Clown Therapy Using Biofeedback for Non-Responsive Patients

Clown Therapy Using Biofeedback for Non-Responsive Patients

Clown Doctors do all they can to make sure their performance is helpful for the patient. Like all clowns, they monitor audience reaction. With medical clowns, however, their "audience" is the patient. What happens when the patient's "body language" is not noticeable though?

 

Medical clowns do their best with the information available and hope for the best. Biofeedback, however, might be a tool that medical clowns could use to gauge their performance on patients where there is no visible or audible reaction.

Some examples of patients who have little or no body language are below. 

1. Injury prevents movement. Bandages hide facial expressions. Vocal sounds might not be possible. Burns hide facial expressions.

2. The patient is in a coma or similar condition. Yet, the clown performs hoping to "reach" the child on some level.

3. Necessary medications might hinder emotional response. Depression has robbed the patient of outward show of emotion.

4. The patient, especially a child, is so severely traumatized by life events. They deem any show of emotion too risky. 

With biofeedback, the clown therapist could have more information to tailor their performance for the non-responsive patient. The clown would also know they are "doing no harm" with their performance. 

To my knowledge, clowns do not typically use biofeedback to assist them in their work. Yet, it seems feasible to, at least, try this technique in those cases where they do not know if they are helping or not. 

The medical staff, of course, would assist in the use of biofeedback sensors on their patients. Typically, the goal in biofeedback is to relax. Relaxing is good for the patient to heal faster and to facilitate necessary medical treatment. Humor relaxes. There might be a brief sign of stress when the clown first starts performing but should diminish during the performance. When the clown finishes, the patient should be less stressed and more relaxed. 

Some ways biofeedback could be used are below.

 

1. Galvanic Skin Response sensors could be placed on the patient's hands or fingers to sense skin conductance.

2. The clown could glance at the Patient's Bedside Medical Monitor occasionally for signs of relaxation. In relaxation, respiration and pulse rate slows. Future medical monitors might even have an indicator to show relaxation level.

Takeaways:

• Medical clowns adjust their performance, based on the reactions of the patient and family.
• Some patients show little or no reaction to the clown's performance.
• Monitoring patient biofeedback might be helpful for both the performing clown and the patient.

References:

• Biofeedback also Skin Conductance Uses
• Alternative medicine: the definitive guide By Larry Trivieri et al. - see "Unusual Success Stories: Biofeedback and Coma"
• Emotional electrodermal response in coma and other low-responsive patients by Daltrozzo J et al.
• Biofeedback in coma rehabilitation: Case study - Frazier, Lawrence M.
• ""My son is in a coma, but I told the Clown Doctor that he can still hear us, so she played some soft music… It felt like she made contact with him… she made him happy" ...Mother of Abboudi, 5 years old - RHUH General Pediatrics" - What Parents Say
• Skin conductance measurements as pain assessment in newborn infants born at 22-27 weeks gestational age at different postnatal age by Munsters J et al.
• Clown Doctors Heal with Hope, Magic, and Humor

Some Biofeedback Tools available to the public:

• Mindplace Thoughtstream USB Personal Biofeedback
• GSR2 Home Biofeedback Unit
• CalmLink Biofeedback Software

Disclaimer - Article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.