Life-threatening illness is an assault on the whole person--physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. It frequently presents caregiver and sufferer with a paradox--suffering does not correlate with physical well-being alone. Drawing on a purposive sample of 21 participants, a phenomenological study was carried out to explore the relevance of the existential and spiritual domains to suffer...

BACKGROUND Existential and spiritual concerns are fundamental issues in palliative care and patients frequently articulate these concerns. The purpose of this study was to understand the process of engaging with existential suffering at the end of life. METHODS A grounded theory approach was used to explore processes in the context of situated interaction and to explore the process of existen...

Aging confronts humans with specific existential issues. They frequently cause suffering in old age. Not dealing with or insufficiently dealing with these existential themes may result in crisis, psychological disorders, and illness. By integrating existential themes of aging into the understanding of one's own life, the process of aging contributes to personal maturity.

Medical and psychological discourse on end-of-life care has steadily shifted over the years from focusing primarily on symptom control and pain management to incorporating more person-centred approaches to patient care. Such approaches underscore the significance of spirituality and meaning making as important resources for coping with emotional and existential suffering as one nears death. Tho...

In this paper, we suggest a psychological theory of dependency as an escape from feeling existential suffering and a poor quality of life. The ways in which human beings escape hidden existential pains are multiple. The wide range of dependency states seems to be the most common escape strategy used. If the patient can be guided into the hidden existential pain to feel, understand, and integrat...

This paper explores the essential features of recovery and the need for an existential approach in psychiatry. The biopsychosocial model often fails to sufficiently validate the existential suffering of patients. We review the major principles of recovery and the philosophical and psychiatric principles of existentialism. The ontological or intrinsic existential issues of death, isolation, free...