Fysioterapeuten (Aug 2022)
From chaos to a sense of coherence and meaning: Patient-experiences with Norwegian psychomotor physiotherapy
Abstract
Purpose: To explore patients with complex disorders`experiences with Norwegian Psychomotor Physiotherapy (NPMF). Methodology: Semi-structured, qualitative interviews with four former patients from different hospital wards. Analysis: transverse data-driven analysis. Findings: The informants had been tormented with various and complex disorders over several years. Despite countless investigations and treatments, they had been getting progressively worse. They describe a chaos of symptoms, feelings and thoughts, from which they had no idea how to escape. Health service follow-ups, which was intended to help, had rather helped to amplify the experience of chaos. The treatment process with NPMF is described as treatment process which creates meaning for the individual, where they learned to understand their own body and symptoms in new ways. When the symptoms and ailments was given a new meaning, it also became easier to take care of themselves and their health. The informants describe being able to understand and look after oneselves as much more important than the absence of illness and ailments. A good therapeutic relationship is highlighted as crucial to a meaningful treatment process. Conclusion: Treatment with NPMF contributed to patients with complex disorders experiencing reduced ailments and increased ability to take care of themselves. A meaningful treatment process appears to be a prerequisite for these changes. The findings of this study challenges the biomedical perspective of body and disease.
