Supporting the Transformative Process: Experiences of Cancer Patients Receiving Integrative Care

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to describe the essential features of the transformative experience among people living with cancer who are seeking integrative care and to identify factors supporting this process. It is hoped that after establishing the nature and meaning of this change or shift, one will better understand what is most meaningful in terms of providing appropriate care and support to patients seeking integrative care. Study Design. An interpretational, qualitative approach guided sampling, data collection, and analysis with 11 individuals. A purposeful sample was drawn from selected integrative care facilities according to sociodemographics and type of cancer. Due to the complexity of this subject, second interviews were conducted with 5 participants to enhance the richness and validity of the data. Results. The experience of transformation is a dynamic 4-stage process in which participants learned about themselves and became more aware of who they are and how they relate to the world. Participants found that 4 dimensions of integrative medicine played a fundamental role in supporting this process. These dimensions include (1) having access to a range of appropriate therapies to support individual journeys, (2) care that focuses on one's overall well-being, (3) control over cancer management, and (4) developing healing relationships with care providers. Conclusion. Although practitioners may not be able to create transformative experiences for patients, they may be able to establish and maintain conditions that support this process.

Individualised and complex experiences of integrative cancer support care: combining qualitative and quantitative data

“…A longer term study could utilise a rolling series of MYCaW questionnaires to demonstrate changes in concerns and valued effects over time. Such studies may also throw more light onto the changes found by in-depth qualitative work, such as 'transformation' [26] and 'unstuckness' [31] which have not been elucidated in our work to date.…”

Positive Changes, Increased Spiritual Importance, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use Among Cancer Survivors

“…A study in the general population found that CAM users are more likely to report having had a transformational experience that changed how they saw the world. 16 Integrative medicine, defined as the integration of CAM and conventional medicine, can provide patients with a context in which transformation can occur 39 ; cancer as well can provide this context. Survivors find comfort in CAM's emphasis on the spiritual aspects of well-being.…”

Patients' Experiences and Perceptions of a Consultative Model Integrative Medicine Clinic: A Qualitative Study

“…16,[21][22][23][24][25] Yet, only 2 studies that focus on the outcomes associated with 2 IM practice models have been reported in the literature. Mulkins and Verhoef 26 described the healing experiences of 11 patients with cancer who received care in 3 different IM practices characterized as multidisciplinary. They stated that patients "became more aware of who they are and how they relate to the world" and described how patients moved through an evolutionary, transformative process of change that produced a shift in well-being and a changed worldview.…”