Psychological aspects of suffering in illness and dying

Jan Tylka

Vol 11, No 1 (2012)

Artykuły poglądowe

Published online: 2012-11-02

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Psychological aspects of suffering in illness and dying

Jan Tylka

Advances in Palliative Medicine 2012;11(1):27-35.

Vol 11, No 1 (2012)

Artykuły poglądowe

Published online: 2012-11-02

Abstract

Suffering of a terminally ill person provokes reflection on psychological and spiritual dimension of that suffering. Frequently, the physical pain is accompanied by the ‘pain’ of loneliness and helplessness towards inevitability of passing away. The other person can play an extremely supportive role in bearing the pain as well as in accepting the inevitability of the end of life, provided that maturity and empathy are one’s essential personality traits that the person in need can be endowed with.