1. User narratives in psychosomatics and alexithymia
An autoethnographic study
John Hills, University of Leeds
“Head face anatomy lateral view”
Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License 2006

2. First person research
‘The use of the first person can facilitate the reader to regard the report as one interpretation out of many, whereas the third person or the passive case suggests a single correct reading of the findings.’
Freshwater and Rolfe, Critical Reflexivity

3. The Primeval Scene
‘[T]he only relevant criterion by which to consider the natural adaptedness of any particular part of present-day man’s behavioural equipment is the degree to which and the way in which it might contribute to population survival in man’s primeval environment.’
John Bowlby, Attachment and Loss, Vol. 1

4. Implications for Practice and further research
‘Is it psychogenic or real? The answer is it’s pain.’
Ann Neville-Jan, Encounters in a World of Pain

5. Thanks for listening!
Bowlby, J Attachment and Loss, Volume I. Penguin Education edition, 1978
Doran, N.J., Experiencing wellness within illness : Exploring a mindfulness-based approach to chronic back pain. Qualitative Health Research, 24 (6), pp
Freshwater, D. & Rolfe, G Critical Reflexivity: a politically and ethically engaged research method for nursing. NT Research. 6(1), pp
Gay, P (ed) The Freud Reader. London : W.W. Norton & Company
Levine, P.A Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. USA : North Atlantic Books
Neville-Jan, A Encounters in a World of Pain. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 57(1), pp.88-98
Roth, W-M First Person Methods: Towards an Empirical Phenomenology of Experience. Netherlands : Sense Publishers
Rothschild, B The Body Remembers: the psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment. USA : W.W. Norton & Company
Sanders, D Counselling for Psychosomatic Problems. UK : Sage Publications