TY - JOUR TI - The unmooring of the world: a qualitative investigation of anomalous world experiences in schizophrenia DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3668BM8 PY - 2014 AB - The Examination of Anomalous World Experience (EAWE) is a new, semi-structured phenomenological interview, which assesses six domains of experience: space and objects, time, other persons, language, atmosphere, and existential reorientation. It was used to ascertain the experience of the lived world in 13 schizophrenia-spectrum and major-depression subjects, to determine whether and how the experience of the world differs between these two populations. Transcriptions of these interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological qualitative analysis, which found a set of themes that were unique to schizophrenia subjects, namely Distorted appearances, Erosion of self-world boundaries, Shifting relevancies, Precarious reality, and Remoteness of the world. It was determined that these themes were part of a common gestalt that can be termed the Unmooring of the World—a characterization consistent with classic and contemporary research on the gestalt of schizophrenia. Subject responses further suggested that this unmooring may interfere with the ability of some persons with schizophrenia to fully describe their subjective experience in phenomenological interviews, although further research is necessary to confirm this. Implications of these findings for qualitative research and psychotherapy interventions with persons with schizophrenia are considered. KW - Clinical Psychology KW - Schizophrenia--Alternative treatment KW - Schizophrenia--Treatment LA - eng ER -