Re-opening to the world: recovery and trust

Background There is a lack of research on the experience of environmental influences and atmospheres in the recovery process of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. So far, phenomenological approaches have only rarely been applied to study the connection between environmental effects and the experience of recovery in this population.Methods Based on the conceptions of generative phenomenology, five ethnographic Go-Alongs (GA) (m: 3, f: 2, age: 23–71, 5 = F20) were conducted. Data such as field notes, interviews, and other material emerging from the field were collected and analysed using Grounded Theory (GT). For the comparison of clinical and personal recovery, PANSS and RAS were assessed.Results Derived from the data, a categorial system was developed demonstrating that (1) the participants experience a lack of trust due to existential disorientation, (2) they withdraw into private and secure niches, enabling new forms of trust (Weltvertrauen), and (3) they establish self-determined conditions for re-opening to the world and a variety of social spaces.Discussion Recovery is often reduced to a narrative level. By investigating the spatial and intersubjective surrounding, it becomes evident that phenomena such as withdrawal can be redefined as acts of self-agency aimed at regaining trust.