February 8, 2002

Sophisticated technological equipment, a vast assortment of medications and complex procedures all have become hallmarks of the modern health care world. The founders of "Waking Dreams and Warrior Women," however, focused on a different tool of healing in their presentation in the MGH Ether Dome Jan. 23 — the arts.

Waking Dreams is a nonprofit organization comprised of physicians and other health care providers, patients and professional artists who strive to educate others about the integration of art into medicine as a means of healing.

The group was the brainchild of BetheAnne DeLuca-Verley, MD, (pictured above, left) a physician at Brown University Medical School who found herself viewing health care from the patient's point of view when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she told the crowd of MGHers gathered in the Ether Dome, DeLuca-Verley struggled with the loss of control brought about by her illness, until she found inspiration and comfort by rediscovering the love of dance she had experienced years earlier.

"In dancing, I found peace, and I felt free," DeLuca-Verley recalled. "While much of the medical care we receive today stresses healing of the physical body, the arts play a very important role in nurturing and comforting the spirit." Subsequent visits and discussions with DeLuca-Verley's neighbor, Christiane Corbat, (pictured above, right) a professional sculptor, led to the formation of Waking Dreams.

The Ether Dome presentation — which was co-sponsored by the MGH and the MGH Institute of Health Professions — culminated in a dance performance showcasing some of the artwork created by breast cancer patients who have participated in the program's "Hanging Out" collaborative sculpture projects. Using a body casting process, patients create replicas of their own torsos and decorate them to reflect personal feelings of grief, anger, loss, acceptance and hope.

The MGH currently offers several programs incorporating the arts into the healing process. Art therapist Elizabeth Cook conducts art and poetry therapy workshops through the MGH Cancer Center's HOPES (Helping Our Patients and Families through Education and Support) Program. Also, beginning this month, a new music and healing program will be featured. Lynne Davis, a certified music practitioner, harpist and psychotherapist, will lead four sessions for patients and staff Feb. 20 and 21 and March 6 and 7. For more information, call the HOPES Program at (617) 72-HOPES.