Transcendent Experiences Among Pilgrims to Lourdes: A Qualitative Investigation.

Millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, often seeking revitalisation rather than miraculous cures. We sought to understand the phenomenon of transcendent experiences. We spoke with 67 pilgrims including assisted pilgrims, young volunteers and medical staff. About two in five reported a transcendent experience: some felt they had communicated or had close contact with a divine presence, while others reported a powerful experience of something intangible and otherworldly. Transcendent experiences are an important feature of pilgrimage to Lourdes and the place offers the faithful a means of connecting with the divine, with nature and with the self.

What is known about what works in community-involved decision-making relating to urban green and blue spaces? A realist review protocol.

BACKGROUND: There is now a relatively well-established evidence base suggesting that greener living environments and time spent in urban green and blue spaces (UGBS) can be beneficial for human health and wellbeing. However, benefits are not universal and there remain widespread social inequalities in access to such resources and experiences, particularly along axes of class, race, ethnicity, age and disability, and in relation to efforts to increase the availability and accessibility of such spaces. These injustices often relate to distributive, procedural and recognition-based processes. There is growing interest in how to ensure that efforts to increase access to or use of UGBS (whether through infrastructural or social programmes) result in equitable outcomes whilst minimising potential for exacerbating existing inequalities and injustices. Community engagement is considered an important step towards more inclusive UGBS decision-making, from planning and design to management and maintenance processes. It is thought to contribute to better and more widely trusted decisions, enhanced democracy, community satisfaction, civic interest and feelings of green space ownership, and greater longevity of UGBS projects. However, uneven representation and barriers to participation can create imbalances and undermine these benefits. METHODS: An iterative, multi-stage realist-inspired review will be conducted to ask what works, in what context and in what ways relating to the meaningful involvement of communities in UGBS decision-making, focusing on the skills, capacities and capabilities of different stakeholders and the role of contexts and processes. 'Effectiveness' (or what works) will be understood as a multifaceted outcome, encompassing both the processes and results of community engagement efforts. Following a scoping stage to identify initial programme theory, inclusion/exclusion criteria and derive search terms, relevant databases and grey literature will be searched to identify interdisciplinary literature in two phases. The first phase will be used to further develop programme theories, which will be articulated as 'if then' statements. The second phase searches will be used to identify sources to further explore and evidence the programme and formal theory. We will assess all includable evidence for conceptual richness, prioritising more conceptually rich sources if needed. DISCUSSION: The realist synthesis will explore the key context, mechanism and outcome configurations that appear to explain if and how different approaches to community-involved UGBS decision-making are or are not effective. We will consider factors such as different conceptualisations of community, and if and how they have been involved in UGBS decision-making; the types of tools and approaches used; and the socio-cultural and political or governance structures within which decision-making takes place.

Interviews following physical trauma: A thematic analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Mental health problems are common in trauma survivors. In particular, depression, anxiety, acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet little is known about how these can be brought to the early attention of medical professionals through patients' accounts of trauma within days of being admitted to emergency care. This study aims to understand how physical trauma patients with early signs of psychological distress, stemming from the trauma, might be supported through their communications with healthcare professionals. METHODS: 42 semi-structured interviews with trauma victims attending the Royal London Hospital Trauma Clinic, taken as part of a larger project, were analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis method with a critical realist approach. RESULTS: Four key themes were highlighted: Pain and Death, Positivity, Powerlessness, and Remembering and Blame, each with relating subthemes such as Facing Death, Heroism, Waiting Time and Self-blame. DISCUSSION: The themes present within the data suggest that there are cues shared by trauma survivors that medical professionals should attend to with regard to the future mental health of their patients. Results may further equip nurses and clinical staff to spot early signs immediately and shortly after trauma.

Understanding public perceptions of healing: An arts-based qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Most healing research has focussed on the views of healers, complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practitioners or medical professionals, and little is known about how the general public conceives of healing. Because healing is a complex and often abstract concept, we addressed this gap in the knowledge using creative qualitative approaches with members of the public. We aimed to elucidate the views of members of the public about their healing, to help offer a better understanding to healthcare professionals. METHODS: Our qualitative arts-based drawing method invited people to respond using crayons and paper to the question 'What does the word healing mean to you?' These drawings were followed by a short recorded interview in which people explained their image. We used convenience sampling to approach members of the public visiting a large wellbeing show and a museum. We analysed images and interviews in tandem using a focus on metaphor. RESULTS: We interviewed 59 people, including three children. Almost two thirds of participants were female. Participants' images and interviews documented three main models of the healing process: i) Healing comes from a great external force, exemplified by the sun; ii) Healing comes from other people, whether medical professionals, CAM practitioners or healers; and iii) Healing comes from within, and the individual has the ability to self-heal. People described practices and inner states that could help achieve healing. Some people depicted more than one model, demonstrating the interlinkages between the models, and some described the outcome of healing (wholeness) rather than the process. CONCLUSIONS: The drawing-based approach encouraged an intuitive way of thinking, capturing concepts that cannot easily be verbalised. Members of the public have nuanced, complex understandings of the concept of healing, and these echo historical and modern concepts of healing and healthcare. The models our participants described often interlink, suggesting an overarching framework for the way people conceive of healing. The findings may be useful both as a guide to further research and as insight that may facilitate healthcare processes.

Clients of UK healers: A mixed methods survey of their demography, health problems, and experiences of healing.

BACKGROUND: Healing has not been well researched, and very little is known about who goes to healers, and what they experience. METHODS: A survey of UK-based healers was undertaken with the help of The Confederation of Healing Organisations, asking healers to report on up to 20 consultations. Forms asked about the demography of healer and client, reasons for the consultation, type of healing, and outcomes. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. RESULTS: 278 returned forms from 39 healers (average age 58) were analysed. Healing was described as Spiritual (69%), Reiki (15%) or Energy (10%). The clients had an average age of 57, and 76% were women. The most common reasons for consulting were mental health problems and pain. 93% of the clients reported experiencing immediate benefits. Relaxation, improved wellbeing and relief of pain were often reported. In addition, 76 (27%) had some unusual sensory experiences during the session, such as feelings of warmth, seeing coloured lights, or tingling sensations. The majority of general comments about the experience were positive, and 68% made another appointment. CONCLUSIONS: Older people, particularly older women, are the main recipients of healing in the UK, and they go for help with many problems, particularly mental health issues and pain. The majority have a positive experience, and come back for more. In addition to relief of symptoms, many have sensory experiences which could indicate that some special type of interaction was taking place between healer and healee.

Are facial injuries really different? An observational cohort study comparing appearance concern and psychological distress in facial trauma and non-facial trauma patients.

Facial injuries are widely assumed to lead to stigma and significant psychosocial burden. Experimental studies of face perception support this idea, but there is very little empirical evidence to guide treatment. This study sought to address the gap. Data were collected from 193 patients admitted to hospital following facial or other trauma. Ninety (90) participants were successfully followed up 8 months later. Participants completed measures of appearance concern and psychological distress (post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms). Participants were classified by site of injury (facial or non-facial injury). The overall levels of appearance concern were comparable to those of the general population, and there was no evidence of more appearance concern among people with facial injuries. Women and younger people were significantly more likely to experience appearance concern at baseline. Baseline and 8-month psychological distress, although common in the sample, did not differ according to the site of injury. Changes in appearance concern were, however, strongly associated with psychological distress at follow-up. We conclude that although appearance concern is severe among some people with facial injury, it is not especially different to those with non-facial injuries or the general public; changes in appearance concern, however, appear to correlate with psychological distress. We therefore suggest that interventions might focus on those with heightened appearance concern and should target cognitive bias and psychological distress.

Transformational Changes in Health Status: A Qualitative Exploration of Healing Moments.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dramatic self-change is a familiar concept within religious experience and is recognized within psychotherapy and some fields of nursing. However, it has been given limited consideration in wider health research, including healing research. We sought to explore the phenomenon of "healing moments". METHODS: Alternative medicine practitioners attending a continuing professional development course for healers within the UK's Holistic Health Show were shown a 10min video clip showing two of the authors discussing healing moments. Sixty-nine (69) of the practitioners then provided "short stories" outlining their own experiences of such moments. Both the video and the short stories were analyzed qualitatively using a thematic approach. We sought to evaluate holistic practitioners' perceptions of the concept of healing moments. RESULTS: The concept of healing moments was widely accepted by the 69 participants. An overarching theme of transformational change described personal shifts that ranged from the sudden and quasimiraculous to transient but much-needed improvements in health and wellbeing. Three subordinate themes of connectivity, quiescence and control were identified. Connectivity described intense connections, experienced through touch, empathy and love, which could provide reciprocal benefits for healers as well as clients. Quiescence captured the quiet, calm atmosphere that pervaded many healing episodes. The contrasting aspects of control encompassed healers relinquishing control to channel healing, and clients seizing control to become empowered in their own healing process. CONCLUSION: Healing moments are a recognized and distinct concept within healing, although they remain under-explored in the literature. Our findings suggest that such experiences are common among alternative medicine practitioners. The concepts we uncovered can inform future research.

Violent injury predicts poor psychological outcomes after traumatic injury in a hard-to-reach population: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: People who experience physical trauma face a range of psychosocial outcomes. These may be overlooked by busy clinicians. While some risk factors are understood, understanding of the psychological effects of violent injury remains limited, particularly in UK settings. This study compared psychological outcomes following interpersonal violence and accidental injury, including the persistence of psychological distress. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was carried out at two time points of patients admitted to a large teaching hospital in London between July 2012 and April 2014. Participants were consecutive adult patients admitted to the Royal London Hospital with traumatic injuries, with 219 participants at baseline. Follow-up survey was 8 months later (n=109). Standardised measures assessed post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) (Acute Stress Disorder Scale and PTSD Checklist) and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). RESULTS: PTSS and depressive symptoms affected 27% and 33%, respectively, at baseline. At 8 months, 27% and 31% reported these symptoms for PTSS and depressive symptoms, respectively. The repeated measures were assessed with multilevel models: after adjusting for demographic factors, patients with violent injury showed more PTSS (OR 6.27, 95% CI 1.90 to 20.66) and depressive symptoms (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.08 to 8.99). CONCLUSIONS: There were high levels of psychological distress among traumatic injury patients. Violent injuries were associated with an increased risk of both post-traumatic and depressive symptoms. People vulnerable to distress would benefit from psychological support, and hospital admission provides a unique opportunity to engage hard-to-reach groups in interventions.

Quality of life, psychological wellbeing and treatment needs of trauma and head and neck cancer patients.

There is increasing evidence that patients treated for trauma or cancer of the head and neck may go on to experience psychological distress. We aimed to measure the impact of this on their quality of life (QoL) and to explore their willingness to be referred for psychological support. A total of 96 patients with facial injuries and 124 with cancer of the head and neck completed a self-reported questionnaire to identify psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) Scale), quality of life (WHOQoL-BREF), satisfaction with treatment, and willingness to accept psychological support. Thirty-nine percent of patients showed high levels of depressive symptoms and 43% reported high levels of anxiety; 43% in the trauma group and 12% in the cancer group had high ASD scores. Patients with high scores on the HADS reported poorer QoL, and 40% of those with high levels of psychological distress were willing to consider psychological support. Despite the fact that patients report high levels of satisfaction with their medical and surgical care, many have psychological problems and have needs that are not being met. A large proportion would use psychological support services.