“I just get on with it.”: A qualitative phenomenological study looking at the personal experience of chronic benign pain

"Objectives: Chronic benign pain is a complex, distressing and prevalent problem in society. It is observed that pain impedes everyday activities (Andrew et al., 2013) and that it is a unique sensory and emotional experience (Bushnell, Čeko, and Low, 2013). Therefore, the objective of this study was to look at individuals’ experiences of pain to help understand its complicated nature and their perception of the self. Design: A qualitative phenomenology approach was used, with a small, profound sample of chronic pain sufferers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted and diary entries collected from two women and one man, which were then transcribed for interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three major themes were found under the headings; the adversarial nature of pain, pain and the family role, and the physical entrapment of pain. Conclusions: Participants found the journey of chronic pain distressing and mostly negative by accounts of what they had experienced. The participants found that social interaction could be both positive and negative. Support systems were positive in one regard, however it also showed individual what they lacked physically. Physically, pain trapped the participants, with pain depersonalised from the self.