In the early 1980’s I attended a public ‘laughter therapy’ seminar one evening at Brisbane’s Town Hall sponsored by the Australian Wellness Foundation.
The Foundation had organised a national tour featuring the ground-breaking work (at the time) of Dr Dale Anderson, a family doctor, board-certified surgeon and board-certified emergency physician from the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
The brochure I received read…
“Dr. Dale Anderson, a self proclaimed DRAMATOLOGIST aka the AGED SAGE of the VINTAGE STAGE and/or Dr. WELLderly says…‘In 47 years of medical practice it has become increasingly evident that patients who INNER-tain a happy, humorous chemistry also create healing miracles that play out with dramatic health benefits. I have dispensed UP-beat METHOD ACTING by prescription to thousands. An RX that IN-ables one to set the stage for a happy, humorous role in the THEATER OF LIFE. Get the act together and BE a HO-HO-HO HOLISTIC, happy, go-lucky, go-healthy-STAR.”
Dale Anderson explained to a packed house that night that after years of traditional medical practice with many failed back surgeries and side effects of drugs, he had found an alternate method of prescribing treatment for patients with chronic pain.
His new treatment method was FREE, extremely easy to administer, only took 30 seconds a day and could be carried out ANYWHERE. Its only side effect was… “you MAY GET WELL!!!” He went onto say that his new treatment was over 60% effective.
What do you do? How do you do it?
The best place to engage in your self-healing session was preferably (but not necessarily) in front of a full-length mirror. You needed to play funny movies on the screen of your mind that would make you laugh lots.
Suggested sessions… full on BELLY LAUGHING morning and night daily.
The audience participated in varying degrees that night with some very staid individuals being observers, while others like me, who are total extroverts, going for it full on for the 15 second period.
A belly-busting laugh a day can help keep the doctor away, Dr Anderson further explained, through the release of endorphins, natural painkillers that exist in the body. Laughter, carefree fun or anything that raises the spirits also releases endorphins. Endorphins are the morphine-like chemicals that are made ‘in the head’ and often called the ‘inner uppers’ that get you ‘high’ on life.
“We have a pharmacy in our heads, and it never closes,” Dr Anderson said. “Laugh until you leak,” he told the attendees.
“And if you can’t do it, fake it. Fake it til you make it. Discover when, how, where, and why laughter works as it’s your stress relief champion”, was his closing comment.
For over thirty years now I have engaged thousands of patients and the attendees in audiences I have spoken to all over the world, in experiencing a state change via a laughing session as Dr Dale Anderson prescribed.
Start today… and break your stress cycle. It’s so easy!!
By John Hinwwood
for the Stress to Strength team