Many people have chronic pain yet little is known about what it is like to live with pain on a permanent basis and how this experience affects people. This article reports the findings of a phenomenological study into the meaning of chronic pain for 14 people who were attending a pain management programme in New Zealand. The data for the study comprised artwork produced by the participants in the course of the programme and their explanation of its meaning.
Five main themes emerged from the data analysis: gaining pain and losing self, redefining self, identity through others, being hopeful and being on a journey. The study found a strong association between participation in valued occupation, the maintenance and redefinition of identity, experiencing oneself as competent and being hopeful about the future. The research process supported the use of art as an expressive medium in occupational therapy.
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