Abstract

The increasing mortality and morbidity of asthma have stimulated research which has focused on objective measures of the meaning of asthma, with the goal of prevention of exacerbations. While this represents a logical goal of therapeutic interventions, the characteristic unpredictability and individuality of asthma suggests the need for qualitative investigations about this experience. ;The purpose of this inquiry was to unfold the meaning of being asthmatic through the interpretation of the expression of this experience in art, since art is more "immediate" than language. The artwork was provided by 15 women with adult-onset asthma, who volunteered to participate in the study. The method was derived from the hermeneutic philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, and involved the interpretation of the artwork on two levels, through reflection, dialogue, and presence to the artwork. Ricoeur's hermeneutics is characterized by both epistemological and ontological dimensions, as language allows meaning and being to unfold. Through this process, curiosity stimulated creativity, and understanding became a way of being. ;An initial understanding of the "sense" of the artwork resulted in the creation of seven paradoxical metaphors, including a "ravaged garden," a "static journey," a "passive battle," a "silent scream," "unblown wind," "living in a closed jar," and a "possessive power." These metaphors pointed toward a narrative of adventure, and presented the possibility for understanding on a deeper level. ;The referential dimension of the work was given voice through Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance," an exhortation to humanity to live from the deepest knowledge of truth within oneself. The adventurous process of conversion which may develop as a result of embracing the paradoxes can give rise to a level of self-reliance which offers an opportunity to grow toward a deeper understanding of oneself and of others