THE PROBLEM OF ARRIVING AT A PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF MEMORY LOSS

This paper discusses a methodological difficulty that arose when uncov ering the conscious experience of being nurtured as an in-patient with depression on a psychiatric ward, It considers the problem of arrivin g at a phenomenological description of memory loss in a patient who ha d undergone electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), The paper begins by descr ibing the prevalence of depression and its significance for nurses wor king in in-patient settings, Examples of empirical research into memor y loss in depression are used to show what researchers must set aside if they are to arrive at a phenomenological description of memory loss , The choice of a phenomenological approach to the wider study from wh ich the methodological problem discussed here arose is then justified, The phenomena of memory is introduced to show the methodological sign ificance of attempting to arrive at a phenomenological description of the statement made by one of the participants, a woman being treated a s an in-patient for major depression, A possible description of the ph enomena of memory loss based on the existential phenomenology of Sartr e is offered to call into question the ability of researchers to brack et their assumptions, The significance for nurses of the wider study f rom which our example is taken is then described, Finally it is argued that despite the methodological difficulty described, a phenomenologi cal perspective based on the philosophy of Husserl can point nurses in the direction of meeting the human needs of their patients.