Laughter Therapy

“Laughter is, and always has been the best form of therapy”

I’m not sure I have ever laughed so much in my life. I sat on the grass, in a field surrounded by chamomile flowers, Rosé, and my friends. I remember my friend whispering in my ear “you really needed this, this is great for you, this is your laughter therapy” she was right. I sat and laughed for hours. Not a worry in the world, not an insecurity on how I looked or who was judging me. Just the power of laughter and freedom.

I have been interested in Psychedelics for a while, but if i’m honest they frighten me. I have read and heard enough about them that I think I understand the benefits can be incredible (if taken correctly of course). Studies show in some cases they can even lead to recovery from anxiety, depression and addiction.

LSD centres are becoming quite well known. They are controlled and you are in a completely safe place. This is how I would prefer to take LSD (that’s if I ever took it). My biggest fear is having a bad trip and never recovering.
I have looked into Iowaska in Brazil and i’ve heard amazing things, but the thing that puts me off is the vomiting. Apparently you can throw up for hours and this is a way of your body cleansing itself.
Mushrooms I am not so frightened of as I guess they are the most common. They are legal in Amsterdam and the vast majority of my friends have taken them. I havent. I came close once when I was traveling when we made friends with a Mexican guy who thought it would be fun to take them on the beach in Thailand. We decided that it was a crazy idea due to us not knowing him all that well and maybe we just weren’t ready at that stage in our life. The closest I came to taking them was having a few sips of a mushroom shake at a half moon party. The shake tasted like chocolate milk and I remember being too frightened to drink a whole one to myself. Since then I have never really been exposed to them, apart from at festivals, but I wanted them to be more of an experience not recreational so I avoided them.

My friend told me she had some Mushroom oil. It was £150 for the tiniest pot of liquid. Completely natural, no chemicals and fillers, just pure 100% extracted mushroom oil. She told me it makes you giggle and feel all silly and she promised me you didn’t trip like taking Mushrooms whole, unless you were to take too much…I guess. She told me I would love it. I thought about it and what was I really scared of!? I knew she had taken it already and lived to tell the tale and I trust her immensely so knew she wouldn’t lie to me about the effects. I thought, why not push myself out of my comfort zone and let go a little!?

We sat in this wonderful field, behind another field of beautiful peonies and on the other side of an aqua blue clay pool. Just like being in the Caribbean! Well, not quite, as we were in a farmers field. We drank, chatted about life and danced to music. Ohh what a glorious day we had. The sun was scorching and the views were picturesque. We had a few drops over the course of the day and at first I just felt happy and relaxed, until I cycled to the shop on a Tandem with Mike when the wind hit my face and the laughter poured out of us both.
The giggles lasted for hours and colours surrounding us intensified. The sky so blue and nature so glorious. At one moment I laughed so much I cried. Tears ran down my face, my imagination ran wild and I dreamt such magical things. Just pure happiness…
At sunset we walked to the top of a hill, danced in circles, smiled at life and at the beauty of this wonderful moment.

When dark started to fall we decided to walk home. Even the walk home was magical! We sipped warm rum, lay in corn fields staring at the sky, at the stars, just letting go of everything. Just being completely in the moment. It took us three hours to get home, but what a great three hours they were.

Mike and I lay in bed in the early hours chatting and reminiscing on probably one of the most memorable days of our lives and a day we will never forget. We woke up to no regret, no hangover and so many happy memories.

Sometimes I get so caught up in feeling insecure and anxious or hormonal and irritable that I forget what it is like to really laugh. That week I hadn’t been feeling so great. I felt body conscious, pressure from looking too much at social media and un-excepting of change and myself. I look back at that moment of laughter and I must’ve had so much bottled up inside me, it was a release. I couldn’t stop.
I feel grateful for my friends, for that moment and for trusting myself and letting go. For not feeling afraid as there was no need and for just embracing what my body was telling me I needed to feel.

I remember watching movies when I was younger and seeing hippies dancing around a field. I wanted to be those hippies one day, to explore that side of me. Well, I think I finally did it.