Human Experience and Illness Introduction Throughout life, each person will experience illness in some form. During these times, the idea that the human body can be weak and defenseless becomes evident. Illness is an expected aspect of being human, offering personal and medical challenges along the way. Spiritual and bodily distress challenge each person’s interactive reality differently. Consequently, understanding different patient environments and personal experiences is a critical aspect of care. Analysis of Ivan Illych Through the Healing Environment The Seen Environment The seen environment is composed of the physical environment that can be felt, weighed, measured, seen, heard, tasted and smelled (Shelley & Miller, 2006, p. 136). For Ivan, the seen environment is most apparent when he is preparing his home for the future arrival of his family. At this time, he slips and falls off of a ladder and slams the side …show more content…
Things in the unseen environment are seen by faith and are not perceived by the five senses (Shelley & Miller, 2006, p. 152). Ivan examines his life within the unseen environment as his condition worsens, realizing that his younger days were significantly more enjoyable, questioning the way he chose to live. As he ponders his decisions, his recurring thoughts of being forced into a black sack haunt him. Suddenly, Ivan is metaphorically truck in the chest and pushed through the black sack into the light. At this time, Ivan realizes the way he should have lived the errors in his past life. Ivan Ilych’s physical life caused spiritual death while his physical death gave him spiritual life. Gerasim, Ivan’s sick nurse and butler, was the only individual who treated him like a dying man. Gerasim stated that all that live must die, providing Ivan serenity and compassion. During his illness, Ivan found no comfort aside from the save for the kind human interactions of