Well Being Through Spirituality:
Humor
Who would have guessed that something so much fun like play, laughter and humor can actually make us healthier? It's true, though.
Humor can promote spiritual, physical and mental well being. Laughter affects our whole bodies from the smallest cells to our larger organs. Humor is one of our spiritual needs, and truly a sense of humor is required for spiritual well being.
Anthropologists have yet to find a culture or society in history that lacked humor. Humor is a natural part of our very existance and an essential part of an optimal holistic lifestyle.
Humor is energy that flows around us and can surround us when we least expect it. That energy connects our body, mind and spirit.
Our sense of humor helps us to find joy even when facing challenges and sorrow. I remember being at my father's memorial and visitation. Needless to say, this was not an easy time for my brothers and myself. My father lived in a different state than we did, and he had remarried. Many of his friends and acquaintances knew his step-children, but didn't know us. They seemed to know that he had two sons, but I, his only daughter, was a surprise.
At first this was heartbreaking, but after about the third little old lady who told me that she didn't know that 'Bill had a girl' I started to laugh. Pretty soon my brothers and I started to really crack up. I could imagine what my father would have been saying under his breath. Our laughter helped relieved some of our stress and our sorrow and really
honored our father's memories. We knew he would be proud of us for finding the humor.
Therapeutic Humor includes coping humor that helps to release physical and emotional tension. Have you ever found yourself in a very serious situation and realize that you just can't control your laughter? I witnessed a bride so stressed that she couldn't stop laughing. Pretty soon, others were laughing at her laughing and it was contagious. It was really quite fun, and soon she was able to get a little control and participate in the otherwise serious ceremony.
Another type of therapeutic humor is called Gallows Humor. This type of humor offers protection from the emotional impact one faces with tragedy and even death. Sharing humor and laughter during such trying times can actually be very healing. A friend of mine was undergoing a bone marrow transplant in an attempt to cure her breast cancer. She was 37 and her daughter was only seven years old. Experiencing a cure was very serious business for her. A bone marrow transplant involves the harvesting of certain blood cells from her own blood. This wasn't a fun experience, but it was important. If enough cells are harvested in one session, then she was done with that phase. She was attending her 3rd session when I went along with her. She had experienced muscle cramps in a previous session, and as we sat in the waiting room, she described how her hands had become 'lobster claws.' She went on to describe this using a voice that she imagined a lobster would sound like. We started laughing and couldn't stop. We were probably pretty annoying in a crowded waiting room, but it didn't take long for others to join in. We had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard. That day, they harvested more cells from her than in all her previous sessions combined. There were enough cells for the actual transplant to take place. I believe this laughter impacted her immune system in a very positive way.
This is also an example of hoping humor-a warm, gentle humor that allows you to laugh in spite of otherwise overwhelming life situations. Our laughter that day in the waiting room brought us so much closer together-much more connected in our lives. We weren't a patient and a nurse-we were two women sharing our joy and our sorrow. She was able to regain a sense of control. She also felt empowered.
"A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)
Perhaps you've heard of Norman Cousins. In the 1960s, Cousins was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease. He suffered pain and his physical abilities were really impaired. Although he probably allowed himself a bit of time to soak up the shock, he also remembered how negative emotional states reak havok on the body. Our chemicals get very out of balance, and things just don't work right. He considered what positive emotions such as faith, hope, festivity, determination, confidence, joy and a strong will to live could impact his body. Smart guy, huh? Remember, we know a lot about this now, but in the 1960s, we did not. He found out that laughter really helped create positive emotions. He engaged in humor therapy by watching Marx Brothers movies and the television show Candid Camera. He had nurses read funny books to him. He started to feel better and his actually showed improvement after several months. We all learned a lot from Mr. Cousins. More and more research has provided research to support the benefits of humor and laughter.
In his book, "Head First-the Biology of Hope," 1989, Cousins stated:
"Each human being posseses a beautiful system for fighting disease. This system provides the the body with cancer-fighting cells-cells that can crush cancer cells or poison them one by one with the body's own chemotherapy. This system works better when the patient is relatively free of depression, which is what a strong will to live and a blazing determination can help to do. When we add these inner resources of medical science, we're reaching out for the best."
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study in the connection and communication patterns between the nervous (brain, nerves and spinal cord), endocrine (hormones) and immune systems. Our immune system protects us and keeps us strong.
Norman Cousins described his own experiences. Since then, researchers have been investigating the potential healing
power of laughter. Here are a few very important findings:
1. Mirthful laughter (laughter that lifts the spirit) was shown to increase the number and activity of natural killer cells. These cells attack cells that are infected with viruses and even some type of cancer cells. That's right! Laughter helps us to make the cells that protect us from viruses and cancer.
2. Mirthful laughter also increases the level of the antibody IgA, which fights upper respiratory infections.
3. Humor can reduce food cravings.
4. Humor can increase your pain tolerance, and also offers distraction from pain or other physical stresses such as nausea.
5. Levels of stress hormones, which constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity, decrease when we laugh with spirit. These stress hormones do a lot of negative things to our bodies, including age us. So, basically, laughter can help keep us young.
I've heard Wayne Dyer say that stress doesn't really exist. Of course, he lives in Maui and when I'm in Maui, I don't think stress exists, either, but that's another story. I really enjoy his books.
To learn more about some of Wayne's philosophies, click here.
Okay, back to stress and humor. Humor helps us adapt to stress. Simple as that. Stress isn't an event. Stress is
caused by our interpretation of events. Think of it this way-what causes a stress reaction for one person, is nothing to another. It is how we interpret an event. It is possible to be stress resistant and a whole lot happier as a result. Humor and laughter is one key piece.
Stress What else can stress do to you? Click here for the good, bad and the ugly.
How To Use Laughter:
T.V. and Movies: There are many movie and TV show comedies. You can easily rent or purchase whole seasons of
sitcoms and lots of new and old movies. Go ahead and indulge because it is good for you.
Enjoy your friends and make new ones. Laughter with friends is a great way to get the benefits of laughter AND achieve a sense of connection with others.
Look for the Humor In Your Life and Go for It. Instead of complaining about life's challenges, try to laugh about them. If something is so frustrating or depressing it's ridiculous, look for the humor. Try to think about how you'll feel in another year. If it will seem funny then, why not laugh now? It'll make the whole thing easier, and you'll achieve the health benefits of laughter.
Put on your game face. It seems that you can reap the benefits of smiling, even if your smile is not very authentic. The good news is that fake smile and laughter will lead to real smiles and mirthful laughter. It just happens naturally. Our bodies, minds and souls want to be happy, and just naturally flow that way. Why fight it?
There is such a thing as therapeutic humor and healthcare. This website is dedicated to the Power and Practice of
Positive Therapeutic Humor. The Goal of this site is to Educate, Inform, and Help you network and locate resources.
You will learn about Humor and its relation to Health and Healing.
Click here to go to HumorMatters.com
Humor is just one of our spiritual needs. click here to return to the spirituality home page and learn more.
Disclaimer: Material provided on Naturally-Holistic.net website is provided for educational purposes only.
It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Always take the advice of your doctor before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program. We will not be liable for any complications, or other medical accidents arising from the use of any information on this web site.
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