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Laughter really is the best medicine – and it’s now available on prescription.
Trauma patients are being invited to free comedy sessions in a bid to boost their wellbeing.
Comedy lecturer and comedian Angie Belcher has worked with health experts to develop the new approach.
She said all the laughs come from “trauma, not the happy bits” to give people a new perspective.
Angie said comedy is “a force for good” and added people do not realise how much it “can change people’s lives”.
Professional comics Charmian Hughes, inset, and Jack Campbell will help to deliver the sessions, which are available through the Bristol Wellspring Settlement Social Pres-cribing Team.
Angie added: “We’re all naturally comedians. When I work with young people there’s a lot of people experiencing gender dysmorphia, people who have recently come out, issues with family, class and race.
“We explore those subjects. At the end, people seem six inches taller.”
Dani Johns, who had one-to-one joke sessions with Angie to boost her confidence, reckons the approach works.
She explained: “It made me a brighter version of myself.
“Laughter is the best medicine. I’ve lost people very close to me and often comedians talk about losing people in their performances.
“You’re addressing something huge in your life, but with a positive outlook on it.”
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