Feelings of relation in the fringe of consciousness: implications for the subjective experience of addiction and the nurse-client relationship

Individuals who compulsively abuse psychoactive drugs experience alterations in consciousness. Little is known about the value of these alterations in the spectrum of human experience. William James’s concept of the fringe of consciousness describes a function of knowing that emphasizes direct sensory experience. This experience encompasses feelings of relation between an individual’s sense of self and idea of self, between self and world, and between self and sense of future possibilities. These feelings can be shown in written narratives of some individuals addicted to psychoactive drugs. Access to the feeling of relation in the fringe suggests meaning for the individual and implications for the nurse-client relationship.