In sharing these poems, I wanted to explore an under-discussed topic of scoliosis and its emotional impact on patients and families. While my doctors provided the best physical support, the only treatment options presented to my family were bracing and surgery, and no alternatives such as physical therapy or the Schroth method were discussed. I recall the surgery being quite hard on my parents, and the bracing being especially difficult for me. With a peacekeeping personality, I took on others’ stress and pushed through pain with a happy face, often to the detriment of my emotional wellbeing. Unfortunately, neither I nor my family was going to ask for help; the misguided notion that scoliosis was “fixable” through surgery, and not a chronic illness with lifelong emotional or physical consequences, persisted, and we believed it would all be over soon. While modern medicine has helped me greatly, I know that non-physical interventions can also support physical healing, especially as a music therapy student. It is deeply troubling for me to see progressions in physical care used as a reason to reject the idea of a bidirectional mind-body connection in relation to physical illnesses. I know that the intensity of my childhood, combined with my sensitive temperament, took a toll on my growing body prior to my scoliosis diagnosis; I also know as an adolescent how deeply my diagnosis, bracing, and surgery affected my mental health. 

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Due to a lack of research around the psychological consequences of scoliosis and its treatment, my scoliosis diagnosis and treatment (2012–2018) did not prompt the offering of mental or emotional health resources or support groups to me or my family. Strong efforts are now being made to educate families about scoliosis. The hospital where I received treatment conducted research revealing that psychological impacts can persist long after scoliosis surgery. A lot more work is still to be done–in my experience, discussions of psychological challenges in the medical setting remain stigmatized. If I had had even an inch of non-physical support freely offered during my time in the hospital, I believe it would have made an immensely positive impact on my recovering body. Art or music therapy would have given me a sense of agency and made my situation easier to process. I advocate that a scoliosis diagnosis should automatically prompt referrals to psychologically supportive measures for children and families alongside physical treatment of the condition.