Conference Program

In the context of school in hospital (SIO), illness constitutes a biographical fracture that challenges the narrative, relational and educational continuity of the student. The SIO is therefore an institution that recognises the importance, alongside the clinical aspect, of personal stories and the meaning attributed to illness by the patient (Bosisio & Cavalletto, 2025), intending to allow the individual to remain the protagonist of their own educational journey, even in times of crisis, of “a disruption of the existing balance” (Torre, 2014, p. 19), and to “promote the well-being [...] of children in hospital and prevent feelings of anxiety, boredom, loneliness and depression” (MIM, AGIA, & AOPI, 2020). This contribution fits into this context and offers a theoretical reflection that lies at the intersection of philosophy, pedagogy and narrative medicine, addressing the theme of writing and creativity as an exercise in well-being in times of crisis and taking Nietzsche's concept of great health as a central interpretative category. The establishment of a dialogue between these different perspectives stems from the definition of philosophy as Erlebnis, life experience (Nietzsche, 1967/1887, p. 1), or as a practical, therapeutic path (Faustino, 2017; Long, 1990), which enables one to navigate through crisis. This definition aligns with the literature on well-being, which understands the latter as the ability to cope with reality (Diener, Lucas, & Oishi, 2002; Karademas, 2007). In hospital settings, it also encompasses the capacity to manage one's illness (Bosisio & Cavalletto, 2025). This concept of wellbeing as overcoming, rather than eliminating, negative states is linked to Nietzsche's concept of great health – the health of the convalescent – a state of “human-superhuman wellbeing” (Nietzsche, 1967/1887, a. 382) that incorporates illness, as it must be continually regained. Great health is, therefore, a dynamic and transformative process that finds a condition of possibility in the exercise of creativity and, more specifically, in autobiographical writing, a tool for healing and understanding the self. Nietzsche states that his writing arises not from a theoretical intent but from the need to overcome a crisis felt first and foremost as something that concerns him personally: “My writings speak only of my overcoming: within them is «me», with everything that was my enemy” (Nietzsche, 1967/1886, p. 1). These words resonate with contemporary reflections on the formative power of autobiographical writing as “taking oneself by the hand and retracing [...] even the fractures of life” (Sofia, 2024, p. 105). This multi-perspective dialogue gives rise to the proposal to understand writing as an exercise in externalising suffering, which allows it to be analysed and then re-accepted. In this way, writing becomes a practice that enables authentic care “that opens up the possibility for others to find themselves” (Torre, 2010, p. 574) and which can therefore take the form of a path of education towards wellbeing capable of enhancing the awareness and transformative abilities of the individual, to overcome oneself (Nietzsche, 1965/1886) and find oneself even in crisis (Demetrio, 1996).