Chronically ill patients' experience of illness and healing relationships in integrative medicine

The increasing incidence of chronic illness and the popularity of integrative medicine approaches as treatment modalities require that we better understand the meaning that chronically ill patients attribute to their illness and treatment experience. This paper is based on a phenomenological study that sought to understand how nine chronically ill patients perceived their experience of living with their illnesses and receiving treatment at an integrative medicine clinic situated in an urban centre in Canada. Participants' accounts of how they experienced their health and illness were framed as contrasts between their past and present selves. Their experience of their relationships with and care received from providers at the integrative clinic was framed against the backdrop of their experiences in conventional medicine contexts. The findings indicate that participants' illnesses disrupted their life and sense of self. Declining health and influence of members in their social milieu were impetuses for joining the clinic, where participants developed enriched relationships with clinicians. These relationships allowed them to feel cared for and empowered. Following treatments at the clinic, participants experienced improvements in their health status, a return to their old or renewed sense of self, and hope for the future. We provide rich data from the participants' interviews, and we consider the implications of living with and receiving treatment for chronic illness. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.