The lived body in schizophrenia: transition from basic self-disorders to full-blown psychosis.
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2015 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Phenomenological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with schizophrenia during their first psychiatric hospitalization |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Embodiment Intersubjectivity Schizophrenia Self-disorder |
| Key points | The authors argue that a structural element of schizophrenia is the diminishment of self-presence in experience, manifesting on both individual and social levels. They describe acute-phase "disembodiment," subjective anomalies of "ipseity" or pre-reflexive self-awareness, and secondary disturbances in consensual intersubjectivity leading to communication difficulties and withdrawal from the intersubjective world. |
Abstract
This paper provides the results of a phenomenological study of patients with schizophrenia during their first psychiatric hospitalization. The study aims at clarify aspects related to the diagnosis of schizophrenia and to reach a greater understanding of the illness, with a view to contribute to prevention and psychotherapeutic intervention models. First, the paper offers a description of the patients' "disembodiment" manifested in acute phases of schizophrenia. Second, it presents a description of the subjective anomalies that may be considered as disorders of "ipseity" or of pre-reflexive self-awareness. Third, the description is extended to encompass secondary disturbances to processes of establishing consensual intersubjectivity that lead to difficulties in shared communication practices and a progressive withdrawal from the intersubjective world. The conclusion states that a structural element, a key part of the personal processes involved in schizophrenia, is the diminishment of self-presence in experience, which manifests on both individual and social levels.
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 6
- A Phenomenological Paradigm for Empirical Research in Psychiatry and Psychology: Open Questions Frontiers in Psychology June 25, 2020
- Schizophrenia as a disorder of embodied self Psychiatria Polska April 30, 2018
- Disembodied Language in Early-Onset Schizophrenia. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022
- Towards a Phenomenological Understanding of Disembodiment in Schizophrenia Husserl Studies March 14, 2026
- From Body to Brain and Back: Multimodal Evidence for Interoceptive Alterations in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders medRxiv Preprint Server January 13, 2026
and 1 more in the library