Temporal Traces of Experience: The Ontology of Orma. A Phenomenological Approach to Experiential Traces in Natural Language and Pain Narratives

The article explores in a phenomenological perspective the relationship between past and narrative through the concept of orma (trace). Their analysis focuses on the ontological structure of orma and its three fundamental modes – connection, reception, and opening – linked to categories rooted in Husserl’s phenomenology: motivational integration, passive synthesis, and variation. This approach allows for an understanding of how traces of the past influence narrative experience, even in the context of pain. Starting with a dataset of texts on the verbalization of pain, the authors show how language reflects the dynamic process of ormare, highlighting the role of narration in shaping experience as well as in therapeutic practice.