Health

Harness The Curative Powers Of Comedy

A unique course can help people learn how to harness humour and laughter to improve their health, coping skills and confidence.

A unique course can help people learn how to harness humour and laughter to improve their health, coping skills and confidence.

Comedian and Coach Maggie Wood runs the Laugh at Life Comedy Course in Adelaide, a synthesis of stand-up comedy, presentation skills, and the results of three years’ study of human behaviour and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) – with a little bit of Tai Chi thrown in for good measure.

Maggie says that while the mash-up of elements may seem eclectic, the formula works.

“It started when I was part of a team teaching stand-up comedy to women in 2011,” Maggie said.

“They gained the practical skills to write and perform stand-up, but they also blossomed; they grew in self-confidence and resilience at a speed and in ways I’d never seen before. I was both amazed and deeply moved by this.

“This set me off on a mission. I left my career in Corporate Communications and undertook three years of study in human behaviour to develop the concept.

“The benefits of humour have long been lauded by the science world.

“It is known that humour lowers the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, raises our immune system and even increases the antibodies and natural killer cells which are the body’s defence against aberrant cells such as cancer.”

Behaviourally it has been long known to be used as a coping mechanism.

“I come from Glasgow in Scotland and like most other people there grew up in a family that used humour to cope with the sometimes harsh lives experienced by the city’s inhabitants,” Maggie said.

Previous course participants have all enjoyed the experience and the new life skills they’ve discovered – and some have actually gone on to develop their own careers in comedy.

The Laugh at Life Comedy Course will take place on 2 & 3 July 2016 at the Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes.

For more information go to http://www.thejoyprotocol.com.au/funny-farm

Maggie_TPF_Headshots email largeMaggie Wood is a 16-year veteran of stand-up comedy based in Adelaide SA. She was part of the original Titters! team that won the 2007 Adelaide Fringe People’s Choice Award and was twice nominated for her work with the popular Three Stuffed Mums. Since 2011, she has been synthesising personal and business development with stand-up comedy and most recently enjoyed success at the 2016 Fringe with The Petty Four’s show Mid Laugh Crisis.

 

 

More News

To Top