[Exploring the nature of caring in Hwa-Byung--transpersonal Caring-Healing Model].
Hwa-Byung(HB) has been categorized as a Korean culture-bound syndrome that is prevalent in married women of low socioeconomic status.


OBJECTIVE
The Purpose of the study was to search for the essence of HB and a caring-healing process of HB. Then the research result discusses whether the Transpersonal Caring-Healing Model has been congruent with it.


METHODS
Case examples resulted from in-depth telephone counseling over a period of time at the Women's Hot Line with a client who is a housewife with HB. The counseling content was analyzed through Giorgi's method of descriptive phenomenology.


RESULTS
The core meaning of the essence of HB was 'injustice'; and essential themes were 'lack of reciprocity', 'infidelity' 'suppressed aggression and powerlessness' and 'need for recognition'. The core meaning of the essence of the caring-healing process was 'caring-healing experience (maintaining a trust relationship)'; and essential themes were 'active listening', 'empathy' and 'forming a therapeutic relationship'. According to Watson, 'active listening', 'empathy' and 'forming a therapeutic relationship' were identified as intentionality, intersubjectivity and transpersonal.


CONCLUSIONS
Transpersonal caring can release inner power and strength and help the person to gain a sense of inner harmony. Transpersonal caring is as important to healing as are conventional treatment approaches and even more powerful in the long run.
Khim
Soon-Yong
SY
College of Nursing, Korea University, Seoul, Korea. asyk@korea.ac.kr
Lee
Cho-Sik
CS
Kong
Byung-Hye
BH
Shin
Joo-Young
JY
D003376:Counseling; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008393:Marriage; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D011203:Poverty; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000451:nursing*