Laughter Therapy

We all know that laughter is "good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22). But I wonder if we have yet to explore its full benefits.

It was pointed out to me last week that it is impossible to be laughing hysterically and be in pain at the same time. I believe this has to do with the different signals that the brain sends for laughter and pain.

I decided to test this theory. During the day as I felt various waves of pain, I would start laughing as hard as I could. If I couldn't laugh hard, I at least chuckled or smiled really big. And believe it or not, it seemed to help! The pain didn't completely go away, but it seemed to be less, and even when I felt it, I still felt better somehow as long as I kept smiling. =)

I'm not a doctor or a scientist, but I do try to take what I'm learning and find useful application for it. I think it's amazing that God has given us the gift of laughter - not just for those "fun" times but also to help us through the painful times.

I realize that originally, pain is a warning sign to us that something in our bodies needs attention. However, often pain becomes chronic and the brain gets in a "rut" of sending pain signals all the time. I think that purposefully laughing may help the brain learn to send different signals, and perhaps interrupt the pain cycle.

What do you think? Would you be willing to try this "laughter therapy" for a week, and then let me know what results you see?

I know it may not be easy, and I realize that you can't be laughing out loud all day long. But you can try to keep a smile on your face as much as possible, think of as many humorous thoughts or jokes as you can, chuckle softly to yourself, and when possible, let loose with a huge belly laugh! =)

I'd love to hear if this idea works for any of you. If it even brings a small measure of relief, I'm sure it will be worth it. So laugh til you cry, and then laugh some more! =)

Can't wait to hear from you all!

Hahahohohaha! =)