A funny thing happened on the way to health
Is laughter the best medicine? A counselor who combines mirth and music certainly thinks so, as do physicians and healers worldwide.
By PAUL SWIDER
Published April 12, 2006
MADEIRA BEACH - Mary Kay Sturdevant was seriously injured in an auto accident four years ago, but she can laugh about it now. And play music, too.
"My life came to a screeching halt," the 49-year-old counselor said about the Gulf Boulevard accident near her home in Madeira Beach. "I was traumatized. I was totally incapacitated for three years."
Sturdevant had neck and back injuries that required the fusing of vertebrae. She had a dislocated jaw, the pain from which prevented her from eating solid food for months. She developed fibromyalgia and depended on pain medications.
Then a friend introduced her to music and laughter therapies. Through singing, humming and laughing, she turned her life around.
"It healed me," she said. "I still have some pain, but I can cope with it now."
Musical vibrations stimulate the body and resonate with its cells, Sturdevant said. Physical laughter has a similar effect and can generate endorphins to ease pain and improve mood.
Convinced that music and laughter fixed her body and mind, Sturdevant went on to train in their use and now shares her skills at Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and in "laughter club" sessions at Sacred Lands, a nonprofit history, archaeology and spiritual center on Park Street.
Sturdevant will combine her skills and interests in "90 Minutes of Hilarity" at Sacred Lands on Thursday. She will also hold an event at Archibald Park on May 7, also known as World Laughter Day.
Sturdevant is a certified laughter leader and will soon become a certified music practitioner, which is different from a music therapist but with the same aim of using music to soothe and heal. Her work at hospice is an internship for her music certification.
Sturdevant uses a rain stick and her voice, mainly, when working with patients at Hospice to make them feel more at ease and more relaxed. She'll sometimes invent songs on the fly based on patients' reactions but can also sing old favorites that spur listeners to fond memories of better times.
The idea of music as treatment has a rich history of applications, from improving health, memory, attention and creativity to relieving depression.
"Some doctors believe traditional medicine is all there is," Sturdevant said, "but this is being more widely accepted all the time."
Sandi Sunter, director of community programs at Hospice, said such "complementary interventions" have been demonstrated to be effective. Patients, especially those nearing the end of life, report feeling less pain and anxiety, sometimes slip out of dementia, and are generally more peaceful, which puts the body in a better state to heal itself.
"What is healing?" Sunter asked. "It may not always be physical healing."
Sunter said people should not think this is the kind of laughter that comes from watching cartoons or hearing jokes. The kind Sturdevant stimulates is more akin to exercise, a kind of yoga.
"It's a very high-energy activity," said Doris Anderson, who runs Sacred Lands with her husband, Erik. "It's a workout. By the time you finish class, you're tired."
Sturdevant is seeking to turn her avocation into a consulting business, working with individuals and also groups in a corporate or team-building setting. The improved concentration that music and laughter can bring are proving effective for other practitioners in creating shared experiences that help people and organizations perform better. The learning has been useful for Sturdevant.
"Often when you try to help others, it winds up helping you," she said. "Dealing with the elderly has helped me learn to deal with my own mortality."
Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.