Monday, April 18, 2016
by Asha Shajahan, M.D., MHSA, Beaumont Family Medicine
Have you ever paid attention to the rhythmic drum of your heart beat? Through innovative music therapy, Brian Schreck, a music therapist at Cincinnati Children’s, helps patients and families dealing with a serious illness or end-of-life diagnosis cope and grieve. He records heart beats of critically ill patients and incorporates the heart beat into songs to help families cope with the loss of a child. He recorded the heartbeat of a boy battling cancer, and when he passed away, Brain gave the child’s parents a recorded song. His parents now have the gift to hear their son’s heart beat at any time they wish, helping the family cope with their devastating loss. This is just one example of how music, a form of art, can help heal.
Art in all its various forms; drawing, dance, music, visual, writing, etc. helps empower and transform lives creatively. I have experienced the benefits of using art as a tool to help doctors in training connect with patients, improve the health of my patients and the well-being of myself. There are numerous studies supporting the benefit of art in reducing anxiety, depression and coping with chronic illness such as dementia. Art has been used to help stroke patients learn to walk and speak again. The power of art in medicine inspired me to collaborate with the Detroit Institute of Arts to create the Art and Health Symposium.My goal is to bring attention to how art can reduce the use of pain medication, aid in therapies for chronic illness, improve discharge time, post-operative outcomes and improve the overall patient experience. The symposium is a way to reach a larger audience than just my patient population. It can create a movement to support incorporating art as a tool for healthcare providers, to improve health care environments and to empower patients.
Art and creativity is a wellness practice, but what is wellness and how does one achieve it? The keynote speaker at the symposium, psychiatrist, Dr. Carrie Barron, will be speaking about the reasons why art and creativity should be part of one’s wellness resolutions. In her book, Dr. Barron offers a five-part prescription for optimizing everyday experiences:
- insight (self- knowledge)
- movement (exercise)
- mind rest (unplug, hang out)
- your own two hands (make things or make things happen)
- mind shift (cultivate a useful mindset)
The Art and Health Symposium will be held at the DIA on April 21, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from leaders of Southeast Michigan health systems and art organizations about ways to better support patients by integrating the arts into the culture of care. The focus will be on creating patient-centered health care environments and incorporating creative therapies to enhance patient care.
I hope the community will feel empowered to take control of their health through art interventions. Something as simple as a heartbeat can be transformed into creative expression to help individuals heal. I believe art is good medicine and the symposium will educate the community about the power and purpose of art in medicine.