Laughter is the best medicine

Have you ever found yourself laughing so hard that it hurts or perhaps sends you into tears?

This is likely to happen if you attend a session with internationally renowned laughter therapist and Laughter Ambassador, Susan Brown and according to her, laughing really is the best medicine.

Suffering from severe depression, due to traumatic events in her life, one of which left her in a coma for some months, she decided to change the course of her life and unbeknown at the time, it ultimately resulted in laughter around the world.

After attending laughter training in Brisbane, she discovered a hidden gift, something so powerful that it became infectious to those around her… she could really make people laugh and without jokes. Susan wanted to share her gift with the world.

From high-profile directors, CEO’s and lawyers in Hollywood, police, and emergency services personnel to kindergarten kids in Coolum, Susan teaches people how to laugh for no apparent reason and without a trace of inhibition or self-consciousness.

Laughter improves health as it:

• Releases endorphins and dopamine – both natural highs

• Produces T-cells that eat tumours

• Combats stress, fatigue, and depression,

• Produces 50 percent more antibodies than the average response to flu vaccines

• Happy people are less likely to develop heart disease

• Increases lung capacity boosting oxygen intake and energy

• One minute of laughter equals the exercise of 10 minutes rowing

• Reduces blood pressure

• Strengthens muscles and increases aerobic exercise

• Increases productivity in the workplace

Susan says: “There’s so much seriousness in people’s lives these days, so I just aim to reintroduce happiness and laughter into their lives.

“People lose their fears and feel completely liberated from laughing. When you laugh you release chemicals that ease pain and create euphoric feelings. It’s amazing how quickly laughter can change a person’s whole day.”

By 2004, Susan had recorded a CD about laughter techniques and in July set off on a world tour to take her laughter to countries including America, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the UK.

“My best-ever laughter experience was in LAX airport. My flight had been delayed for several hours, the airconditioning wasn’t working, and everyone was moping around becoming agitated. I was talking to an American lady about what I did and before I knew it, I was up doing a kookaburra cry at the top of my voice. Within 10 minutes the whole airport was laughing with me and the tension was diffused.”

“Everywhere I went, laughter demonstrated it can cut across cultural boundaries, race and age. People migrated to the sound of laughter and joined in wherever I went. Trains, ships, planes, yes, and even Disneyland are introducing laughter into their workplaces.

Since returning home to Australia, Susan has been teaching laughter to corporate groups, school and TAFE students, to hospital staff, the visually impaired and the aged. She reveales how her talents have induced laughter from the unlikeliest of people and turned lives around.

“I’ve had amazing success with the older people. On one occasion, a person who hadn’t spoken or made a sound for years began laughing. It was incredible.”

Susan has been to Innisfail where they had just had a disaster happen. People came to gather, and she soon had them laughing.

“My dog, Daisy attends the sessions too, which is great for the visually impaired, and I dress people up in colourful tutus to help them lose their inhibitions –you’re guaranteed to laugh.”

When you sit and listen to Susan you will be in awe of her amazing stories and how she has changed so many peoples live’s, in some cases, permanently. Today, if there is a piano around, Susan, self-taught, will bash out a tune, which she has done in a number of aged care facilities around the Sunshine Coast.

Susan holds laughter clinics on the coast for a donation. For details you can phone her on 0438 714 147