THE LONG-LASTING NOW - DISORGANIZATION IN SUBJECTIVE TIME IN LONG-STANDING PAIN

TUs paper presents a phenomenological-hermeneutical case study on long -standing pain (LP), a public health problem of great importance. Alth ough there has been intensive research interest in this phenomenon, mo st studies have been based on traditional medical and cognitive-behavi oral approaches. Our thesis is that new frames of reference can provid e additional heuristic insights. The phenomenon of LP shows a strong a ssociation with existential factors. Our case study focuses on the mea ning-structure of lived temporality, a fundamental existential constit uent in the lifeworld of the pain patient. A series of in-depth interv iew-a with four subjects showed that lived temporality is disrupted in pain experience, causing a disorganization of the patient's being in the world. The results generate several hypotheses about implications for time estimation in pain experience.