Attending to Others

The topic for this chapter is the third theme of my study, ‘attending to others’. In this chapter, I narrate the growth of the participants of my research project in being able to attend to others, relate to them, and recognise what they express as well as how their presence communicates to others. The first step in this is to explore the concept of personhood and build the capacity to see people as unique and distinct. Evidence in this chapter shows that engaging in drama promoted the nursing students to relate better to others and respect their personhood in the ways these others present it, rather than how the students assume it. This chapter continues and expounds on the role of emotions and engagement in developing skills in attending to others. Findings on how focusing on working with emotions, creating therapeutic relationships, and relating to others with engagement create a compelling account of how drama can enhance person-centred nursing through theories and practices that encourage us to pay close and more caring attention. Of course, this attentiveness could easily be left there and remain passive. My discussion of the participants’ experiences in this chapter shows how they took the next step and cultivated person-centred communication skills from a space of centred and connected presence. In this way applied drama has helped develop an understanding of attentiveness as an active inter-relational approach that reinforces person-centred nursing.