Putting suffering into perspective: implications of the patient's world view
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Updated: Oct 7, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
1Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jpeteet@partners.org
Abstract:
The need for suffering patients to reexamine their assumptions about life presents therapists with unique challenges and opportunities. Patients with a religious world view often struggle with whether God cares about, or has sent, their pain. Atheistic patients also search for the meaning in their lives but reject the answers offered by traditional authorities. Patients who are uncertain or ambivalent about their world view may challenge a therapist to provide an audience, insight, or direction. Using case examples, the author explores the therapist's role in helping patients with differing world views to integrate their suffering.
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