Art practice can be a balm. A weaver meditates in repetition; a sculptor shapes a figure; a performer is fed by an audience’s response.
Still, artists are often marked by their own work. For example, a painter may worry about coming into contact with toxic pigments. A screen printer might fear repetitive-stress injuries. And a bookbinder could be at risk of knife cuts. This reciprocal relationship sometimes demands clinical and ethical responses.
The June issue of AMA Journal of Ethics® (@JournalofEthics) considers how art practices influence artists’ embodiment experiences and asks what health care might glean from these experiences to cultivate a better understanding of patienthood.
The AMA Journal of Ethics is an editorially independent, peer-reviewed journal devoted to helping students and clinicians navigate ethical decisions in service to patients and communities. The June issue of the journal includes the following articles.
“Lessons in Embodiment From the World of Physical Theatre.”
- This article considers how the concept of embodiment is used in performing arts to promote mind-body integration, kinesthetic empathy and trust.
“Narrative, Embodiment and Health.”
- This article investigates roles of storytelling in human evolution and how sharing stories informs embodied experiences.
“Repair and Transformation.”
- This work considers themes of repair and transformation in vascular surgical techniques.
“A Brief History of Healthier Comic Making.”
- Angled work surfaces have long helped artists preserve their bodies’ capacity to create.
Listen and learn
The journal also features two June “Ethics Talk” podcasts. The first is a conversation with Christine Slobogin, PhD, assistant professor of health humanities and bioethics at the University of Rochester, in New York, about what embodiment is and why physicians need to know about it.
The second is a discussion with Jake Young, PhD, MPH, senior policy analyst with the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, about his poem “A Rare Bone Disease” and how creative arts, including poetry, can help enhance ethical inquiry’s power and richness.
The June issue also features seven author-interview podcasts and one editorial-fellow interview podcast. Listen to previous episodes of the “Ethics Talk” podcast or subscribe in iTunes or other services.
Also, CME modules drawn from this month’s issue are collected at the AMA Ed Hub™ AMA Journal of Ethics webpage.
The next issue of the journal will focus on rural U.S. emergency medical services. Apply to be an AMA Journal of Ethics editorial fellow or senior editorial fellow and design a theme issue with us.
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