San Diego Cancer Center oncologist Dr. Steven
Eisenberg had the original vision for bringing laughter to cancer, and is the medical advisor for The World Laughter
Tours
Bringing Laughter to Cancer and
Other Health Support Communities program that introduces laughter to people living with cancer, as a method of
enabling greater healing. The World Laughter Tour works with groups such as Gilda's Club Worldwide and The Wellness
Communities. The purposes of the program are:
- To strengthen the effectiveness of support group
programs.
- To show how the proper application of laughter can create a therapeutic alliance between mind
and body in order to capitalize on the role of attitudes and emotions in health and healing.
- To expand the
awareness of the value of laughter and programs such as Good-Hearted Living.
- To teach life-affirming,
enjoyable coping skills to support group participants.
Contrary to commonly-held beliefs, most
laughter is not about humor -- it is about relationships between people. The causes that make us laugh differ, but
laughter is universal, and is proven to bring benefit to the health and wellbeing of those who laugh. And laughter is
contagious!
