Abstract: This research takes an autoethnographical approach to exploring the connections between being a nurse, doing nursing work, and experiencing a mental illness. Data is comprised of autoethnographical stories from 18 nurses. Drawing on Lyotard's (1988) postmodern philosophy of 'regimes of phrases' and 'genres of discourse,' the nurses' stories yielded three motifs: Nursing, Tangata Whaiora (people seeking wellness) and Bullying. Interpretation of the motifs was undertaken by identifying and exploring connected or dissenting aspects within and between the motifs.
