The Endogenous Healing Process in Black Women

Abstract

Healing is a term utilized in health care; however, understanding of this inherent process has been minimal. Knowledge of the client's own process of healing is important to advance nursing science and to alter health care approaches used to enhance the client's own innate processes. The art of nursing has long utilized the concept of healing; now, the science of nursing needs to systematically identify recurring elements of healing. The purpose of this paper is to identify the existence and characteristics of an endogenous healing process.

Two qualitative strategies, audiotaped semistructured interviews and a daily health diary, were utilized to obtain information about the women's healing process. The sample consisted of forty–two southern Black adult women between the ages of 22 and 58. Thirty women were asymptomatic and twelve were symptomatic.

Taped interviews were transcribed and examined in a cross–comparative method. Results show that several aspects of the endogenous healing process emerged and achieved theoretical clarification: awareness, appraisal and alignment. Two additional concepts emerged which need further clarification.