Training naive subjects in using micro-phenomenological self-inquiry to investigate pain and suffering during headaches.
Terje Sparby, Mira Leass, Ulrich Weger, Friedrich Edelhäuser
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology February 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12858 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Naïve subjects with headache experiences |
| Intervention | micro-phenomenological self-inquiry |
| Duration | Two sessions over one week |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | First-person perspective Headaches Introspection Training |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Micro-phenomenological self-inquiry enabled untrained subjects to produce richer descriptions of headache experiences and to distinguish the experience of pain from the experience of suffering. |
Abstract
Micro-phenomenology is a method that generates rich and reliable reports of singular experiences in their pre-reflective dimension. Usually it is employed using a second-person interviewer. In this study we attempted to train naïve subjects in using self-inquiry version of the method. 13 subjects met twice over the course of one week, investigating their experiences of headaches, looking specifically into the pain experience itself, the experience of suffering, and the experience of absence of suffering. The analysis showed that the subject reports increase the richness of description, measured by the increase in the amount of categories described and the number of words needed to give an on target description. The analysis, informed by the participant's ideas, showed that it was possible to distinguish the experience of pain from the experience of suffering. We compare the analysis to other phenomenological studies of headaches. This reveals the strength and weakness of the micro-phenomenological method: By de-focusing on contextual factors it enables in-depth descriptions of singular moments of experience, but the bracketing of interpretations may result in overlooking overarching meaning dimensions. We conclude that micro-phenomenological self-inquiry may potentially be employed successfully in a clinical setting with initially untrained subjects for describing certain kinds of experiences and answering complex phenomenological questions.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- The sense of certainty and the reliability of first person reports: An investigation using micro‐phenomenological self‐inquiry Scandinavian Journal of Psychology July 30, 2020
- The Third Wave of Meditation and Mindfulness Research and Implications for Challenging Experiences: Negative Effects, Transformative Psychological Growth, and Forms of Happiness Mindfulness June 11, 2025
- Toward a Unified Model of Advanced Meditation, Human Development, Meditation Maps, and Transtradition Metaphors: Facing Impermanence, Suffering, and Death Mindfulness July 29, 2025
- Micro-Phenomenology as Experientially Based Access to Consciousness Journal für Psychologie July 1, 2023
- The phenomenology of attentional control: a first-person approach to contemplative science and the issue of free will Frontiers in Psychology March 12, 2024
Cites 4
- Anticipating seizure: pre-reflective experience at the center of neuro-phenomenology. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2007
- Experiencing meditation - Evidence for differential effects of three contemplative mental practices in micro-phenomenological interviews. Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2018
- Exploring the subjective experience of the “rubber hand” illusion Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2013
- Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness November 29, 2006