Existential Therapy & Chronic Pain
Existential Therapy & Chronic Pain
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Issue Date
2023-10-10
Authors
Eggen, Keith
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
Chronic pain is a poorly understood condition with rising rates of occurrence. Contemporary approaches to treating it are lacking. ET has been identified as an underutilized method for counselling chronic pain sufferers. This paper utilizes a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and a formal literature review. Areas of synergy are identified between chronic pain suffering and ET approaches. Specific ET approaches include daseinsanalysis, existential analytic, existential-humanistic, and existential-phenomenological. It explores topics such as death, freedom, meaning, and isolation. Existential-phenomenological therapy explores these categories through the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual worlds. Having outlined the historical limitations inhibiting the use of ET for chronic pain and the current factors supporting its application, the paper concludes with recommendations for future practice and a personal reflection.
Description
Keywords
existential therapy , chronic pain
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess