Chronic Pain,Meaning,and Spirituality: A Qualitative Study of the Healing Process in Relation to the Role of Meaning and Spirituality

Abstract

This qualitative study explores experiences of individuals with chronic pain in their attempt to find meaning in the presence of continual pain. Fifteen participants at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center were interviewed. Emerging themes from this study show that 1) meaning is initially defined as the ability to engage in productive activities and positive relationships; 2) chronic pain is perceived as the factor that removes meaning from the lives of sufferers; 3) medication is used to cope with pain, leading to addiction; 4) addiction results in greater loss of meaning; and 5) rediscovery of meaning takes place through a more complex understanding of the self that embraces suffering and thus is able to explain the interrelation of pain, emotions, and addiction. A change in self-understanding makes the reintegration of meaning possible.