ABSTRACT Objective: To elaborate a reflection on the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty and her contributions to nursing research. Methods: This is a reflective theoretical study based on one of Merleau-Ponty's works and recent scientific literature on the subject. Results and discussion: Three themes were developed that combine the contribution of Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, starting from the central concepts of philosophy and nursing care. The approach to the body not only from a biological expression, but from the phenomenology of the lived body provides (...) an existentialist vision of the understanding of the human being immersed in the world and its relations with holistic care. Final considerations: Merleau-Ponty's philosophical reference is very useful in the generation of nursing knowledge, constituting a support for phenomenological research since it allows the understanding of the subjective phenomena of care through the body. (shrink)