Authors
Henriette Søby Gärtner, Bodil H Blix, Mette Raunkiær, Helle Timm
Published in
Health (London, England : 1997). Pages 13634593261461506. Jun 26, 2026. Epub Jun 26, 2026.
Abstract
Narratives play a crucial role in shaping individual and collective identities, also in the context of illness. This study explored the experiences of individuals with advanced cancer who participated in a narrative course at a Danish research clinic in 2022. This course included a collective storytelling exercise where participants shared personal illness narratives that eventually were integrated into a collective story document. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork including participant observations, individual interviews, focus groups, and the collective story documents, this study explores two key research questions: What do collective stories reveal about participants' experiences of living with advanced cancer? How do participants experience the process and significance of creating collective stories, both within the course setting and beyond? The findings reveal that the collective stories predominantly centered on themes of suffering and loss, including physical, emotional, and social challenges. Sharing and listening to these stories in common fostered a sense of community among participants, alleviating feelings of loneliness and validating their experiences. However, attempts to share the collective stories outside the course setting often proved challenging, highlighting the unique role of the course as a supportive "local moral world."The study underscores the potential of collective storytelling in rehabilitation and palliative care, while emphasizing the influence of broader cultural and social narratives on illness experiences.
PMID:
42359575
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Jun 2026.
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