Alive in the ER

When our group first sang in the emergency room at LAC-USC Medical Center, I had a vague idea of what it meant for the people in that room. A couple of months later that would become much clearer when I went to the same place because my husband was experiencing unexpected health problems.

During my first visit to that room, we saw people either watching TV or looking down at the ground with sorrowful expressions on their faces. Many of them were clutching some part of their body that was in pain. When we sang their attention shifted to us and they began to smile and sing along.

I knew that on a biological level, they were likely getting a shot of oxytocin (the bonding hormone). This meant that they were no longer thinking about their past or their future and were completely immersed in the joy of the moment.

During my visit to the ER for my husband, I could feel the stress building up in my body. I longed for someone to sing for me and my husband. It would have helped us snap out of our worries. Although no one came that day, I realized the value of what we had done months before.

It was valuable for the singers and the listeners. One of the members of our team ended that first ER visit by saying, “I feel that I am alive.” She too had experienced some of the positive biological effects of group singing.