The Lived Experiences of Palliative Care Professionals in Cultivating Mindfulness: A Phenomenological Study

Palliative care professionals who practice mindfulness experience it not merely as a self-regulation technique but as an existential epiphany that fosters self-acceptance and new life experiences. Through in-depth interviews with eleven professionals—physicians, nurses, psychologists, and a spiritual care provider—two major themes emerged: first, the need for self-care amid emotional burden, including guilt, self-doubt, emotional contagion of grief, and reflections on their own fragility; second, the transformative impact of mindfulness, including reconnection with the body, shifts in personal values, self-acceptance, and liberation. Mindfulness offers hope for self-care and empowerment in this demanding field.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the essence of the lived experiences of palliative care professionals in cultivating mindfulness, with a focus on the meaning of mindfulness in their lives and how mindfulness is experienced throughout their process of caring for others. Design: This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Methods: Eleven palliative care professionals (three physicians, four nurses, three psychologists, and one spiritual care provider) partook in in-depth interviews. Data were collected from the in-depth interviews and analyzed according to the method of Giorgi. Findings: Two major themes emerged from this study. First, the palliative care professionals realized the need for self-care amid emotional burden, including recognizing their feelings of guilt and self-doubt, emotional contagion of grief, reflections of others’ fragility on themself, and their self-imposed limitations. Second, they noticed the transformative impact of mindfulness on them, including detecting reconnection with their body, changes in their personal values, self-acceptance, and liberation. Conclusion: Palliative care professionals can cultivate self-acceptance and facilitate entirely new life experiences through the practice of mindfulness. For them, mindfulness is not merely a self-regulation technique but an existential epiphany, offering hope for self-care and empowerment.