The Experience of Viewing Oneself in the Mirror After a Mastectomy

Freysteinson, Wyona M.; Deutsch, Amy S.; Lewis, Carol; Sisk, Angela; Wuest, Linda; Cesario, Sandra K.

doi:10.1188/12.onf.361-369

Cited by 26 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Results from that same study implied staff training and guidance were needed to improve staff confidence in helping an individual view self in a mirror after a burn injury. Two phenomenological studies have provided a foundation for the moment of viewing self in the mirror (Freysteinson, 1994;Freysteinson et al, 2012). In both of these studies, the experience of viewing self in the mirror for women who were terminally ill and for women who had a mastectomy had three moments: decision, seeing, and consent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a literature review, a synthesis of qualitative anecdotes from individuals with visible differences revealed the mirror recovery experience might be difficult (Freysteinson, 2009). A study of viewing self in the mirror for women who had a mastectomy revealed that the phenomenological interpretation of the experience had four key themes: I am unique, decision, seeing, and consent (Freysteinson et al, 2012). These themes were also found in a study of viewing self in the mirror for terminally ill women (Freysteinson, 1994).…”

Section: Prestudy Knowledge and Understandingmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Study of the Amputee Experience of Viewing Self in the Mirror

Freysteinson

Thomas

Sebastian-Deutsch

et al. 2017

Rehabilitation Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: To describe the trajectory of viewing self in a mirror after an amputation and participants' perceptions of what health care professionals should know about mirrors. Design: Hermeneutic phenomenology Methods: Focus groups were conducted to collect the research data. Findings: The mirror experience had three key moments: decision, seeing, and consent. The trajectory of viewing self in a mirror had four key themes: mirror shock, mirror anguish, recognizing self, and acceptance: a new normal. Participants' recommendations for introducing the mirror after an amputation and using a mirror to avoid skin breakdown and infection, and correct gait and balance are described. Conclusions: This study provides a unique viewpoint into the world of those who have suffered amputation of a limb. Clinical Relevance: Rehabilitation nurses and other health care professionals are encouraged through these participants to consider the effect and value of mirrors when caring for those who have had an amputation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prestudy Knowledge and Understandingmentioning

confidence: 95%

A Study of the Amputee Experience of Viewing Self in the Mirror

Freysteinson

Thomas

Sebastian-Deutsch

et al. 2017

Rehabilitation Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The third element is consent. Consent to what one has seen in the mirror was accompanied by great suffering for all participants: One woman said she sat in her bathtub for hours crying after seeing her mastectomy site in the mirror (4). A randomized control pilot study was conducted to study the feasibility of a mirror program to prepare women for a mastectomy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Mirror Intervention for the Postmastectomy Mirror Experience

Freysteinson¹

2015

IJWHR

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

T hrough my research, I have come to understand that women who have undergone a significant body change due to trauma, surgery, or disease find viewing their bodies in a mirror is an emotionally charged, distressing experience. In this editorial, I focus on the experience of viewing self in the mirror postmastectomy, a nursing education intervention gleaned from an understanding of this experience, and this debate: Should we wait on randomized control trials (RCTs) prior to implementing interventions for the mirror experience for those women who will have a mastectomy OR is this a case in which we should abandon the hierarchy of evidence? Evidence-based practice (EBP) has had a tremendous impact of the quality of nursing care. In EBP, there is an emphasis on "identifying the best available research evidence and integrating it" (1). In order to determine the best literature, evidence hierarchies are used where RCTs and systematic reviews of RCTs are at the top of the hierarchy. As such, there is a great emphasis on this type of evidence. However, Polit and Beck (1) stress RCTs are not always appropriate for all clinical questions. I would argue that for women who have had a mastectomy with or without reconstructive surgery that RCTs are not necessarily needed in order to give compassionate nursing care and support toward the postmastectomy mirror experience. Many years ago, a terminally ill woman shared with me in a phenomenological research study that when she returned home from the hospital after having a mastectomy, the first place she went was into her bathroom to look at her incision for the first time. She said that when she viewed her reflection in the mirror, "she felt like running out on the road and screaming" (2). Knobf 's theory ofCarrying On -provides a common -sense framework for my work. Knobf theorized that if people with cancer are prepared for the experiences they will endure, they will better withstand those experiences (3). In a study, 12 women 3-12 months postmastectomy shared their mirror experiences in audio-taped interviews. These women indicated they had joined the study so that other women would find help in the future in viewing self in the mirror after a mastectomy. A model of the mirror experience was developed and decision, seeing, and consent were found to be key moments within the experience (4). There were three reasons why women viewed themselves in the mirror: personal grooming, some women discovered the mirror was a useful tool when caring for their incisions and drains, and curiosity. This curiosity was often accompanied by feelings of dread and fear. In other words, women lived a paradoxical experience of wanting/not wanting to see their mastectomy sites in a mirror. The second element in this model is seeing: women see in a mirror in three ways: with the eyes, with the mind's eye, and with the mind (i.e. I see what this means to me). One woman with an eye disease realized she needed a magnified mirror to help see with her eyes. Seeing with the mind's eye is anticipating what...

show abstract

“…Research has suggested that viewing self in a mirror after any type of mastectomy with or without reconstruction is an emotionally charged experience, with emotions ranging from shock and terror to sadness and relief (Freysteinson et al, ). Although evidence supports viewing oneself in a mirror after a mastectomy is emotionally difficult, studies targeting interventions for mirror‐viewing in individuals undergoing disfiguring surgeries, including mastectomies, appear to be lacking in the literature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This community consultation led to the development of a clinical nursing research team that explored and described the postoperative mirror‐viewing experience for 12 women who had a mastectomy in 1:1 audio‐taped interviews (Freysteinson et al., ). The team's analysis of the mirror‐viewing experience allowed for the development of preoperative education intervention aimed at preparing women for the postoperative mastectomy mirror‐viewing experience.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%