Healing words

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Speaker:
Enzo Grossi, medical doctor, lecturer and researcher

Discussants:
Giovanni Pedrazzini, full Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at USI (University of Italian Switzerland) and Head of the Cardiology Service at the Cardiocentro Ticino Institute
Roberto Malacrida, EOC Board of Directors, Fondazione Sasso Corbaro for Medical Humanities and chairman of the Clinical Ethics Commission for disability

In this introductory session, Enzo Grossi examines the scientific evidence for the concept of mind and body unity, perhaps the most important in the bio-psycho-social model. It covered the hegemonic role of the mind in somatic physiology, the relationship between stress and many medical-clinical pathologies, and its effects on the immune system. Understanding such phenomena helps clarify the power that the emotions, when stimulated by art, culture and narration, have on our health.

Discussants Giovanni Pedrazzini and Roberto Malacrida add historical and philosophical observations.

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Speaker:
Perri Klass, Professor of Journalism & Pediatrics New York University; National Medical Director Reach Out & Read

Discussant:
Oskar Jenni, Director, Child Development Center and Professor for Developmental Pediatrics at the University of Zurich

Perri Klass explains how promoting literacy in primary pediatric care helps parents in improving exposure to language and in encouraging positive interactions by means of books and reading out loud. The Reach Out and Read model, widespread both globally and in Switzerland, where it is known as Nati per Leggere (Born to Read), is associated with improvements in the home environment and with more positive attitudes.

Discussant Oskar Jenni presents results from the Zurich Longitudinal Studies (ZLS), which monitored individuals from birth to old age to help better understand which factors in childhood can lead to a long and healthy life.

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Speaker:
Maurizio Gallucci, Director of the Cognitive Disorders and Dementia of the Azienda ULSS2 Marca Trevigiana

Discussant:
Antonio Malgaroli, Full Professor at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele and USI

In this session, Maurizio Gallucci presents evidence that reading is an important factor of cerebral protection in hindering the development of dementia. The habit of reading books is limited among elderly people with medium or low levels of education, but it is an important cognitive stimulus, given the ease and low cost of introducing it. The report presents an action programme aimed at assessing the effects of reading in combination with physical exercise in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment.

Discussant Antonio Malgaroli focuses on the physio-pathological basis of the beneficial effect on our brains of reading in terms of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis.

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Speaker:
James Pennebaker, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin. Texas USA

Discussant:
Marta Fadda, Institute of Public Health, Università della Svizzera italiana

It has been shown that expressive writing, a practice consisting in writing down our emotional experiences, benefits our physical and mental health. Based on over 1,400 scientific articles demonstrating its potential, James Pennebaker summarises the key results in various disciplines and shows how the simple act of writing can bring about a transformational change to our lives.

Discussant Marta Fadda talks about how narration in health care both enables patients to give an account of their unique identity, and enables doctors to become their allies, able to witness, protect and enrich their patients’ stories.

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Speaker:
Rita Charon, Medical Humanities and Ethics, Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY, USA

Discussant:
Pietro Majno-Hurst, faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (University of Italian Switzerland), Department of Surgery, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (Canton Hospital Organisation)

According to Rita Charon, narrative medicine will lead to a radical future for health care with the possibility of establishing authentic connections with patients and their families. Doctors should not just be technicians dealing with people’s illnesses in an impersonal way; they must develop the capacity for deep listening and for making a strong connection with their patients.

Pietro Majno-Hurst, as a discussant, talks about his study “Knowing each other for better care”: in this, patients who were candidates for major surgery were offered the chance to write a brief structured biography about themselves, which had a positive effect on the relationship of trust.

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Speaker:
Cristina Cenci, DNM, Digital Narrative Medicine, SIMeN (Italian Society of Narrative Medicine)

Discussant:
Maddalena Fiordelli, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana

Cristina Cenci provides a mapping of both patients’ and professionals’ sharing – using digital tools – of stories, including multimedia stories, which describe their personal experience of prevention, illness and treatment. Four categories of digital narration are presented during the lesson: crowd medicine; storytelling; story sharing interventions; and digital narrative medicine.

Discussant Maddalena Fiordelli explores the skills that those developing digital health technologies must have in order to manage the stories of diverse individuals and the individuality of the people involved.

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Speaker:
Lorenzo Donati, Adjunct professor, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences and Research fellow, Department of the Arts, University of Bologna

Discussant:
Mauro Manconi, Head of the Sleep Medicine Unit at Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland Regional Hospital of Lugano and Professor at Università della Svizzera Italiana and at University of Bern

In this session, Lorenzo Donati explains that if we listen to the protagonists of social theatre, including its pioneers, we will find that their capacity for persuasion, an intrinsic part of the theatre, does not replace, but rather supplements other roles such as educators and psychologists. Starting from some definitions, both of artistic and theatrical origin, a map will be drawn up of the characteristics and effects of the theatre in its interactions with the social context.

Mauro Manconi, as a discussant,  underlines how this type of care is essential to respond to the emerging social difficulties, especially among vulnerable people.