Languages of Care in Narrative Medicine : Words, Space and Time in the Healthcare Ecosystem

This book explains how narrative medicine can improve evidence based medicine (EBM), making it more effective and efficient, giving patients better quality of life and offering more satisfaction to all health care providers. It discusses not only the disease experienced by the person who is ill, but also focuses on the context and the culture, and investigates how narrative medicine can make other disciplines around the globe more applicable, less manipulative, and more “scientific”. Only by integrating the narrative aspects, can EBM become more effective and efficient, with fewer uncured patients, more satisfied patients with a better quality of life, and satisfaction for all health care providers. Every chapter is divided into two main sections: the first presents the latest research in the field, with comments and interviews with experts, while the second section provides a list of practical exercises and tasks. The book is intended for anyone with an interest in caring for and curing patients: all care providers of care, physicians, general practitioners, specialists nurses, psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, providers of aid, healthcare managers, scientific societies, academics and researchers. Foreword......Page 6 Preface......Page 7 Human Dimension and Universe of Care: Squaring the Circle......Page 8 Structure of the Book......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Contents......Page 14 About the Author......Page 17 1: Narrative Medicine and Narrative Care: Developments in the Field—The State of Art of Narrative Methodologies in Healthcare, Success and Pitfalls as Well as New Perspective on Methodologies......Page 18 Practice Time......Page 28 References......Page 29 2: Narrative Medicine Encounters on Language and Linguistics: Natural Semantic Metalanguage and the Role of Universal Words in Health and Illness......Page 30 So Much in a Name......Page 31 Human Experience Through Universal Grammar and Protolanguage......Page 33 References......Page 41 Value of Structured Narratives......Page 42 Story of an Emerging Collaboration: Natural Semantic Metalanguage, Minimal English and Narrative Medicine......Page 45 The Pilot Study: An Early Report......Page 48 Final Remarks......Page 56 Practice Time......Page 58 Appendix: The New Narrative Medicine Storyline, Written in Minimal Italian/English......Page 59 References......Page 60 4: Between Narrative Medicine and Storytelling in the Healthcare Ecosystem: Narrative Medicine and Medical Humanities and Their Impact on Education and Training of Healthcare Providers......Page 62 When Fiction Is Necessary to Make the Unpleasant Truths of Narrative Medicine More Soothing......Page 65 The Core Concept......Page 67 Practice Time......Page 72 References......Page 73 5: Among Health, Illness and Time: Chronic Disease, Waiting Time, Recovery, Perception of Time and Resting Time......Page 75 Orlando, Virginia Woolf......Page 77 A Long Time to Feel Good......Page 79 Modern Life......Page 81 When Time Is Back and Forward: Cyclic Time and the Hours......Page 82 The Natural and Eco-friendly Nobel for Medicine......Page 85 Time, Young and Elder People......Page 88 What About Patients’ Perception of Time?......Page 90 References......Page 92 6: Curing the Language of Care: The Heaviness of the Prescriptive Jargon, Moving Towards a Lighter Language for Better Caring and Better Outcomes—Language, Music, Sound and Colour......Page 94 The Example of Smoking......Page 96 From Torture to Empathy......Page 97 The Lightness of Smile......Page 98 Other Languages of Care: Music and Sound......Page 99 Point of View of Patients and Family Members......Page 111 References......Page 112 7: The Environment for Wellbeing: The Need for Therapeutic Places of Care and the Languages of Proportions and Colours......Page 113 Practice Time......Page 126 References......Page 127 The Minotaur in the Labyrinth......Page 128 The PTSD Migrants and the Odysseus Syndrome......Page 132 The Point of View of Neurosciences on Trauma......Page 134 The Beauty and the Beast......Page 135 To Want to Live......Page 137 Do Not Want to Die......Page 139 Do Not Want to Live......Page 140 The Case of to Not Want to Live in Doctors......Page 142 Practice Time......Page 151 References......Page 152 9: Language of Emotions, with a Focus on Shame to Be Defeated: The Flower of Emotions and Their Role in a Post-contemporary Society......Page 154 Classification of Emotions According to Robert Plutchik......Page 155 Shame: An Undesired Emotion Not Enough Rewarded and Respected......Page 158 Patients’ Narratives on Shame and Coping......Page 159 Shame and Cancer......Page 161 Shame and the Healthcare Providers......Page 163 Medicine in Contemporary Society......Page 164 References......Page 165 10: The Language of Spirituality in the Pathway of Care. Hope, Good Relationships, Setting Priority, Inner Space and Divine Space, If Any. Patients’ Beliefs as a Starting Point to Engage in the Pathway of Care, Kindness and Compassion......Page 167 The Coping Factors......Page 168 Religion and Spirituality as Coping Factors for Recovery in Illness Time......Page 169 Religion......Page 170 Spirituality......Page 171 First Petal: Loving Relationship......Page 172 Third Petal: Meaning and Purpose of the Things We Value......Page 173 Fifth Petal: Flourishing and Finding Hope......Page 175 Practice Time......Page 184 References......Page 185 Glossary......Page 186 Case 1: The Ability to Communicate with Autistic People: Help from the Natural Semantic Metalanguage......Page 215 Conversation......Page 216 Special Interests......Page 217 Thinking Differently Can Be a Problem......Page 218 Case 2: The Difference Between Medical Language and Metaphoric Language for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease......Page 219 Caregivers......Page 220 Diagnosis and Care for Caregivers......Page 221 Activities of Daily Living for Caregivers......Page 222 The Diagnosis......Page 223 References......Page 226