed relationships. These factors empowered participants to be actively involved in their own care. Little things like smiling, shaking hands, admitting uncertainty, asking a colleague for advice and calling a participant unexpectedly at home showed that doctors were prepared to ‘go above and beyond’. This was caring. Conclusions: These findings provide medical educators with an interpretation of caring that is truly patient‐centred. Coupling technical proficiency with human qualities – being genuinely empathic and respectful – within doctor–patient relationships is the essence of caring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to understand the eroticism of consensual bondage, discipline, dominance & submission and sadism & masochism (BDSM). Eroticism is considered a central feature of most sexual experiences, yet there is limited research that examines erotic components of BDSM as lived by practitioners themselves. By adopting an experiential approach to the study using phenomenological psychology, the lived experiences of BDSM practitioners were foregrounded in order to clarify erotic meanings and extend existing understandings of consensual BDSM. Nine frequent practitioners of consensual BDSM were interviewed, discussing specific accounts of their BDSM experiences. Template analysis was utilised to analyse data, within an interpretive phenomenological framework. Findings illustrated that one of the most important erotic aspects was the co-collaboration between practitioners in order to create, maintain and engage with the erotic fantasy. The unpacking of the complexity of eroticised power exchange that occurred when BDSM practitioners adopted their sexual roles was also an important finding to emerge from the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The community matron (CM) is often the key worker caring for patients with chronic, life-limiting, long-term conditions, but these patients are not always recognised as palliative cases. This study explored the experiences of CMs with regard to advance care planning (ACP) and ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decision-making to understand whether or not they felt adequately prepared for this aspect of their role, and why. Qualitative data were generated from six CMs using a broad interpretive phenomenological approach. Face-to-face recorded interviews were analysed using template analysis. The study found that although participants faced complex ethical situations around ACP and DNACPR almost on a daily basis, none had received any formal training despite the emphasis on training in national and local guidelines. Participants often struggled to get their patients accepted on to the Gold Standards Framework. The research found variability and complexity of cases to be the main barriers to clear identification of the palliative phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the lived experience of caring and care planning for a child with a life-limiting condition (LLC). Method: Using van Manen's conceptualisation of hermeneutic phenomenology, three focus groups were conducted with 21 paediatric palliative care professionals, and interviews were conducted with 20 parents of children with LLCs. Findings: Parents' expectations for support were raised by the diagnosis, but the reality could disappoint, which put pressures on professionals. Current service designs with respect to key working did not always coincide with family preferences. Both parents and professionals found that the care journey required them to shift personas to respond to different contexts. Conclusions: The findings are limited by the sample characteristics, but they provide insight for current policy and practice initiatives. The key worker needs to be mindful of historical care arrangements and be prepared to step into the family 'team' arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Social isolation and stigma are frequently reported by patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and relationships in the home environment with those close to the patients (their ‘significant others’) may thus be particularly important. Rather little attention has yet been paid to the beliefs and experiences of ‘significant others’ themselves in this context. This study sought to explore in-depth the beliefs and experiences of both patients and ‘significant others’ in relation to chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. Methods: In-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule designed around the core constructs of the Common-Sense Model of self-regulation were conducted with two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and their spouses. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse interview data. Results: Experiences of social interactions in relation to chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis with others outside of the relationship dyad emerged as a key issue for all participants when reflecting on their experiences of living with the condition. These concerns are presented under two themes: interactions with healthcare professionals and interactions with the social world. Conclusions: It is evident that significant others play an important role in the lived experience of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. For both patients and significant others, the wider social world and interactions with outside others may be important influences on dyadic coping in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. Both future research and treatment interventions could usefully include a ‘significant other’ perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2012: 46: 963-973 Context It is important to know how patients are affected by becoming opportunistically involved in medical student education. In previous studies, researchers rather than patients set the research agenda and expert patients or people well known to teachers were more often involved than ordinary people. Objectives This study aimed to explore how ordinary patients experience undergraduate medical teaching when they become involved in it opportunistically and to derive practical insights from the lived experiences of these patients. Methods The research was conducted in line with a conceptual orientation towards communities of practice theory and used phenomenology as a way of exploring patients' lived experiences in depth. Minimally structured interviews were carried out with 10 patients following ordinary out-patient or general practice appointments in which students were being taught. Template analysis was used to generate provisional themes and a process of phenomenological reduction was used to distil individual respondents' lived experiences to their essence. Results The presence of students in ambulatory consultations was normal. Nine respondents described transactional relationships in which they remained outside the community of practice of which the doctor and student were members. Only an intimate problem would engage them deeply enough for a student's presence to 'bother' them. One patient's personal and professional background led her to regard doctors' handling of consultation dynamics as factors contributing to whether teaching consultations were negative or positive experiences. When doctors' sensitive and inclusive behaviour drew her into a triadic relationship with the student and doctor, she experienced mutual benefits with students. When it did not, she felt objectified and alienated. Conclusions Provided they receive the clinical care for which they are attending a consultation and are treated respectfully, patients may sometimes willingly become 'objects' from which students learn. They may, however, become more deeply engaged in teaching consultations in which they participate actively in a triadic relationship of mutual benefit with a doctor and student. Teaching consultations call for doctors to be sensitive and adaptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:As medical technology has improved, there has been a marked increase in the numbers of children with life-limiting conditions being managed in the community. Few studies have evaluated the life worlds of the parents of these children. However, there have been studies that have reported feelings of isolation and depression among mothers. This article reports a study that highlights the mental health implications of the lived experience of parenting a child with a life-limiting condition.Method:Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 parents of children with life-limiting conditions and analyzed using a phenomenological method.Results:The essential meaning of the phenomenon “the lived experience of parenting a child with a life limiting condition” is understood as a full-time emotional struggle involving six continuous constituents: inner drive, feeling responsible, psychological effects, threatened self image, social withdrawal, and a fear of reaching the bottom line.Significance of results:Very little clinical attention is focused upon the wider issues that affect parents dealing with caring for a child with a life-limiting condition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an experiment in carrying out, as a group, a phenomenological analysis of a qualitative interview on the topic of mistrust. One in-depth interview was analyzed phenomenologically by each of the six members of our group. We then shared and discussed our individual analyses to generate a consensual analysis. Finally, additional or divergent perspectives were offered by individual group members to add further contextual and reflexive dimensions. We consider what we gained from this exercise and the difficulties encountered. We also reflect on the insights into the topic of mistrust produced by our analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A challenge for those involved in the education and professional development of health and social care practitioners is to find ways of encouraging and enabling them to critically reflect upon complex collaborative situations and consider how they might improve interprofessional relationships. To meet this challenge, we piloted and developed a reflective exercise derived from methods used in personal construct psychology (Hargreaves,1979; Salmon,1994), which has proved to be useful in three overlapping areas; research, professional development, and classroom teaching. To illustrate the technique, this paper presents a case study of one district nurse who used the method to help her examine complex interprofessional relationships when providing long-term community care. The reflective technique (which uses arrow-shaped cards displayed on large visual layouts) was found to provide a rich description of the individual's relationships. By employing the visual displays the district nurse was able to explore the meanings of professional identity and roles in terms of professional relationships, and to consider her intentions and actions within a complex multidisciplinary situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]