existence of suffering in life is undeniable. but, why does suffering exist? what is its cause? are there any meanings for this life? is it possible to escape from suffering? dostoyevsky, who believes that suffering is an inherent element of human life, tries to represent the problem of suffering and men's reactions to it in his works. he believes that not only suffering does exist, but al...

BACKGROUND A majority of people in Western Europe and the USA die in hospitals. Spiritual and existential care is seen to be an integral component of holistic, compassionate and comprehensive palliative care. Yet, several studies show that many nurses are anxious and uncertain about engaging in spiritual and existential care for the dying. The aim of this study is to describe nurses' experience...

Advanced and progressive illnesses bring existential suffering to patients as an inevitable consequence of the disease and its treatment. Physicians need a typology of existential distress to aid its recognition and improved management. The major forms of existential challenge include (1) death anxiety, (2) loss and change, (3) freedom with choice or loss of control, (4) dignity of the self, (5...

the aim of this study was to empirically investigate the effect of death-awareness on state mindfulness and state integrative self-knowledge. for existentialists, confrontation with the fact of one’s personal death and tolerance of its inevitable anxiety is the most fundamental conflict of human beings. if such confrontation occurs, it leads to enhancement of one’s self-awareness. empirical tes...

OBJECTIVE The use of continuous sedation until death for terminally ill cancer patients with unbearable and untreatable psychological and existential suffering remains controversial, and little in-depth insight exists into the circumstances in which physicians resort to it. METHODS Our study was conducted in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK in hospitals, PCUs/hospices, and at home. We hel...

All terminally ill individuals should have access to palliative care that gives equal importance to all aspects of suffering. In spite of all the efforts made, some of these individuals will, unfortunately, be left with suffering described as "refractory". It would appear that palliative sedation then becomes an option. There is much controversy around this practice, especially when it is used ...

In recent years a large empirical literature has appeared on suffering at the end of life. In this literature it is recognized that suffering has existential and social dimensions in addition to physical and psychological ones. The non-physical aspects of suffering, however, are still understood as pathological symptoms, to be reduced by therapeutical interventions as much as possible. But suff...