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I WAS A FIRST CLOWN
Johnny Glick - U.S.A.

I was first a clown, as a child growing up in an unstable and luminous world, tending toward happiness and play, while sensing the seriousness underlying my family’s drama. Then I became a doctor, and despite the seriousness of suffering and death, and despite my growing pains as a physician, I was able to laugh and delight in the dynamics of the caring relationship. I learned a lot about what makes a person sick or well, and about the difference between pain and suffering. As a doctor I had many tools and yet I did not fully understand the power for healing inherent in the human dimension of the relationship with my patients.

Then I became a clown again, on a trip to Russia in 1993. Since then I’ve been fortunate to have clowned around the world, in hospitals, prisons, refugee camps, orphanages, and special needs facilities. I’ve clowned in tents in the Sahara and hospices in the Amazon, from a school for deaf girls in Gaza to Buddhist pilgrims in Tibet; comforted a mother whose baby had just died in Argentina and laid in the bed with a dying man in Colombia; played with 6 year old survivors of the Beslan tragedy in Russia and danced with tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka. Dozens of trips to dozens of countries , and I’ve shared time with many, many people, most of them poor, sick, disabled, imprisoned, or traumatized.

I’ve learned much about the incredible power of playful attentiveness, how a clown can calm an agitated fearful person,, how a person’s physiology changes from stress-based to relaxation ,and how shared play and laughter decreases suffering, how easily clowning creates a framework for friendship. I’ve learned how whole communities can change through the visit from a group of clowns, becoming less aggressive, more cooperative and happy. I’ve seen my clown friends, all around the world, reach out and connect with the untouchables of this world, bringing joy and laughter where before was loneliness and despair.

The power of direct human contact, in an atmosphere of play, respect and fun has become very clear to me now. People, in their suffering, their fear and loneliness are so often isolated from the mainstream of life, of community., Smiles, touch, eye contact, music, these are crucial elements of the healing interaction throughout all cultures and all times.

So indeed, the clown can heal those who suffer. The clown can redeem those whose faith in life is broken. The clown can uplift the downtrodden, and deflate the arrogant. The clown can liberate the oppressed, and provide safe haven for the fugitive. After the Beslan tragedy where 300 children were murdered at school by terrorists, many survivors received medical and psychiatric care in Moscow. 4 clowns visited a unit where 6 young children were housed , and when we began, the children were aggressive, frightened, and agitated. Across their faces played a complex series of expressions signifying echoes of a horrible experience; anguish, anger, fear, confusion, cruelty.

Finally, we were sitting at a table, eating cake, when we began a spontaneous game, whereby the boys made ugly faces and sounds at the girls, who made ugly faces and sounds at the boys. Taking turns, we each expressed our maximum silly gross stupid behavior at the other side, and laughed at and with each other. After this game we were all friends, and there was intimacy and play and trust.

This, really, is clowning for me, bringing trust back to those who have lost trust in life’s joy and fun and peace. Healing the body, the mind, the spirit, the community, the world.

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