This article presents qualitative research which sought to reflect with individuals who experience psychic suffering about their daily experiences, identifying the meanings of such experiences. The study was carried out with two patients of a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS II), in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The data was collected through the implementation of Rosemarie Rizzo Parse’s Care Process Theory. Through the data analysis, the following meanings were identified: coexisting with infancy memories; co-constitution of the psychiatric illness; the work permeating the health-illness process; transcending in health, citizenship, and quality of life, illuminated by the Psychiatric Care Reform. Thus, the "Becoming Human" theory, with its concepts and principles, allowed the individuals in psychic suffering to glimpse a new way of living, sharpened with the proposal of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform.
Mental health; Psychiatric nursing; Psychiatry