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Laugh After Laugh: The Healing Power of Humor

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A book about the medical implications and uses of laughter and the sense of humor, about laughter and humor as they bear upon questions of health and disease. Dr. Moody carefully leads the reader to an awareness that humankind may have overlooked its most valuable healing asset – laughter and the sense of humor. Dr. Moody traces the idea of humor, beginning with the Biblical advice that “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” and takes the reader on a fascinating historical tour of the relationship between humor and health. In addition to citing modern examples of how laughter and humor have actually helped heal, he discusses the diagnostic importance of the state of a person's sense of humor and lends solid credibility to the long-standing folk belief that humor is good for you.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1978

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About the author

Raymond A. Moody Jr.

98 books241 followers
Raymond Moody, M.D., Ph.D. is the bestselling author of eleven books which have sold over 20 million copies. His seminal work, Life After Life, has completely changed the way we view death and dying and has sold over 13 million copies worldwide. His latest book is GLIMPSES OF ETERNITY: Sharing a Loved One's Passage from this Life to the Next.

Dr. Moody is the leading authority on the "near-death experience"--a phrase he coined in the late seventies. He is best known for his ground-breaking work on the near-death experience and what happens when we die. The New York Times calls Dr. Moody "the father of the near-death experience."

Dr. Moody has enlightened and entertained audiences all over the world for over three decades. He lectures on such topics as: Near Death Experiences, Death With Dignity, Life After Loss, Surviving Grief & Finding Hope, Reunions: Visionary Encounters With Departed Loved Ones, The Healing Power of Humor, The Loss of Children, The Logic of Nonsense, and Catastrophic Tragedies & Events causing collective grief response.

In addition to his writing and lecturing, he is in the private practice of philosophical counseling and consulting on dying. Dr. Moody also trains hospice workers, clergy, psychologists, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals on matters of grief recovery and dying. He helps people to identify systems of support and to cope with their anxiety, grief, and loss through better understanding of mourning and bereavement.

Dr. Moody received his medical degree from the College of Georgia and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Virginia where he also received his M.A. and B.A.

He is the recipient of many awards including the World Humanitarian Award and a bronze medal in the Human Relations category at the New York Film Festival for the movie version of Life After Life.

Dr. Moody is a frequent media guest and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show three times, as well as on hundreds of other local and nationally syndicated programs such as MSNBC: Grief Recovery, Today, ABC's Turning Point, and hundreds more.

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Robin Reynolds.
922 reviews38 followers
September 4, 2020
A bit dry at times, but does have some amusing and/or interesting anecdotes.
Profile Image for Farah.
299 reviews
May 29, 2020
Not bad. Think it could have been a more concise essay rather than a whole book but was quick to read.
Profile Image for Helynne.
Author 3 books47 followers
October 6, 2008
I had been wanting to read this book ever since it was new in 1978, and I wasn't disappointed. Dr. Moody's study on the healing aspects of humor is well documented with lots of historical anecdotes about the power of laughter to heal people or at least boost their immune systems and create a better attitude so healing is more likely to take place. I skimmed a little over the middle chapters regarding the negative aspects of laughter--ridicule and other inappropriate uses of humor as well as certain diseases that can cause unnatural and unhealthy laughter. I preferred the chapters and the conclusion wherein Dr. Moody assures us that "we are developing toward a broader concept of medicine in which we pay attention not only to the body and to the mind, but also to the functioning of the person within his social context, and ultimately, with the naural environment as well."
Profile Image for Donatella.
172 reviews28 followers
August 8, 2010
E' stato il secondo libro di Moody che ho letto, avevo 17 anni ed è stata per me una sorpresa. A distanza di tanti anni, diventata psichiatra, non mi sono mai dimenticata di valutare il senso dell'umorismo dei pazienti nella valutazione clinica.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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