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Norman Cousin’s Laugh Therapy
In the summer of 1964, well-known writer and editor Norman Cousins became very ill. His body ached and he felt constantly tired. It was difficult for him to even move around. He consulted his physician, who did many tests. Eventually he was diagnosed as having ankylosing spondylitis, a very serious and destructive form of arthritis. His doctor told him that he would become immobilized and eventually die from the disease. He was told that he had only a 1 in 500 chance of survival.
Despite the diagnosis, Cousins was determined to overcome the disease and survive. He had always been interested in medicine and had read the book The Stress of Life (1956) by Hans Selye, an organic chemist, which discussed how body chemistry and health can be damaged by emotional stress and negative attitudes. This made Cousins think about the possible benefits of positive attitudes and emotions. He thought, “If negative emotions produce (negative) changes in the body, wouldn’t positive emotions produce positive chemical changes? Is it possible that love, hope, faith, laughter, confidence, and the will to live have positive therapeutic value?”
He decided to concentrate on positive emotions as a remedy to heal some of the symptoms of his ailment. In addition to his conventional medical treatment, he tried to put himself in situations that would elicit positive emotions. “Laugh Therapy” became part of his treatment. He scheduled time each day for watching comedy films, reading humorous books, and doing other activities that would bring about laughter and positive emotions. Within eight days of starting his laugh “laugh therapy” program, his pain began to decrease and he was able to sleep more easily. His body chemistry even began to change, and doctors were able to see an improvement in his condition! He was able to return to work in a few months’ time and actually reached complete recovery after a few years.
Skeptical readers may question the doctor’s preliminary diagnosis, and argue that Cousins was not really healed because he didn’t have the disease in the first place. However, Cousins believes his recovery is the result of a mysterious mind-body interaction. His “laugh therapy” is a good example of one of the many alternative or noncoventional, medical treatments people look to today.
2 comments
Join the conversationKerry - Monday May 8th, 2017
Do you have any reading and writing courses for Grade 9 students?
Michael - Thursday May 18th, 2017
Hi Ms. Kerry,
First of all, we would like to thank you for connecting us on the website. We do have a reading-writing focused course for students in grade 9 during summer 2017. Kindly see the details as follow.
– Duration: July 10th – August 4th (50hrs)
– Schedule: Mon til Fri – 9:30-12:00nn
– Student number: 4-12 students/ class
– Bus service: Free around Phu My Hung Area/ District 7
– Tuition: $600/ 50hrs
– Discount 5% when you sign up for full course (50hrs) before July 2nd, 2017
Besides, we also have Intensive Reading-Writing courses which take place in the evening during weekdays. The details are provided as below.
– Schedule: MWF: 5-7pm / TThu: 5-7pm
– Student number: 4-8 students/class
– Bus Service: Free in Phu My Hung Area
– Tuition: $12.5/ 1hour/ MWF Schedule
$15/1hour/ TThu Schedule (paid monthly/ full course)
– Discount 5% for full-course payment (around 70-75hrs)
We hope you can visit our center and let you kid do the placement test so that we exactly know his/her level and soon book a slot for you in the course then.
Notes: Since we has expanded picking-up area during summer, it would be great if you can give us your location and we’ll check whether we can reach you or not.