The Healing Journey

September 21, 2023

Did you hear the one about the guy with the broken hearing aid? Neither did he.

What about the evil tuna? It was rotten to the albacore.

Or the smoking nun? She picked up a bad habit.

Did you hear the one about the editor who laughed himself to better health?

His name was Norman Cousins, editor-in-chief of “Saturday Review.”

You’ve heard the often-repeated phrase, immortalized by the jokes section of Reader’s Digest, that “laughter is the best medicine?” That’s what Cousins believed. He researched human emotions because he was convinced they could help fight illness. In 1964, he was diagnosed with a crippling disease and was told there was only a one-in-500 chance he would recover. So he created his own recovery program, which included periods of laughter from comedies and funny TV shows like “Candid Camera.”

“I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep,” he wrote. His “laugh therapy” was later chronicled in his book, “Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing,” which was made into the 1984 television movie, “Anatomy of an Illness,” starring Ed Asner.

Many studies show that when you laugh, your body relaxes, relieving tension and stress. Endorphins, the body’s chemicals that promote a sense of well-being, are released. The immune system is boosted, and your blood flow increases. Equally important, sadness and anger diminish.

According to research, children laugh an average of 400 times a day and adults laugh only 15.

Of course, it’s not easy to laugh when you’re grieving. In fact, it can be downright impossible. Nevertheless, you should look for opportunities to lighten your mood, at least through smiling. That’s a step in the right direction. And after the first step, the second and third will be easier.

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Welcome the chance to smile while you are on your healing journey