Re-figuration of suffering: Transitional phenomena of people living with schizophrenia in group analysis.

This study examined how people living with schizophrenia recognize their lived experiences in free-floating group discussions. Interpretative phenomenological and group analyses were employed to collect qualitative data from 14 patients. The identified superordinate theme was "re-figuration of suffering" including: "being treated as an object," "encountering the self through others," and "returning to the self." Participants shared their traumatizing stories of being alienated, discovered the realities of their lives and responsibilities through inward and outward observations, and progressed to a self-returning stage while regaining their appreciation of others and hope for the future. The contributions of psychiatric nursing practice were identified.