HISTORY CASE NOTES

Old medical practices still relevant today

This week: Using the arts as therapy. THE Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in Greece wasn’t just a place of entertainment. Epidaurus was surrounded by a sanctuary, where patients came to be healed — and part of this involved ‘catharsis’, defined as experiencing emotions in response to music, poetry and tragedies. The idea that our emotions affect health is now well established. ‘We experience psychological pain in the same part of the brain as we feel physical pain, which triggers endorphin release,’ explains Dr Robin Dunbar, a psychologist from Oxford University, who led the study. He adds: ‘Endorphins are 30 times more powerful than morphine.’