Being-Breathless-In-The-World: A Heideggerian Hermeneutic Phenomenological Interpretation of the Lived Experience of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how people living with advanced COPD experience their illness. The experiences of eight people were analyzed using Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology, an approach permitting consideration of the meaning participants ascribe to advanced COPD as it is experienced in their everyday lives. My research indicates that advanced COPD is integrated into all aspects of daily life. Ultimately, breathlessness, as the core experience of advanced COPD, caused suffering and existential angst that became interwoven into who participants now perceived themselves to be. These perceptions are reflected in the two main themes of A Deflated Self and Navigating Contested Selves. This suffering and angst was generally unaddressed by biomedical healthcare delivery system models. Despite this, participants learned over time to manage their fluctuating illness experiences, to engage their changing selves, and to remain engaged in the search to find meaning and pleasure in life.