Thanks to Eric Nelson, Christian Science media spokesperson for North Carolina who inspired me to smile today…..
This past week I had the great privilege of attending a presentation about the Medical Clown Project at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club. I figured that a guy like me who practices a decidedly unconventional approach to health care might enjoy hearing about an equally out-of-the-box method.
Medical Clown - Jeff Raz
The speakers included former Cirque Du Soleil clowns Jeff Raz and Ben Johnson as well as Phil Weglarz, an activities therapist with the California Pacific Medical Center. The three have been working together on a pilot program to bring a combination of song, dance, comedy, magic, and all around fun into a wide variety of hospital environments – everywhere from the waiting room to the intensive care unit, emergency room, mental health ward… even elevators!
What they’ve found is perhaps not too surprising: A little levity goes a long way to reduce fear and all the etceteras that go along including depression, anxiety, stress, and so on. Although they’re still in the process of gathering data, anecdotal evidence would seem to indicate that the patients they visit experience measurable mental and physical improvement.
This may sound cliché, but as I listened to their story and saw a sampling of their technique, I found myself both laughing and crying.
I also found myself thinking about how important it is in my own health care practice to rid one’s self of fear. There are lots of ways to do this of course (clowning around being just one), but the one I’ve found to be the most effective is prayer.
Prayer is the best way I know how to remind myself of the divine laws of God that I feel certain govern the lives of every one of us. It’s not a “hoping, wishing, pleading” kind of thing but a process that demands of me things like humility, patience, and compassion. To put it more bluntly, it’s a process that requires that I shut up – both figuratively and literally – and listen to what God is saying.
And the result? An improved state of mind, a lot less fear, and a better, healthier body.
If there are any medical clowns reading this post, God love you for what you do. Thanks to you people in hospitals all over the country are not only less fearful but happier and healthier as well.
More on this subject in the Australian context posted 14 March 2012:
Spirituality – the new frontier in health research
Filed under: Christian Science, Health care Tagged: activities therapist, Ben Johnson, California Pacific Medical Centre, Cirque du Soleil, clowns, compassion, divine laws of God, effective prayer, Health care, healthier body, hospitals, humility, Jeff Raz, less anxiety and stress, less fear, measurable mental and physical improvement, Medical Clown Project, mind-body connection, out-of-the-box method, San Francisco's Commonwealth Club, [atoemce
