The Mindful Body: A Phenomenology of the Body With Multiple Sclerosis
Hanneke van der Meide, Truus Teunissen, P.R. Collard, Merel A. Visse, Leo H. Visser
Qualitative Health Research September 10, 2018 DOI: 10.1177/1049732318796831 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People living with multiple sclerosis (MS) |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 39 |
| Key findings | The authors propose that the bodily experience of people with MS oscillates among four dimensions: bodily uncertainty, having a precious body, being a different body, and the mindful body. They argue that bodily presence need not produce alienation or discomfort, and that focusing attention on the body can cultivate well-being, with MS's negative effects only temporarily dominating experience. |
Abstract
For people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), one's own body may no longer be taken for granted but may become instead an insistent presence. In this article, we describe how the body experience of people with MS can reflect an ongoing oscillation between four experiential dimensions: bodily uncertainty, having a precious body, being a different body, and the mindful body. People with MS can become engaged in a mode of permanent bodily alertness and may demonstrate adaptive responses to their ill body. In contrast to many studies on health and illness, our study shows that the presence of the body may not necessarily result in alienation or discomfort. By focusing the attention on the body, a sense of well-being can be cultivated and the negative effects of MS only temporarily dominate experience. Rather than aiming at bodily dis-appearance, health care professionals should therefore consider ways to support bodily eu-appearance.
Comparable studies
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|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
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| 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 |