176: New Life Perspectives with Liz Larson and Bill McKenna - Episode 176176: New Life Perspectives with Liz Larson and Bill McKenna - Episode 176
UK Health Radio Podcast
Liz Larson and Bill McKenna talk about how laughter, awe and love can reduce inflammation and shift long-held pain patterns. They share stories and practical techniques for choosing different emotional states to support healing and recovery.
46:21•14 Sept 2026
Laughter, Awe and Healing: Liz Larson and Bill McKenna on Rewiring Pain
Episode Overview
- Short bursts of genuine laughter can reduce pain and lower inflammatory markers in the body.
- Emotional responses such as fear and depression can be learned within families and are not fixed.
- Shifting attention to memories of awe, beauty, or unconditional love can move the body out of fight-or-flight.
- Consciously cycling between a pain state and a positive emotional memory helps the nervous system find a new pattern.
- Giving higher value to joy, reverence and fun can support physical healing alongside traditional medical care.
“Is there more value in pain, fear, stress, sadness, regret, guilt, shame, blame, than in the emotion of fun, laughter, reverence, wonder, curiosity?”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when their body seems stuck in stress and pain? This episode of New Life Perspectives on UK Health Radio leans into that question by looking at something surprisingly simple: laughter and other "feel-good" emotions. Hosts Liz Larson and Bill McKenna share the famous story of Norman Cousins, who used belly laughs and high-dose vitamin C alongside medical treatment to ease the agony of ankylosing spondylitis.
As Liz explains, Cousins noticed that "about 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter produced an anaesthetic effect and allowed him to sleep for around two hours pain-free," helping to spark a whole movement around laughter therapy. You’ll hear how laughter briefly activates the body’s stress systems before dropping you into a calmer state, reducing inflammation markers that sit at the root of many illnesses.
Liz also talks about Cancer survivor Sarah Ann Rothberg and others who paired conventional treatment with comedy, attitude shifts and sheer refusal to accept a grim prognosis. The conversation then widens out to everyday emotions. Liz questions whether disease is passed down only through genes, or also through learned patterns of behaviour and feelings in families.
With personal stories of relatives who shifted away from inherited pain and depressive cycles, she shows how choosing different emotional "normals" can change a body’s response. For anyone in alcohol or addiction recovery, the practical piece is big: Liz breaks down how to consciously move your attention between pain and memories of awe, beauty, love or joy – using eye positions and vivid memories of stunning places, pets, or beloved relatives.
This "cycling" gives the nervous system a real alternative to fight-or-flight and lets the body invest energy in healing instead of constant alarm. If you’re stuck in fear, stress or shame, could giving more value to laughter, reverence and simple joy be your next experiment?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.