Life should be enjoyed... not endured!

What is Humour Therapy?

Humour therapy is the term given to a therapeutic process which claims beneficial effects from the use of positive emotions associated with laughter.

Although used throughout history, interest in humour therapy is seen generally to have originated in the 1970s in America when Norman Cousins detailed his experiences in overcoming a serious chronic disease (ankylosing spondylitis - a form of arthritis) by laughing at favourite comedy shows such as ‘Candid Camera’ and ’Marx Brothers’ films (he stated that ten minutes of laughing gave him two hours of drug-free pain relief).

Research has shown that laughing can help in:

• lowering blood pressure
• reducing stress hormones
• increasing muscle flexion
• boosting immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gammainterferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.
• triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers
• producing a general sense of well-being.