Ralph Brown
To hear Ralph giving a Didgeridoo sound bath – go here and scroll down to the bottom.
I was recently asked by one of my Reiki students what is like to deliver Complementary Therapies to patients in a hospice, as her only experience at that time had been with what she called able-bodied clients who in general were looking for a pleasant experience and were prepared to pay for the privilege of receiving an appropriate treatment of their choice.
The mistake she was making, as many others do, was that she didn’t realise that all clients whether able bodied, as she called them, or relatives/carers of those in palliative care or perhaps respite from their conditions are exactly the same – all are subject to the same physical and emotional stresses relative to their situation at the time.
No one has two heads because they are poorly and everyone needs to be treated in the same way with respect and dignity but above all with loving intention9 – the therapist’s by-word.
One experience that comes to mind in my 10 years’ experience and over 3000 treatments (compared to many old therapy hands, still a ‘newbie’), was a lady who described herself, very accurately, as an old Hippy. This was at another hospice in the Midlands prior to my arrival at Marie Curie some 6 years ago
I was asked to see her as she was feeling very low, had now refused all visitors and was in the final stages of her cancer journey – she had all but given up on life and her family were devastated to see this change in her as she had previously been such a vibrant personality.
When I met her, she was outside smoking what could only be identified as a joint (marijuana) and as we chatted, we discovered that we had some old mutual acquaintances. She went on to recall her days at festivals sitting around a fire listening to music and in particular the Didgeridoo, her mood and interest in life returning with every recollection – laughing and coughing to her great delight.
More bizarrely I told her that I make and play Didgeridoos (someone has to!) and she insisted that I should bring one in for her which I dutifully did the following day as a special visit.
The problem now was that she wanted me to play it for her! The nursing staff said OK, so off we went to her shrieks of even more delight.
On a quiet ward the sound echoed around the building like an air-raid siren and soon more nurses were scurrying into the room to see what was going on and with requests from other patients for me to play in their rooms. I was like the Pied Piper that afternoon but she loved it and so did everyone else.
This lady and her family could have had such a miserable passing but instead thanks to the Didgeridoo recital it was filled with wonderful memories for her of her younger self coupled with enjoying some fun and laughter in her final days.
She passed away soon after and the hospice received many thanks from her family and friends to applaud the sensitive and original care provided for their loved one.
Complementary Therapies are not limited to the traditional list of Massage, Reiki etc but should be tailored to the individual whatever and wherever that takes the therapist.
As an Epilogue I attended this lady’s funeral which is not something I often do but was asked to do so by the family. It was at a Catholic Church in Coventry and I expected a very formal ceremony – not for this lady – she was a prominent figure in the local Rastafarian community who took over the proceedings from the disgruntled Priest to send her off Caribbean Style but that’s another story!