title: The transforming force of laughter, with the focus on the laughing meditation.
abstract: Laughter is a very special phenomenon. Unfortunately, its (psycho)therapeutic value is underestimated and its transforming force is not used to its full extent. Next to spontaneous laughter, there is also a laughing meditation, a structured exercise of 15 min with 3 stages: stretching, laughing (and/or crying), silence. The laughing meditation can be used as 'adjuvans' in all kinds of therapy and, in other situations it enhances the coping with all of life's woes. This can be done alone or in any group. It facilitates the viewing of problems from another angle and it makes life lighter. Responses from participants indicate a deep relaxation, a feeling of being 'whole', a feeling of being 'unburdened', I feel my tears or I feel sad, a feeling of acceptance of the present.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007845:Laughter; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods*