Friday, June 13, 2008

How Can I Laugh When I'm in Pain?

How Can I Laugh When I'm in Pain?
Pain, whether mental, emotional or physical, often causes
us to focus on something that doesn't feel very good and
this can put a dark cloud over our experience of the world.
We can end up feeling like a victim, both helpless and
hopeless as we find ourselves moving in a downward spiral
of depression, gloom and more pain.

At an energetic level you could say that the normal
positive and life enhancing energy flow that lets us see
and experience ourselves and our life in a good and
positive light has been blocked or disrupted in some way.
Just as dark sunglasses can block out the bright rays of
the sun, it is almost as if we are wearing dark shades
which make the world appear gloomy and dark. And we take
this as our reality.

"It's just the way it is"

When we experience a situation as negative, our body can
attract more negative energy towards it which causes a
disturbance in the body's energy field. We can lose sight
of what is joyful in life and lose track of what it means
to be grateful because pain gets in the way. If we have a
severe headache, for example, all of our attention is drawn
to it and we can end up feeling pretty miserable.

In the book, 'The Genie in your Genes', Dawson Church
describes how our genes DANCE with our awareness. What he
is saying is that our thoughts, emotions and behaviour
actually have the power to SHAPE our biology. No need to
tell you then, that this awareness can make a critical
difference to how we feel and experience the world and
ultimately to our health and vibrant well-being! We could
choose to focus on something other than the headache.
Children in hospitals, for example, can often be distracted
away from their pain by being happily engaged with the
antics of a hospital clown. When you turn your attention to
something that is fun, like watching a funny film or
'losing yourself' in some creative pursuit you can change
the energy flow in your body and move it towards a more
positive outcome. You may even forget that you are in pain
for a while.

Scientific research is now showing that many genes are
being turned on or off, like a switch, by our beliefs,
feelings and attitudes. What this means is that we actually
have the power to use our thoughts and feelings to raise
our level of vitality and happiness. Many studies show that
what we THINK about our health is one of the most accurate
predictors of our longevity. Whatever meanings we assign to
the events in our lives are about as important to our
health and functioning as the facts themselves.

Laughter, light-heartedness and meditation even in the face
of difficulties, as in Clown Focus Therapy, or Laughter
Therapy involves looking at serious situations and problems
with a sense of humour, seeing the humour in life's
problems and pains. Even just something as simple as a
smile can bring about changes in your body that happen
instantly and automatically to make you feel better almost
immediately. Often we have the tendency to think that we
have to be in a good mood to laugh, but actually it can
work the other way round too. We can laugh first, even if
it doesn't feel 'real' (the body doesn't know the
difference between real and 'pretend' laughter). The body
will respond by producing natural 'happy chemicals' that
can uplift you and help you to cope much better and
sometimes can even dissolve the pain completely. There are
many stories of people being healed through laughter. What
an empowering and joyful thought, that we can choose to use
laughter as a tool for our own healing and have fun with it
along the way.


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Joy Idries is dedicated to Spiritual Growth Healing and
Fun! Claim your FREE E-course "The Benefits of Laughter" at
http://www.clownfocustherapy.com and FREE audio "How to Let
Go of Pain quickly and Easily" at
http://www.instantnaturalpainrelief.com

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