‘The beauty of letting go’: How Charlotteans heal, learn through dissection workshops
Before starting her first dissection, Katie Hopkins took the time to observe every feature of the hand she was about to work on.
Realizing that she would be the last person to see the donor’s fingerprints, the somatic bodywork and movement specialist with Align and Spiral in Charlotte was overcome with melancholy.
She soon understood, though, that cremation would eventually change everything. She made her first incision, carefully keeping that in mind while balancing her nerves.
“As I stepped outdoors when it was time for my break, enjoying a welcome change of pace from the formaldehyde-scented lab, I was thankful to the donor for teaching me the beauty of letting go,” Hopkins said.
Experience Anatomy is bringing the study of the human body to Charlotte through cadaver dissection workshops. The bioskills lab serves as a venue for surgical training, medical education and research. It also aims to enhance understanding of the human body in ways that textbooks alone cannot achieve for all levels of learners.
Who can dissect?
Experience Anatomy opens its doors to a diverse group of individuals eager to deepen their understanding of human anatomy. Healthcare professionals, licensed bodywork experts and yoga teachers, educators and students in the Hands-On Human Anatomy program for learners ages 8-16 can participate.
The organization is dedicated to empowering educators by offering professional development sessions aligned with curricular goals across various subjects, including biology, anatomy and even art. From basic anatomy lessons to high-level surgical practice, the workshops cater to various learning levels.
“This inclusive approach ensures that learners at all levels have the opportunity to engage with anatomy in a meaningful and impactful way,” outreach and program coordinator Fauna Moore said.
The workshops underscore a commitment to making anatomy education engaging and comprehensive, addressing the frustrations of traditional book learning.
Hopkins told CharlotteFive that Moore put the entire process into perspective for her — and put her at ease.
“I had been curious about it. And I had a feeling that doing it once would not be enough for me and dreamed of finding a program that would let me do it regularly,” Hopkins said.
Learning how to dissect gave her a “3D perspective” to use in her practice. “I learned to see with my hands, and the lab gives me even more of a map to turn into the body,” Hopkins said.
“I’ve had several deaths in my family in the last few years, so there’s something therapeutic about the experience in regards to processing grief,” she added.
The cadaver workshops, featured in The New York Times and Charlotte Ledger, are increasingly popular among yoga and massage therapy communities for their unique educational value and ability to deepen understanding of the human body.
Moore said people who come to learn dissection are typically licensed bodywork experts with diverse backgrounds.
“A few individuals that come just happen to be yoga teachers, but generally people are licensed bodyworkers or movement educators,” Moore said.
The role of plastinated cadavers
Through the technique of “plastination,” which preserves cadaver tissues by substituting plastic for water and fat, long-lasting specimens are produced for use in teaching.
Moore explains, “These are real human tissues that we have, and we teach with them.”
The plastinates are not only utilized in workshops but are also rented out to local universities such as Central Piedmont Community College and Lander University, making high-quality anatomical resources more accessible.
“This accessibility is crucial as Charlotte, despite being a large city, lacks a medical school, which traditionally would provide such resources,” Moore told CharlotteFive.
Dissection club
Dissection Club, one of Experience Anatomy’s programs, aims to welcome participation from all students, instructors and working physicians interested in expanding their understanding of human anatomy.
Every month on the third Wednesday, from 4-8 p.m., the Dissection Club convenes multiple sessions at the Experience Anatomy lab. Each session will focus on different regions of the body, highlighting structures such as the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, vascular network and internal organs.
The club aims to make relationships inside the body visible by exposing major arteries, nerves and intact muscles and their connective tissues.
Henry Allison, a former EMT who is now a part-time employee at the Central Piedmont Community College simulation lab, became a guest at Experience Anatomy CEO Jamie Decker’s Dissection Club session and became so “enthralled with the process” that he signed up for three more classes.
The experience deeply resonated with him, leading Allison to decide to donate his own body to the program.
“My experience at Experience Anatomy has helped me to understand why the need for body donation can help so many people,” Allison said.
Allison told CharlotteFive that he wasn’t expecting to learn so much. The workshops provided him with a unique perspective on his parents’ deaths, helping him make sense of his mother’s battle with dementia and his father’s fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm.
“This experience has helped me understand why my mother died of dementia. Being able to actually hold a heart in your hand and see how the valves work is fascinating” Allison said. “The arteries gave me a better understanding of how my father died of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and after the first class I walked away with the sense of calm and peacefulness having learned both those things.”
Giving back to the community
Allison told CharlotteFive that his experience has highlighted the importance of giving back to the community and respecting human life.
“They are the reason that science has come as far as it has,” Allison said. “One thing I like most about this class is that the donor has the utmost respect in the class at all times.”
Experience Anatomy
Location: 4340 Taggart Creek Rd STE D, Charlotte, NC 28208
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Instagram: @experienceanatomy
Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
