Korean Cancer Patients Battle Blues With Laughter Therapy
Some cancer patients in South Korea are relieving their depression by participating in hospital-run therapy programs that teach them how to laugh.
Individuals raised in traditional Korean cultures are often taught to maintain a solemn demeanor, especially when they’re outside their own home. Smiling is considered appropriate, but public displays of stronger emotions like laughing or crying are usually discouraged and can feel unnatural especially to members of Korea’s older generation.
Cancer patients everywhere commonly experience periods of depression following diagnosis, chemotherapy or other phases of treatment. Studies show that laughter can expand blood vessels, stimulate circulation and impact serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain linked with happiness and sleep.
Cancer survivors in western societies frequently report that humor and joking with fellow patients helped them get through the treatment process, yet Korean patients sometimes miss out on that potential benefit because they’re unaccustomed to expressing themselves in that manner.
One hour of group laughter therapy each Friday was enough to help Jung-Oak Lee, 64, fight off the depression she felt after two years of chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer. She travels almost two hours to join 100 laughter therapy patients at Seoul National University Hospital and admits that she still sometimes thinks laughing out loud is “a bit low class.”
Nurse and laughter therapist Lim-Sun Lee leads Seoul National’s sessions which include jokes, show-and-tell confessions, mimicking, giggling, laughing and even dancing. Cancer patients from six years old to senior citizen age and their families are invited to participate so they can experience the therapeutic powers of laughter. As nurse Lee describes,
“Laughing is considered positive, but many people still don’t know how to let it out. But all it takes is four sessions. After that, they start cracking up.”
Lim-Sun Lee
Nurse, Seoul National University Hospital
If you’re a cancer patient or caregiver with symptoms of depression, tell your doctor right away – they’ll help you find the therapy that works best for you.
Source: ABC News
Related Links: American Cancer Society; The New York Times
Related Podcast: The Growing Popularity of Laughter Therapy from NPR
Technorati Tags: mental health; coping; alternative medicine; oncology nursing; patient-centered care; natural healing; cancer support groups
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