Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors often report internal sensations of discomfort that influence body image or the subjective representation of one’s appearance, which can cause a disconnection between body and personal identity. 12 breast cancer survivors were involved in a group psychological intervention wh...

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Main Authors: Valeria Sebri, Maria L Martino, Jefferson Singer, Katie Madow, Alice V Giudice, Davide Mazzoni, Maria F Freda, Gabriella Pravettoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Health Psychology Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029251317905
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author Valeria Sebri
Maria L Martino
Jefferson Singer
Katie Madow
Alice V Giudice
Davide Mazzoni
Maria F Freda
Gabriella Pravettoni
author_facet Valeria Sebri
Maria L Martino
Jefferson Singer
Katie Madow
Alice V Giudice
Davide Mazzoni
Maria F Freda
Gabriella Pravettoni
author_sort Valeria Sebri
collection DOAJ
description Breast cancer survivors often report internal sensations of discomfort that influence body image or the subjective representation of one’s appearance, which can cause a disconnection between body and personal identity. 12 breast cancer survivors were involved in a group psychological intervention which focused on the management of autobiographical memories related to their own body after breast cancer. Three open questions related to their body autobiographical memories were administered pre, post and 1 month later after the intervention. Autobiographical memories were analyzed with a qualitative methodology to explore the transformative process at three time points. Findings highlight three main themes: (1) narratives of cancer-related memories (2) narratives of emotion towards the body after cancer (3) narratives of memories of internal reflections. This innovative psychological group intervention appears to support breast cancer survivors in re-taking control of their own autobiographical memories related to the body and their related emotions.
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spelling doaj-art-89e5ed596e314cb6902df22f700727d32025-08-20T02:54:22ZengSAGE PublishingHealth Psychology Open2055-10292025-01-011210.1177/20551029251317905Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivorsValeria SebriMaria L MartinoJefferson SingerKatie MadowAlice V GiudiceDavide MazzoniMaria F FredaGabriella PravettoniBreast cancer survivors often report internal sensations of discomfort that influence body image or the subjective representation of one’s appearance, which can cause a disconnection between body and personal identity. 12 breast cancer survivors were involved in a group psychological intervention which focused on the management of autobiographical memories related to their own body after breast cancer. Three open questions related to their body autobiographical memories were administered pre, post and 1 month later after the intervention. Autobiographical memories were analyzed with a qualitative methodology to explore the transformative process at three time points. Findings highlight three main themes: (1) narratives of cancer-related memories (2) narratives of emotion towards the body after cancer (3) narratives of memories of internal reflections. This innovative psychological group intervention appears to support breast cancer survivors in re-taking control of their own autobiographical memories related to the body and their related emotions.https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029251317905
spellingShingle Valeria Sebri
Maria L Martino
Jefferson Singer
Katie Madow
Alice V Giudice
Davide Mazzoni
Maria F Freda
Gabriella Pravettoni
Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
Health Psychology Open
title Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
title_full Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
title_fullStr Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
title_full_unstemmed Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
title_short Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: A psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
title_sort transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories a psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029251317905
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