Spiritual healing is a ubiquitous and fundamental part of Charismatic Christianity; it is indelibly linked to understandings of God, society, and individual identity. And yet, the phenomenon of spiritual healing—particularly its expression within North American, Abrahamic traditions—has been understudied within academia. In this thesis, I take a phenomenological approach in order to better comprehend the meaning-making process behind spiritual healing rituals amongst Charismatic Protestant Christians in Ottawa, Canada. Through a small-scale, local ethnographic study in Ottawa in which I conducted participant observation and several in-depth interviews, I explore Charismatic Christianity through the lens of lived religion. Based on a series of focused case studies, I conclude that the Charismatic cosmological worldview (one in which cosmic-wide restoration is emphasised) correlates with, and contributes to, the Charismatic emphasis on individual healing.

While the role of the school principal has received much attention in stable environments, little research exists on principals working in conflict-affected countries. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to uncover perceptions of Somali principals in Mogadishu regarding their roles and lived experiences, as well as the challenges they face as they lead their schools amid ongoing conflict. In order to understand the different dimensions of the principal’s role and how this role is experienced in such a context, a descriptive phenomenology has been employed. A purposeful sample of eight primary school principals in Mogadishu, which has been the epicentre of the ongoing conflict, was indentified and the principals were interviewed. Through the six-step approach to phenomenological data analysis, as suggested by Creswell (2013), 11 themes were identified. Findings revealed that principals perceived their role as supporting teachers personally and professionally, supervising instruction, facilitating teacher professional development when the security situation permits, having good relationships with governing bodies, and building community collaboration. Findings also showed that, besides security concerns, student mobility, poor facilities, shortage of trained teachers and student discipline were the major challenges to principals. Findings further indicated that principals acted as boundary spanners using a variety of buffering and bridging strategies in an attempt to minimize uncertainty and security risks, as well as to adapt the school to the volatile environment. Furthermore, commitment to keep schools open, despite the huge challenges, a sense of responsibility for student safety, and calm and courageous actions in the face of danger were perceived as critical factors in sustaining principals in their positions. Four conclusions were drawn from the study, including principals’ lack of unity in the perception of their roles, principals’ lack of pre-service training, the possibility and essentiality of providing education during armed conflicts, and the importance of creating strong bonds through principals’ supportive roles. Recommendations were offered for primary principals, local educational umbrellas, NGOs, and UN agencies, as well as for further research possibilities.

The research was based on a secondary analysis of a qualitative market research study conducted for the SABC on the soap opera Isidingo. The data used in the study includes 10 focus groups, five diaries of loyal soap opera viewers who were asked not to watch Isidingo for a week and keep a record of their experience, a focus group conducted with these viewers after the completion of the deprivation exercise, the market researcher’s field notes, the market research report and the academic researcher’s own reflective diary. The analysis was conducted within a hermeneutic phenomenological interpretive framework. A model for the psychological processes that culminate in positive viewing experiences and audience loyalty to a soap opera is presented. The model illustrates how viewers use soap world knowledge and real world knowledge to interpret the characters and storylines of soap operas and that the degree of enjoyment the viewer experiences from viewing, is dependant on the quality of the mental models formed of these respective components. The role that transportation, realism, social influences and timeslot play in the engagement process is also defined. The study illustrates a hermeneutic phenomenological research pathway for qualitative research and demonstrates how market research can be explicated for academic gain. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Bröstcancer är vanligt i Sverige. Behandlingar vid bröstcancer leder till biverkningar som påverkar kvinnors levda kropp och sexualitet vilket skapar ett stort lidande. Det är sjuksköterskan ansvar att förebygga och lindra lidande. Det behövs en djupgående förståelse av patienters upplevelser vid bröstcancer för att sjuksköterska ska kunna bedriva en adekvat omvårdnad. Syfte: Att belysa kvinnors upplevelse av förändring i sin levda kropp vid bröstcancer. Metod: En beskrivande innebördsanalys av självbiografier. Resultat: Det framkom en upplevelse av stympning efter mastektomi och en rädsla för håravfall. Det fanns en förlust av den kvinnliga identiteten. Orkeslöshet var vanligt efter behandlingarna vilket påverkade vardagen. Oro fanns över vad andra tyckte om den nya kroppen. Sexualiteten försämrades och påverkade den levda kroppen. Rörelseförmågan upplevdes sämre efter behandlingarna. Trots alla biverkningar fanns en acceptans hos kvinnorna för den nya kroppen. Konklusion: Den levda kroppen och sexualiteten förändras vid bröstcancer och både den mentala och fysiska hälsan påverkas. Sjuksköterskan behöver prata och lyssna på patienten för att kunna ge en adekvat, personcentrerad vård. / Background: Breast cancer is common in Sweden. Breast cancer treatment results in side effects that affect their lived body and sexuality which cause tremendous suffering. The nurses’ responsibility is to prevent and relieve suffering. There is a need for a deeper understanding of patients’ experiences when diagnosed with breast cancer for the nurse to be able to give adequate care. Aim: To illustrate women experiences of changes in their lived body when diagnosed with breast cancer. Method: A qualitative study with descriptive content analysis of autobiographies. Result: An experience of being maimed after going through a mastectomy and a fear of hair loss emerged. There was a lost of the female identity. It was common to feel lack of energy during the treatment which affected everyday life. There was a concern about others thoughts regarding the new body. Sexuality was impaired and it affected their lived body. The ability to move became partially impaired after the treatments. Despite all side effects women started to accept their new body. Conclusion: The lived body and sexuality changes in connection with breast cancer. Both mental and physical health was impaired. The nurse needs to talk and listen to every patient to be able to give adequate, individual care.

Several studies have shown that religious involvement has positive effects on human life. It creates a sense of belonging and hope for the future in the life of youths, it improves married life and prevents loneliness in the lives of older adults. However for LGBTQ people the effect of religious involvement is often the complete opposite experience. The majority of the religious groups in United States of America believe homosexuality is a sin and religious involvement for LGBTQ people results in being faced with oppression, internalized homophobia, anxiety, loneliness and depression. This study, through qualitative interviews, research shows how religious homophobia and transphobia have affected the participants' mental and emotional health and how it has affected their religious life.

The therapeutic relationship has been a cornerstone of the theory and practice of psychotherapy since it first emerged as a healing modality. Research has extensively reported on the therapeutic relationship and its role in the outcomes of psychotherapy. Despite the vast research on the therapeutic relationship, little qualitative exploration has focused on both patient and therapist lived experience. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative methodology, this study examined the lived experiences of both patients and therapists, within the same therapeutic relationship in a South African context. Three patients and three therapists (i.e. 3 patient-therapist dyads) were interviewed using in-depth semi-structured individual interviews (six interviews in total) to explore their experience of the relationship they developed during therapy, and the meanings that have been made of this. Through thematic analysis, using interpretation to deepen the analysis, several themes and subthemes were identified. Both patients’ and therapists’ lived experiences of the therapeutic relationship in psychodynamic psychotherapy clustered around three major and somewhat similar themes, with various sub-themes. Patients’ lived experiences of the therapeutic relationship centred around the following themes and sub-themes: therapist’s therapeutic approach (holding the patient in mind—knowing them; non-judgmental stance; providing an objective presence— perspective; and a consistent presence), facilitating therapeutic factors (mutuality; and therapist self-disclosure), and process within the relationship (describing the relationship—a lifeline; moment of meeting; change; and the relationship over time). Whilst therapist-participants’ experiences of the therapeutic relationship held somewhat similar themes with subtle differences, namely, patient qualities, facilitating therapeutic factors (holding and containing; theoretical orientation; use of technique; and supportive factors for therapists), and process within the relationship (describing the relationship—intimate yet formal; moment of meeting; change; and the relationship over time). Similarities and differences between patient and therapist experiences are examined that may influence the therapeutic relationship. Conclusions are discussed with a consideration of the limitations of the study as well as implications for future research, practice, and training. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

A thorough examination of policies and guidelines tailored towards enabling access to land and housing in Gaborone suggests incongruences' inherent in these strategies. Besides, planners and policymakers' continuous oversight to recognise the complexities of the urban everyday survival strategies and the lived experiences of the populace needs to be investigated. Numerous interventions have been introduced to facilitate land and housing access for low-income households in Gaborone. Even so, restricted access to these assets remains an enormous task, proven complex and problematic to resolve. The empirical evidence specifies the predominant situation articulated by a clash of rationalities between policies and everyday socio-economic practices of access to land and housing by low income households in Gaborone. The investigation of these tensions between policies promoting access to land and housing and the advocacy of the Self-Help Housing Agency as the primary rationale for home building and ownership by low-income households in Gaborone was articulated through policy assessment and analysis. Furthermore, in-depth interviews to appreciate the affected populace's lived experiences in response to the practicality of these policies was conducted. In terms of findings, this research has established that urban environments are persistently transformed with new configurations relating to access to land and housing frequently surfacing. Moreover, urban land and housing management policies fail to get in touch with the complexities of grassroots experience with access to land and housing in Gaborone. There is also the entrenchment of low-income households in a vicious circle of poverty and living precariously at the urban fringes with no security of tenure and affordable housing opportunities. All these experiences and practices resonate with the current endeavours to evaluate the realities of accessing land and housing resources in cities, as well as their correlation with promoting livelihood strategies for low-income households.

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The focus of this research is the study of unity in mission and coping with conflict as a way of being faithfully present. Researching unity in mission in a divided congregation is important because it may relate, not only to the congregation, but also, in a broader sense, to the experience in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and other denominations. While the review of literature provided background information on the theology of faithful presence including the theologies of place and place presence, a further review was conducted on the theology of mission as reconciliation as a way of being faithfully present. The study addresses this gab in literature and research by investigating the role of mission in helping congregants cope with church conflict and staying faithfully present in their situation. To achieve this goal, congregants lived experience of their congregational life in the midst of conflict was revealed and analysed using phenomenology as the most suitable method for data gathering, analysis and interpretation. Phenomenological approach was chosen simple because of its capability of providing congregants’ personal account of their experience. The question that needed to be understood was whether congregants still had time, space and motivation to be with the people God is sending them to. The primary goal is to understand congregants lived experience under the influence of conflict and how these congregants remained faithfully present in their situation. The secondary aim is to recommend ways and means of reconciliation most relevant to their situation particularly where subjects are not role players in the conflict. The researcher was interested in finding out if using mission as reconciliation can, in meaningful ways, move the reconciliation process forward. The research found a direct correlation between conflict and the mission of the church. As the conflict continued to manifest, congregants developed a lack of trust in the leadership of the church, which motivated them to practice mission unilaterally outside the precincts of the church. As this unfolded, the congregation became irrelevant, its mission suffered and the congregational life became less meaningful. The congregation as a community of sent people, became too internally focused, losing its sting as a missional force in the neighbourhood. / Dissertation (MTh)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Science of Religion and Missiology / MTh / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: I Sverige lever närmare en procent av befolkningen med venösa bensår. Såren uppstår på grund av venös insufficiens. Venösa bensår är ett stort folkhälsoproblem i hela världen. Personer som har ett stillasittande levnadssätt och är överviktiga har en högre risk än genomsnittsbefolkningen att utveckla venösa bensår. Såren är svårläkta och drabbar främst äldre personer. Sjuksköterskan har det yttersta ansvaret för patientens omvårdnad. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa personers upplevelser av att leva med venösa bensår. Metod: En litteraturöversikt har använts som metod. Ur databaserna PubMed och CINAHL Complete hämtades tio stycken vetenskapliga artiklar som grundar sig på forskning enligt kvalitativ metod. Resultat: Tre huvudteman och tre underteman identifierades. Det första huvudtemat var Smärta och dess hantering. Det andra huvudtemat var Påfrestningar till följd av odör och exsudat. Det tredje huvudtemat var Ett förändrat liv och har följande underteman; Beroende, Behandling och läkning samt Kunskapsbrist. Diskussion: I metoddiskussionen diskuterades litteraturöversiktens styrkor och svagheter. Resultatfynd associeras till vårdkontext och diskuteras i relation till bakgrund, ny forskning samt Katie Erikssons teori där lidande och vårdprocessen fokuseras. / Background: Nearly one percent of the Swedish population lives with venous leg ulcers. Venous leg ulceration is caused by venous insufficiency. This is a big public health problem worldwide. People who live their lives sedentary and are overweight suffers a greater risk of evolving venous leg ulcers. These types of ulcers are slow-healing and mostly affects elderly people.  The responsibility for patient care is the nurse. Aim: The aim of the study was to enlighten people’s experiences of living with venous leg ulcers. Method: A literature review was used as method. PubMed and CINAHL Complete were used as databases. Ten scientific qualitative articles were found. Results: Three main topics and three subtopics were identified. The first main topic was Pain and its management. The second main topic was Strains following odour and exudate. The third main topic was A different life with following subtopics; Dependence, Treatment and healing and Knowledge deficit. Discussion: The strengths and weaknesses of the literature review is discussed in the method discussion. The results are discussed in nursing context and is related to background, new research and Katie Eriksson’s theory with suffering and care process.