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Journal: Evolution Psychiatrique Date: 2025/12, 90(4):Pages: 635–665. doi: Subito , type of study: qualitative study

Full text    (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014385525001021)

Keywords:

France [24]
injury [107]
knowledge [59]
medical students [631]
osteopathic medicine [2010]
qualitative study [279]
somatic dysfunction [159]

Abstract:

Objective: Osteopathy is the most popular alternative healthcare practice in France. To update and improve this practice, which is already part of patient care pathways, it is necessary to explore and understand bodily damage via a central idea in osteopathy: somatic dysfunction. Methods: First-person data were collected using a consciousness drawing approach followed by explanatory interviews. During their first two years of osteopathic studies, students engage in a reflective practice around somatic dysfunction. This study utilized a qualitative method with a thematic analysis of the above interviews and drawings. Results: The thematic analysis identified the existence of four axes: the reading of the bodily injury, the materialization of the bodily injury, the transition from local bodily injury to global bodily injury, and the impact of the bodily injury on the osteopath in the context of emerging intercorporeality. There were three categories of drawings: (drawings) of consciousness, drawings (of) consciousness, and drawings of (consciousness). Discussion: Exploring knowledge about somatic dysfunction has highlighted that mixed epistemology is needed to propose a model of osteopathic clinical practice that incorporates elements of a biopsychosocial approach. Touch seems to allow the identification of intercorporeality in the experiences of the therapist and patient, thanks to an emersive clinical experience of the body. Conclusion: This study explores the knowledge and theories of osteopathic students in early training. Their conception of somatic dysfunction was expressed through several drawings of consciousness and through a narrative arising from bodily reflexivity. This work seems conducive to the better integration of psychosocial criteria and a holistic understanding of the body, with a view to enhancing the contribution of osteopathic touch as care within a patient-centered approach.

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