As therapists, counsellors and holistic practitioners, we know that healing doesn’t happen by trying to make difficult feelings disappear. Healing comes from creating a safe, compassionate space where every emotion is welcome.
I completed the Accredited Laughter Therapist Training developed by Lotte Mikkelsen over 10 years ago, and we now co-facilitate this training together.
It is designed for practitioners who would like to add another powerful therapeutic process to the way they work with clients, offering a deeper exploration of therapeutic, cathartic and emotionally integrated laughter.
What Laughter Therapy Is
Laughter Therapy is about recognising that laughter is one of the body’s natural ways of processing emotion. Just like tears, trembling, silence or deep breathing, authentic laughter can be part of a healthy emotional release, arising naturally in a safe therapeutic environment.
This training explores how laughter can sit alongside the therapeutic approaches you already use, supporting emotional expression, nervous system regulation, self-awareness and integration.
The Work Behind the Training
The work is inspired by psychologist Annette Goodheart, whose pioneering research recognised that laughter is a valid emotional response within therapy. Rather than seeing laughter as something that distracts from difficult emotions, she showed that it can become part of the healing process itself, often appearing alongside grief, fear, anger, relief or joy.
We also draw on the creativity and spontaneity of Viola Spolin’s improvisational games, and explore Osho’s Mystic Rose Meditation with its unique journey through movement, laughter, tears and silence. Together, these approaches offer a rich, experiential understanding of emotional processing.
Throughout the training we hold the belief that no emotion is wrong. Joy, sadness, anger, fear, laughter and tears are all welcome. We support people in safely meeting whatever is present, allowing emotions to move naturally through the body and creating a greater sense of peace and wellbeing.
During the Training You Will Explore
- The foundations of therapeutic laughter and the pioneering work of Annette Goodheart.
- The science of laughter and its effects on the brain, body and nervous system.
- Laughter as part of the wider therapeutic process of emotional release and integration.
- How to create a safe, compassionate and non-judgemental environment where authentic expression can unfold.
- An outline for a 6–8 week programme, with enquiry and practical ways of working with therapeutic laughter in both one-to-one sessions and groups.
- Play, creativity and spontaneity as resources for healing.
- Your own relationship with laughter and emotional expression, through experiential learning and self-reflection.
Course Structure
The qualification is completed over several stages, allowing plenty of time for learning, reflection and practical application.
- Two days of experiential training.
- Six to twelve months of case study work, including one individual and one group case study.
- Completion of a reflective dissertation.
- A final half-day session, online or in person, to present your work and complete the qualification.
On successful completion you will receive an Accredited Laughter Therapist Certificate, enabling you to obtain professional insurance to facilitate therapeutic laughter with individuals and groups.
Who the Training Complements
This training complements many existing therapeutic approaches, including counselling, psychotherapy, coaching, bodywork, holistic therapies and Laughter Yoga. It offers an additional way of supporting clients: one that honours the whole person and welcomes every emotion as part of the journey towards healing.
Upcoming Dates
Laughter Therapist Training
Stanmore, NW London
- 10th and 11th October 2026
- 15th and 16th May 2027
For more information and future training dates, contact mel_bloch@yahoo.co.uk.
Holistic Laughter Coach Melanie Bloch is a Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Ambassador Meditation and Laughter Teacher, Certified Happiness Coach and Keynote Speaker, with a background in the complementary medicine field spanning over 30 years.