Experiences of Falling Ill with Fibromyalgia: An Incursion into the Collective Imaginary of Women

Abstract

Abstract A psychoanalytic exploration of the collective imaginary of patients about a chronic condition can help health professionals to understand the experience of falling ill in its intersubjective aspect. This study aimed to investigate the collective imaginary about fibromyalgia in women affected by this syndrome. This is a qualitative study based on the psychoanalytic investigative method. Data were collected from 18 women through group interviews guided by the Drawing-Story with Theme Procedure. Data analysis followed technical movements defined by the oscillation from a receptive passivity to an active receptivity. Results showed that, after falling ill, the participants did not feel to be the same persons they were before or, in certain cases, no longer regard themselves as persons at all. It was also verified that delegitimation generates psychological suffering described by the participants as a kind of pain. Therefore, it is recommended to value relational technologies in health care offered by multidisciplinary teams to women with fibromyalgia