Clinical narrative and the painful side of conscious experience
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21592040 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jesús Ramírez-Bermúdez (0000-0003-2879-5258, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, corresponding author), Ximena A González-Grandón (0000-0002-7907-2386, Department of Education, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico), Rosa Aurora Chávez (Department of Education, Washington International Center for Creativity, Washington, DC, USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 353-377 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5089 • E-ISSN: 1465-394X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09515089.2024.2366417 |
| OpenAlex | W4399666740 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 32 |
This article explores a literary tradition situated at the intersection of scientific reports, memoirs, and creative writing, termed “clinical narrative.” This genre offers a profound approach to the painful aspects of conscious experience, particularly the phenomenological states associated with mental illness and brain disease, seen as unsettling landscapes of phenomenal experience. Through case studies providing multifaceted viewpoints – first-person, second-person, and third-person perspectives – we argue that clinical narratives are valuable resources for a transepistemic study of consciousness. By examining clinical conundrums such as somatic and nihilistic delusions, and anosognosia, we highlight the importance of detailed phenomenological, hermeneutic, and narrative accounts while acknowledging the significance of subpersonal, mechanistic models from cognitive and affective neuroscience. The tradition embodies the tension between the diverse perspectives in the field of mental health, including stories that directly challenge the medical discourse. However, the narrative arts can act as mediators or even peacemakers, by fostering an understanding between the opposing views. Stories are open to multiple interpretations, preserving the diversity of discourses on human meaning and avoiding the imposition of monolithic versions of our humanness
Aesthetics · Consciousness · Epistemology · Narrative · Psychotherapist · Situated · Sociology · Viewpoints · Empathy and Medical Education · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Pain Management and Placebo Effect · Philosophy · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |