PI: Dr. Susanna Asseyer (Hospital Charité  - Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

PI: Dr. Sabrina Coninx (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

PhD researcher: Hannah Maria Köveker (Hospital Charité  - Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

Duration: 01.01.2026 - 31.12.2028

Funding: The project is generously funded by the Head-Genuit Foundation

The project is motivated by the urgent need to acknowledge that the severe distress and disability associated with chronic pain may be largely driven by pain-related suffering - an experience distinct from pain itself. Progress in this area is hindered by the absence of a clear, widely accepted definition of pain-related suffering, resulting in fragmented research and limiting clinical dialogue. 

The central aim of this interdisciplinary initiative is therefore to establish a rigorous conceptual framework for understanding pain-related suffering, with particular attention to the meaning individuals ascribe to their pain and the role that the narrative self plays in the ascription of this meaning. To achieve this, the project integrates philosophical analysis, used to define key attributes and examine the relationship between suffering and meaning, with qualitative empirical research focused on patients’ narratives, identifying factors that contribute to both vulnerability and resilience in the experience of suffering.