Hwa-Byung(HB) has been categorized as a Korean culture-bound syndrome that is prevalent in married women of low socioeconomic status.
The Purpose of the study was to search for the essence of HB and a caring-healing process of HB. Then the research result discusses whether the Transpersonal Caring-Healing Model has been congruent with it.
Case examples resulted from in-depth telephone counseling over a period of time at the Women's Hot Line with a client who is a housewife with HB. The counseling content was analyzed through Giorgi's method of descriptive phenomenology.
The core meaning of the essence of HB was ‘ injustice’; and essential themes were ‘ lack of reciprocity’, ‘ infidelity’ ‘ suppressed aggression and powerlessness’ and ‘ need for recognition’. The core meaning of the essence of the caring-healing process was ‘ caring-healing experience(maintaining a trust relationship)’; and essential themes were ‘ active listening’, ‘ empathy’ and ‘ forming a therapeutic relationship’. According to Watson, ‘ active listening’, ‘ empathy’ and ‘ forming a therapeutic relationship’ were identified as intentionality, intersubjectivity and transpersonal.
Transpersonal caring can release inner power and strength and help the person to gain a sense of inner harmony. Transpersonal caring is as important to healing as are conventional treatment approaches and even more powerful in the long run.