Painful metaphors: enactivism and art in qualitative research.
Medical humanities October 19, 2020 Peter Stilwell, Christie Stilwell, Brenda Sabo et al. 23 citations
Pain is not just a brain event but emerges from interactions between a person's body, mind, and environment, according to enactive theory. This paper applies that framework to pain, critiquing dualist and reductionist approaches in medicine. The authors analyze pain-related metaphors used by clinicians in recorded appointments and interviews, classifying them and connecting them to enactive theory. Five paintings visually depict these metaphors, showing how clinical language can shape patients' pain and agency. The authors argue that clinicians often overlook how their metaphors become enacted through treatment, and suggest that intentionally shaping these metaphors could improve pain management.