ERIC EJ1094965: Healing and the Arts: A Powerful Metaphor for Teaching about Healing and for Teaching Medical Humanities

2006·0.21 MB·English

by  ERIC

Title:
Healing and the Arts: A Powerful Metaphor for Teaching about Healing and for Teaching Medical
Humanities
Journal Issue:
Journal for Learning through the Arts, 2(1)
Author:
Sirridge, Marjorie S., University of Missouri, Kansas City
Martin, Jennifer, University of Missouri, Kansas City
Publication Date:
2006
Permalink:
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pb882j1
Acknowledgements:
Keywords:
Arts, Drama, Experiential Learning, Healing, Health, Illness, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Literature,
Music, Society, Spirituality, Visual Arts
Local Identifier:
class_lta_2527
Abstract:
For several years an interdisciplinary course called “Healing and the Arts” has been offered to
undergraduates and medical students in a BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas
City. Its stated purpose is to give students a theoretical and practical understanding of how the
arts can be a healing force in people's lives. Healing is addressed in a broad sense that takes
into account the larger factors of health and illness, such as the roles and responsibilities of
patients, the cultural perspectives of sickness and health, and the influence of religious or moral
beliefs and practices. The three units of the course are: 1) Art and Healing of Self and Others;
2) Art, Healing and Society; and 3) Art, Healing and Spirituality. Each unit includes appropriate
literature assignments and art experiences. Oliver Sacks' book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife
for a Hat, provides numerous examples of healing through music, art, spirituality and the helpful
understanding of care givers. Music such as requiems, the blues and the compositions of Andrew
Lloyd Weber provide examples of healing in a different sense. Plays, read or attended, offer
additional dynamic experiences. Artists such as Frida Kahlo provide examples of the relation
of illness and healing to the creation of visual art. The many art related responses to the 9/11
tragedy show how society sought its own healing. Students’ responses to the selections are
evaluated through written papers and examinations as well as class discussions. The faculty
members believe that, by introducing students to the positive aspects of the arts and how they
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have universally contributed to the healing of individuals, societies and cultures, they are teaching
them the important balance between medical knowledge and the arts in their own lives.
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INTRODUCTION
TheUniversityofMissouri-KansasCity(UMKC)hasanestablishedhistoryof
interdisciplinarydialogueabouttheimportanceoftheartsandhumanitiesinsociety. Thegoalof
theSchool’smedicalhumanitiesprogramistohelpstudentsrealizethattheycanunderstandthe
humanconditionthroughliterature,thefineandperformingartsandotherhumanitiesexperiences
,andthattheconceptofhealingismuchbroaderinitsscopethanthediagnosisandthetreatment
ofillnesses.Thisarticlewilldescribeanelectiveinterdisciplinarycoursethatbothliberalartsand
healthcareprofessionalstudentscanchoose. Medicalstudentsinthe6-yearB.A./M.D.program
areencouragedtoincludeitintheircurricula.
Thecourseiscalled“HealingandtheArts,”anditsstatedpurposeistogivestudentsa
theoreticalandpracticalexperienceofhowtheartscanbeahealingforceinpeople’slives.Using
theartstopromotehealingisnotanewtopicforhealthprofessionals1-8. Howeverinterweaving
themetaphorofhealingandtheartsthroughoutanentirecourseisquiteunique.Thecourse
focusesonhowhealingcanbesupportedbydifferentexperiencesoftheartsratherthancentering
ononekindofartastherapy (e.g.,drama,,poetry,artormusictherapy).
HISTORICALBACKGROUND
In1976,theRockefellerFoundationconvenedameetingofpersonsinterestedinmedical
humanitiestoconsiderthevariousrolesoftheartsinhealingandtherapeuticenvironments. “The
HealingRoleoftheArts,”anarrativedefiningwhatthehealingartsareandhowtheycanbestbe
employedinAmerica,waspublishedafterthissession. Thepointofcommonalityamongall
participantswasthattheartsareessentialforwell-being. Relateddiscussionsexploredthe
importanceofartas“process,”notartwithacapital“A”. Theuseofartasasymbolofpersonal
and/orsocietalstrugglewasseenasmoremeaningfulthanartforitsaestheticvaluealone.
Despitedifferingopinionsindefiningthehealingarts,allparticipantsagreedthat“artisan
intrinsicattributeofhumanexistence”9.
Laterdiscussionsatthemeetingfocussedon“howtomeasurethevalueofthe
arts.”Severalpeopleexpressedtheirfrustrationwithbeingunabletotranslatetheirpersonal
experiencesintoharddata. Twenty-sevenyearsafterthisstudy,thesameproblemexistsin
academicinstitutionsacrossthecountry. Wheneducationand“assessment”co-exist,thearts
oftenfallshort,becauseit’sdifficulttotest“empathy,”“positivehealing,”andotheraspectsof
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artisticlearning.9.Unfortunately,inmedicaleducation,objectivemeasurementremainsthe
primarygoal,10especiallyindeterminingrequiredofferingsforcurricula.Thisshouldnot,
however,preventeducatorsfromtryingtodesignmoresensitivewaysofdeterminingoutcomes.
Anotherimportantareaofconversationcenteredaround“artbeyondcuring,”thenotion
thathealthcareentailsmorethancuringaspecificillnessordisability. Oneparticipantsaidthat
“healing”goesbeyondtheinstitutionalpopulation;therapeutichealingisacontinuumandshould
reacheveryonewhoneedsit,notjustsickpeoplewhoareinhospitals9. Asmedicalcaremoves
outofhospitalsintolongtermcarefacilitiesandhomes,thisconversationbecomesevenmore
important.
COURSEDESPRIPTION
Thethreestatedobjectivesofthecourseare1)Toanalyzethearts,howtheyfunctionfor
individualsandsociety,whattheirvariousrolesare;2)Tofullyexperiencethehealingforceof
theartsaftergainingknowledgeaboutthehistoryandcontextofthearts;and3)Todevelop
empatheticresponsestoartisticmediums. Thefacultyseekstohelpstudents“buildbridges,”
connectingtheirownliveswiththeartexperience. Formanystudentstoday,particularlythose
trainedinthesciences,exposuretotheartsbothintellectuallyandemotionallyisa"brandnew"
experience. Theyneedtolearntoaskwhataworkofartisabout,aswellastolearnsomething
aboutitshistoryandhowitcanhaverelevancetotheirday-to-daylives. Thecourseprovides
toolstounderstandtheprocessesartistsusetocommunicateandtoidentifythemesthatare
relevanttohealingasstudentsviewand/orexperiencethearts.
ThesegoalsofthecourserelatetowhatP.AnneScottsaysin“TheRelationshipBetween
MedicineandtheArts,”thattheartsencouragewhole-person understandingaswellashelping
studentstorecognizeandlearnfromindividualpatientexperiences. Sheusestheterm
“enrichmentoflanguageandthought”andarguesthatliteratureandthefineandperformingarts
canenrichthelanguageand,thus,thethoughtprocesses,ofhealthcareprovidersinamannerthat
providesa wealthofconceptsandideaswithwhichtothinkabouthealthcare11.Scottconcludes
herarticlebyquotingRSDownie:“Medicineandarthaveacommongoal:tocompletewhat
naturecannotbringtoafinish....toreachtheideal...tohealcreation.Ifweareattentivein
looking,inlisteningandinwaiting,thensoonerorlatersomethinginthedepthsofourselveswill
respond.Art,likemedicine,isnotanarrival;it'sasearch”12.
Inordertoelicitstudents’assumptionsatthebeginningofthecourse,theyareaskedto
completethefollowingtwosentences: “Healingis…..” and“Artis…..”. Atthebeginningofthe
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semester“art”evokesassociationssuchas“emotion,”“truth,”“beauty”and“essence,”whereas
“healing”isoftenequatedwith“curing.”Duringthesemester,studentsareaskedtodescribetheir
responsestosomethingthey'vereadorexperiencedandareremindedoftheirinitialdefinitions
andhowtheymaybeshiftingtheirviews. Suchactivitycanbeveryuseful,particularlywhen
studentsareencouragedtoemployapersonalvoiceinansweringsuchquestionsandwriting
aboutthem.Bytheendofthesemester,theroleofarthasmovedfromageneraltoamore
personalaesthetic,onethathasspecificmeaningtothestudent.
Theshiftthatoccursinstudents’perceptionof“art”alsooccursintheirdefinitionsof
“healing.”Sooften,whenillnessoccurs,theterm“curing”isusedinsteadoftheterm“healing.”
Whereascuringmakestheassumptionofapositiveoutcome,healingpresumesawholemind,
body,andspiritualapproachtowellbeing. Asalreadymentioned,healingisabroader,more
inclusivetermthattakesintoaccountthelargerfactorsofhealthandillness,suchastherolesand
responsibilitiesofthepatient,theculturalperspectivesofsicknessandhealthandtheinfluenceof
religiousormoralbeliefsandpractices. Thiscourseusestheartsasaprimaryunifyingprinciple
toexpandthehealingconceptandtakeitbeyondtherealmofmedicine,emphasizingtheways
thattheartshaveservedthroughouthistoryandcontinuetoserveaspositivemediumsfor
healing. .
The“HealingandtheArts”courseisdividedintothreelargeunits:1)ArtandHealingof
SelfandOthers;2)Art,HealingandSociety;and3)Art,HealingandSpirituality. Withinthese
largerunitsareavarietyofchoicessuchasthereadingofOedipus,TheKing,theviewingof
FridaKahlo'sartworkandlearningherlifestoryandthereadingofselectionsfromOliverSacks’
TheManWhoMistookhisWifeforaHatinUnitI;discussionof society’sneedforRequiems,
thesignificanceoftheAIDSquiltandtheimportanceof differentkindsofhealingviewsfor
cancer andAIDSpatientsinUnitII;andthesearchforpersonalredemption inAndrewLloyd
Webber’smusic,spiritualityintheartandritualofNativeAmericansandmanyotherethnic
groupsandculturesinUnitIII.
Therearetwofacultymembers,onefromTheaterandonefromtheMedicalHumanities,
whoparticipateinallclasssessions. Inaddition,thereareguestspeakerswhobringparticular
strengthsandabilitiesinspecificareasofthearts. Foramedicalapproachthroughliterature,
OliverSacks’clinicalstoriesinTheManWhoMistookHisWifeforaHathelpstudentscometo
knowthispersonwhoseeshimselfasbothadoctorandhealer,thusleadingthemtore-evaluate
theirtraditionalmethodsofinterpretinga“good”physician. StudentswhocometoseethatSacks
asacarefulobserverandinterpreterofhumanexperiencecancomparethisapproachtothemore
traditionalscientificapproachtohealing,e.g.,interpretingtestsandgivingpills. Another
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exampleofthehealingroleisdescribedbyphysicianKateScannellinherbook,TheGood
Doctor. Sheseeseachpatientasa“problem”that,althoughshecan’tcure(sincemostofher
patientsintheearly1980sweredyingofAIDS),shecantrytoheal. Anotherstory,Richard
Selzer’sImagineaWoman,doesn’thaveadoctorasthecentralcharacter,butapatientwhois
dyingofAIDS.Thispatientattemptstohealherself,butfindsthatmanypeopleandevents
aroundherprovidethenecessaryhealingcomplement.
Inthese,andother,examples,literaturebecomesanexperienceofhealingandshowsthe
waysthattraditionalmedicalmodelsoftenignorethelesstangibleorpracticalaspectsofhealing
selforothers. Ifstudentsreadaboutsuchcharactersandhowtheyaffectchangesintheir
attitudesaboutthemselvesandtheirhealth,theyfindmodelstohealthemselvesandothers.
Sometimesitismoreeffectivetouseatextthathasnomedicalcharacterspresenttoallow
studentstoseethathealingisuniversalandtakesplaceoutsideofhospitalsanddoctor'soffices
allthetime.Healingsooftenrequiresmorethanmedicalcare.
Theperformingartscanofferamoredynamicexperiencetostudentsthanreading
literaturealone. Forexample,watchingOedipusTheKingchallengesstudentstoidentifywith
theprotagonist,exploretheirownfeelingsofhubrisandexperiencethejudgmentoftheon-
lookers. Abluesmusicianhelpsstudentsunderstandthesourceandhealingpoweroftheblues
andthenleadstheminthecreationandperformanceoftheirownblueslyrics. Amorepersonal
experiencecanoccurwhenstudentsdoalivereadingoftheplay,JourneyintoThatGoodNight,
astoryaboutaterminallyillcollegestudentwhofindscomfortandhealinginpoetry.
Withtoday’sgenerallydiversestudentbody,ithasbecomeachallengetofindacore
experiencetowhichallstudentscanrelate,withtheexceptionoftheSeptember11thattacksinthe
UnitedStates. Thissharedexperiencehasprovidedapowerfulunifyingmetaphorthatall
studentscanrelateto. ArecentarticleinTheNewYorkerbyAlexRoss,entitled“Requiems,”
asks:“Whatdoesmusicgiveuswhenwordsarestoppedinourthroats?Onanordinaryday,
musictakesusoutofourselves,allowingustoforgetwhateverself-inventeddramasmaybe
pressingonus. Theeffectisseldomlasting. Butwhenweareallinthegripofthesameemotion,
musiccanshouldertheheaviestpartofwhatwearefeeling.”13. Otherexamplesof 9/11-related
artisticoutpouringsareincluded,suchaspaintings,poems,photographsandshortstoriesthat
haveaddressedthistragedyintheirownways.
Aswithmanyotheractivitiesinthecourse,therequirementofthewrittenassignmentsis
includedtoteachstudentshowtolookatworksofartandtheirrelationshiptohealing. Special
exhibitsarechosenatnearbyartgalleries,andattendanceatatleastoneplayduringthesemester
isrequired. Musicalconcertscanalsobechosen.Studentsarerequiredtoattendandreporton
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twosuchexternalartexperiences.Responsepapersrequireadescriptionoftheexperienceand
whatpersonalmeaninghasbeengleaned.Therearethreelongerpapersthatdrawoutsomeofthe
interrelatedthemesofthecourse,suchastherolesofartinthehealingofindividualsandsociety
andoftheimportanceoftheartsinthespiritualdimensionsofhealing.Therearealsothreeunit
tests,non-cumulative,whichfocusmorepracticallyonanalyticalunderstandingofmaterial.
Thereareidentificationquestions,aswellasessayquestions,thatrequireananalysisofthe
readingsandmaterialpresentedanddiscussedinclass.
ANALYSISOFTHECOURSE
Facultymembersbelievethatbyfirstintroducingstudentstopositiveaspectsofthearts
andhowtheyhavemadeauniversalcontributiontohealingindividuals,societies,andcultures
throughouttime,andtheninvitingself-exploration,theyarehelpingstudentslearntheimportant
balancebetween“knowledge”and“experience.”Withoutknowledgeit’sdifficulttounderstand
another’sorevenone’sownexperiences. Withoutexperientialconnectiontotopics,it’sdifficult
toconveytostudentsagenuineunderstandingofhowtheartscanbeahealinglifeforce. When
dealingwithhealthandillness,itisimportanttogivestudents.i.e.futureorcurrentpatientsand
healers,abatteryofresources. If,forinstance,someindividualsareorganizingasupportgroup,
theymayneedtochooseaplay,musicpiece,artwork,orworkofliteraturethatwillbemost
effectiveinfocusingandsharingexperiences. Also,aspectsofpersonalhealingandsharingin
thehealingoffamilyandfriendsarealwaysofcentralimportance.
Manypeoplearguethatthereisanevengreaterneedforhealingtoday,sincepeopleina
globaleconomytendtobesegregatedandlessconnected,connectingmoretotheircomputers,
gadgets,andtelevisionsetsthantoeachother. Inthefieldofhealth,particularly,manypeople
arguethattheskillofwholebodyhealinghasbeenlostintheobsessionwithmedicaltechnology
andthescientificapproachtohealing. Thiscourseoffersasolutiontothatlackofbalance. It
providesoneavenueforeducatorstoremindstudentsthattheartsofferanotherwaytotapinto
positivemodesofhealing. It’simportanttoeducateourselvesandourstudentsaboutcreativeand
healingforcesandtorecognizehowwecanusethesetoolstohelpusrespondtoourownpain
andsufferingandthatofothers.
CONCLUSION
Theartshavealwaysfunctionedasapositivemethodforhealingthemind,body,and
spirit. Themainpurposeofthedescribedcourseistohelpstudentsbecomeacquaintedwith
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manydifferentworldviewsofhealing. Afurthergoalistogetpre-healthandhealthcarestudents
tostepawayfromtheirisolationismtoseethelargerhumanisticpictureofhealthandillness. For
pre-medicalandmedicalstudentstosharetheclasswithnon-medicalstudentsoffersanunusual
opportunitytoenlargetheexperiencesforboth.Whenstudentsconnecttothemainstreamof
peopleandhumanexperiences,theyfindthathealthandillnessarelargerthemesthatencompass
allofsociety. Sincehealingdoesnotalwaysmeanstayingonthesideoflife,butlettinggoofour
needtocontrol,ithelpsstudentstotalkaboutsomethingotherthanmaladies. Instead,itguides
themtofocuson ahealthyversionofthemselvesandothersthatmayleadeachgroupof
individualstofindtheirownwholeness. Facultywhohaveparticipatedinthiscoursefeelthat
whenstudentshaveunderstoodconceptsconceptuallyandanalytically,theyarethenenabledto
experiencethepracticalandexperientialcomponentsofhealingfromthearts.Thus,anattemptis
madetoconveyknowledge abouthealingconceptsfirst,beforeexploringtheseartisticmediums
throughreading,writing,discussingandexperiencing.
Itisalsotheintentionofthecoursetohelpstudentsexperiencethehealing,ennobling
andenrichingaspectsofthearts.Allhumanbeingsareartiststovariousdegrees,sincetheycreate
andre-createtheirresponsestotheworld. Thefacultyhasencouragedstudentstoidentifyand
developpersonalskillsthattheycanutilizeintheirday-to-daylivesandsharewithothers.
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