We all know how good it feels to laugh but how many of us know the reasons why we feel so good when we laugh? Delving into the world of laughter therapy has given me a great overview of how and why we laugh and bringing the tools it provides into the therapy room can help support so many people.
Our bodies are a complex mix of different systems which compliment and support each other to help us try to remain as healthy and happy as possible. Research into laughter is called Gelotology and has shown that our cerebral cortex (the largest area in our brain) is the part of our brain that responds when faced with an amusing trigger, followed by the frontal lobe and the right hemisphere of the brain which then sends information to the sensory processing area provoking the physical reaction we have to laughter.
This is a simplistic explanation of the process but there are other systems involved including the limbic system which is connected to our emotional states and involves the amygdala responsible for our flight or fight responses, the lymphatic system responsible for ridding us of toxins and our immune system which aims to keep us free form viruses. The along with the muscular and skeletal system, supporting our physical health and the cardiovascular system supporting our blood flow are all main players. PHEW!
So, what are the benefits in relation to all these systems? Well, we know that laughter boosts our levels of endorphins which act as a natural pain killer, it helps relax our muscles, can reduce blood pressure and helps to get rid of toxins more quickly. What’s not to like?
In the therapy room we can explore what makes you laugh, who are the people you enjoy laughing with, which television shows or films have you laughing, do you laugh at books you read or podcasts you listen to? The more you talk about what makes you laugh the more you smile and the more likely you are to start laughing.
Some of the approaches I use in the therapy room involve using regression techniques which can enable clients to relive those times when they have been able to laugh a lot in the past. This can be done in light or deeper trance states. Just closing your eyes and recalling a funny event can be a starting point. However, if you think you can’t laugh or don’t know where to start to be able to laugh again then have ago at some of the exercises below. The great thing about laughing is that once you start, even if you don’t feel like it, its infectious and your body doesn’t know you are faking it so you have the same physiological response which releases endorphins leading to an increase in those good feelings. So why not try these;
· Set a timer and laugh for 10 seconds at a time
· Ask a friend to laugh with you and see who can laugh the loudest
· Try bored laughter by acting as if you are trying to enjoy yourself and eventually you will
· Play a song or a piece of classical music and laugh to the tune
· Try laughing silently
· Place a hand on your tummy and practice belly laughing – you will feel the movement of laughter in your belly
Laughter therapy works well alongside hypnotherapy as it gives the client more tools to go about their everyday activities with a sense of being able to find joy and laughter in places they may not have been aware of, whilst the hypnotherapy enables the subconscious to support this at a deeper level.
So find what makes you laugh, in my case it's my dog (who seems to be laughing himself in this picture!) and keep it close to you at all times xx
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