The role of laughter in traditional medicine and its relevance to the clinical setting: healing with ha!

Humor, it seems, is a quality that is closely interwoven through the fabric of traditional culture. Situations that might not seem funny to us, as outside observers, provoke laughter, smiles, and joking among certain cultures. Once, during the first few days of a trip to the Amazon Valley, I (MB) had made, a member of the community we were living with was trying to fix the outboard motor that powered one of the village canoes. The small engine was mounted on a sawhorse, and when the man pried off the cover, he unexpectedly gashed his finger against a sharp corner. The cut was deep, and blood spewed out of the wound. He began to laugh at his mistake, as did the people around him. “Look how our friend fixes engines—by breaking himself!” shouted one onlooker, who began to laugh so uncontrollably that he fell on the ground and rolled around in the mud. I was somewhat confused about this reaction, as the injured man offered no outward expression of pain from what was obviously a deep and painful wound—instead he laughed at himself. I did not really understand the role of humor and playfulness as an integral part of this culture at the time, and it was not until many years later, and numerous visits to other cultures, that I began to understand the significance of the event that I had witnessed. Humor is an important part of the traditional lifestyle in many areas, allowing people to survive in physically challenging environments and situations, as well as used as a device for passing along lessons and traditions through storytelling. Humor is also a very important modality employed by some, but not all, traditional healers. Recently we spoke to Dr Rosita Arvigo, ND, a Doctor of Naprapathy and long-time research colleague who practices in Belize. Dr Arvigo was the apprentice to a great Maya healer, Don Elijio Panti. The story of Dr Arvigo’s relationship with Don Elijio Panti is told in her book, Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer.