| This qualitative study sought to increase the understanding of the meaning and significance of contemporary American women's lived experience of unexpected, unexplained, and serious fatigue. Interpretive phenomenology situated within the perspective of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the notions of holistic embodiment, and Lifeworld is used as the study's framework. Unstructured interviews of twelve women from various locales in Virginia were conducted. The study answered three research questions: (1) How do these women verbally and visually represent, interpret, and articulate or give meaning to this Lifeworld experience of embodied fatigue? (2) What is the meaning and significance of embodied fatigue prevalent in the lives of contemporary American women? and, (3) Is the meaning and significance of experienced vitality recognized by these women, and if so, when and how is it situated in their embodied lives?;Analysis of stories from in-depth interviews of twelve women across the lifespan and nine pictures drawn to illustrate their fatigued Lifeworld yielded an interpretive account of their embodied lived experience of unexplained fatigue. The complex findings revealed an overarching pattern of transformation in each Lifeworld. Five themes, each providing meaning and understanding to this Lifeworld transformation, are described: Persistent Doing, The Overwhelming Weight of Exhaustion, Not Understanding, Bondages, and Expectation. A lost voice has been revealed, articulating new insights into this diffuse, intricate, dark, and dehumanizing lived experience. Implications for nursing practice, education, and health policy are presented. |
