Maternal–Fetal Soul Communication in Indonesian Phenomenological and Cultural Perspectives: A Phenomenological Study of Prenatal Experience

Abstract

Pregnancy in Indonesian cultures is understood not merely as a biological process but as a spiritual, emotional, and intersubjective experience shared between mother and fetus. This study aims to explore maternal–fetal soul communication through sensory pathways, intuition, and emotional resonance using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Thirty pregnant women from diverse Indonesian cultural backgrounds (Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, Batak, Betawi, and East Nusa Tenggara) were interviewed at Santo Borromeus Hospital in Bandung. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, sensory diaries, and participant observation. The analysis identified three essential themes: (1) the senses as bio-cultural channels of communication, (2) maternal intuition as a mechanism of intersubjective interpretation, and (3) feelings as a bidirectional emotional resonance. These findings are synthesized into a new theoretical framework—the Prenatal Intersubjective Communication Model in the Indonesian Cultural Context (PICMIC)—which conceptualizes prenatal communication as a sensory–intuitive–emotional process shaped by Nusantara cultural values. This study contributes to expanding maternal–fetal attachment theory within a non-Western cultural context.