Behind The Red Nose
By Carole Fawcett
Therapeutic Clowning in the Okanagan
“The arrival of a good clown exercises more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than of twenty asses laden with drugs.” As far back as the 17th Century, when Dr. Thomas Syndenham made this comment, we knew that laughter was beneficial to our health. The Bible even recognizes the benefits of humour. “A Merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bone” (Proverbs 17:22) Our society has given credence to diet and exercise almost to the exclusion of a sense of inner well being and joy.
With their colourful costumes, friendly painted faces and big red noses, Jest for Caring of Salmon Arm, Kalamalka Caring Klowns of Vernon, and Caring Clowns of the Central Okanagan of Kelowna all have the same objective in mind. They are therapeutic clowns who give away large dollops of fun and laughter by telling a corny joke, (Why did the boy put his pet duck under the mattress? So it could swim in the spring!!) offering to do a “nose transplant”, handing out bookmarks, laughing and giving hugs to everyone they meet. They are compassionate listeners who also leave a trail of giggles behind them. Clowns offer positive change in an environment that can be sterile and isolating. As a matter of fact, it has been noted that the energy of a ward is changed once the caring clowns have visited. They make it safe for people to get in touch with their inner child. The warmth and caring that the clowns emanate is not just for patients. In these challenging and changing times in health care, clowns can help to alleviate the stress for staff and patients alike.
Caring clowns have been active in the Okanagan since 1999 when Joan Willey (Jest for Caring in Salmon Arm) brought the idea from Edmonton to our beautiful valley. You may have seen them in your hospital or the nursing home of a family member. You might ask the question “What is therapeutic about a clown?” We are familiar with the five senses, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting and seeing. We could easily add a sixth, laughter. Have you ever noticed that people who have a good sense of humour usually bounce back from a stressful situation faster than those who don’t? The reason could be that people who can laugh at themselves and life in general are more flexible in their approach to life. Laughter releases the body’s natural morphine, called endorphins in our brain. Norman Cousins wrote about this in his book, Anatomy of an Illness, first published in 1979. He proved that laughter helps to alleviate pain. Ten years prior to Cousins publishing his experiences, Dr. Hans Selye, an Endocrinologist, known for his studies of the effects of stress on the human body, proved that negative emotions had negative physiologic effects on the body. This encouraged Cousins to wonder if positive emotions would have a positive physiologic effect on body chemistry. With the approval of his Physician, he moved himself out of the hospital environment, where he was being treated for a very painful and debilitating arthritic type of condition, to a more neutral and friendlier environment – a motel. He hired a Nurse, and proceeded to watch as many funny films as he could. He wrote; “I made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain free sleep.
Catherine Fenwick, writes in her book, Healing with Humour “Little children laugh, on average, about 300 times a day. Adults laugh, on average, about 12 times a day. What happens? Why do we lose so much of our playfulness and joy? In our changing times with increased job insecurity our focus is on the more serious matters of life. We let go of things we deem frivolous in our quest to survive. But we are learning that laughter is not frivolous. It is, in fact, very necessary in order to cope with our changing world. It could prove to be the perfect panacea for stress.
The physiological benefits of laughter are quite impressive. Laughter increases heart rate, circulation, respiratory activity, blood oxygen levels and improves digestion. Laughter decreases adrenalin and lowers blood pressure. According to Richard Simmons, the exercise guru, you burn two calories per minute when you laugh, and also tone your abdominal muscles.
The psychological benefits are equally as important.
Laughter can increase rapport, and the ability to communicate. Using humour can be a method of coping and can help to facilitate learning. It’s easy to remember the teacher who used humour in the classroom. Humour can also help decrease anxiety and tension in almost any situation.
Therapeutic clowning originated in New York when Michael Christianson founded the Big Apple Circus Clowns in early 80’s. Their caring clown units are now a highly respected team of mirth makers in hospitals all across the United States. All the clowns with Big Apple Circus are dressed like Doctors with some hilarious exaggerations of costume. (big feet, big noses, huge stethoscopes) They are trained professionals (artists, singers, clowns, musicians) who study for an additional 6 months prior to becoming a caring clown. Michael states “When a child is sick, the parents are sick too. They take the business of humour very seriously and work almost exclusively with children and their families.
Therapeutic clowning was introduced in Canada in 1986 by Karen Ridd, a Child Life Therapist with the Childrens Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Karen started using a clown character, by the name of Robo, to work with sick children. Robo was a silent clown thereby empowering the children she visited. (they had to do all the talking) The program was such a huge success that the first group therapy clowns in Canada were formed after Karen left the hospital.
In B.C. we have Doc Willikers (a.k.a. Paul Hooson) the only paid therapeutic clown in the Province. Doc has worked for 8 years at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, where he delights his young patients. The staff are very pleased with him and a team of volunteers work hard fundraising to keep him at the facility. Doc is viewed as an alternative form of medicine for the sick kids and their families.
There are approximately 50 practitioners of mirth in the Okanagan Valley and they are beloved by young and old alike. The 25 hour Workshops for the clowns include such topics as; The Psychology of Humour, Listening Skills, Definition of Stress and How It Effects the Body, Clown Etiquette in a Hospital, Pantomime and Puppetry, Make-up and Costuming. All trained clowns must attend a hospital orientation after their clown workshop. Volunteer caring clowns are special people who come from all walks of life who have frequently experienced personal challenges in their personal lives and know how it feels to be in a hospital bed, or to have lost a loved one. They give away love and caring, disguised as laughter and hugs. The next time you see a clown in the hospital — give them a hug. It would be a mutually beneficial experience.
Stress can be defined as an unrealistic demand on physical or mental energy. Unrelenting change causes stress. Our bodies have an alarm reaction — referred to as “fight or flight”. Our pulse quickens, the blood flow and blood pressure are increased, adrenalin is pumped into the body for strength, lactic acid starts to work in the muscles, the chemical cortisol is released and the bowels may loosen. If our body is in a constant “fight or flight” readiness, we eventually experience exhaustion. Our bodies can no longer adapt to the stressors of life. The end result can be emotional illness, disease and in extreme cases, death. Dr. Hans Selye proved that the connection between our thoughts and our health is absolutely real and very complex. In other words, we are what we think. The major revelation from his studies is that prolonged stress may cause not only a direct attack on the organs, but also a direct and measurable effect on the immune system.
The caring clowns in the Okanagan bring stress relief for those who are not feeling well, or who are working in stressful conditions. It is their mandate to bring happiness, joy and love wherever they go. The clowns suggest the following:
- Find the funny side of everything and laugh often
- Train yourself to see the positive first (the glass is half full)
- Hang out with positive people – but don’t lose your compassion for those who are depressed. (depression is not negativity – it is an illness)
- Smile at everyone you meet
- Volunteer and help others
- Start a Joke Board at work and encourage your co-workers to bring in jokes to share with everyone (all jokes should be respectful of others)
If you you’d like to join the Caring Clowns in your town here’s how to do it. For Kalamalka Caring Klowns, contact the writer at (250) 549-2034 or e mail  flower1@shaw.ca  and for Caring Clowns of the Central Okanagan, contact Diane Mairs at (250) 309-3850 or  gdmairs@silk.net.
If you are a health conscious person who exercises, eats properly and takes vitamin supplements, then make sure to add laughter to your daily good health efforts. For workshops on how humour can help you to de-stress at work, contact A Funny Business in Vernon at 1-250-549-2034.
Carole Fawcett is the founder (Kalamalka Caring Klowns in Vernon, BC) and trainer (in WEstern Canada) of therapeutic clowns. She is also a Stress Management expert and laughter therapist – trained by Dr. Madan Kataria (founder – world laughter movement)
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