Haven't you ever heard of the healing power of laughter? Do you know that one of most important and powerful tools we all born equipped with is the ability to laugh?
I am sure you know the power of laughter or have have heard the cliche "laughter is the best medicine". Be it a giggle, snicker, or a guffaw, a laughter can relieve stress, anger and sadness. It can heal our minds, emotions, and our bodies. And not forgetting laughing can boost our immune systems.Norman Cousins Laughter Therapy
I read about Norman Cousins, aka the man who laughed himself to wellness. He was the editor of Saturday Review and the author of 'Anatomy of an illness.' who made a miraculous recovery from a long debilitating illness by laughing his way to health.In 1964, he was diagnosed with Anklyosing Spondylitis, a collagen illness that attacks the connective tissues of the body. The treatment he received from all the drugs that administered to him was not effective, but in fact had adverse reactions. He read that negative emotions are harmful to the body, so he instead he used positive emotions to improve health. And the value of Vitamin C.
"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins
He discontinued the hospital treatment, Cousins decided to use laughter and Vitamin C supplement to cure himself. He immersed himself in movies, books, television shows that made him laugh. The laughter changed his physiology. He found that the laughter relieved the pain, he slept better and his entire physical being improved.
In addition, he also took his Vitamin C supplement. Eventually he recovered completely. No more painkillers and sleeping pills. You can called it mind-over-matter healing method.
Norman Cousins got back to work and wrote about his laughter therapy in his book called 'Anatomy of an Illness.' Cousins mentioned in his book that he has learned never to underestimate the capacity of the human mind and body to regenerate, even when prospects seem most wretched. He added the life force may be the least understood force on earth.
It has been acknowledged in the Journal of the American Medical Association that laughter therapy could help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illness.
"Our bodies are our gardens...our wills are gardeners." - William Shakespeare
Since then, Cousins' writings have inspired a humor therapy movement. On the surface, a laughter appears an expression of happiness. But actually internally, laughing acts an emotional balancing mechanism.There is positive energy emits from laughter.
This positive energy helps to clean and clear away physical and emotional tensions. When we have a good laugh, for a moment we forget about our negative thoughts and our mental chatter. We can say laughter is a form of meditation. Laughter brings people is infectious. It people together and bonds them.
Smiling and laughing set off biological processes that make us feel good. They increase the flow of blood to the brain and change the level of oxygen , the level of stimulation of the neuro-transmitters. Our facial expressions affect the way we feel.
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." - Proverb 17:22
As they say the ability to laugh at crises, annoyances, tragedies can literally save your life. Check out another valuable book on the use of laughter therapy by Allen Klein. It is entitled "The Healing Power Of Humor". In this book, you can find lists of proven techniques for overcoming the negative effects of loss, setbacks, upsets, disappointments, trials, and tribulations.