Smile Therapist, Lee Im-sun

    At 5 o'clock every Friday there is non-stop laughter in the home-doctoring faculty nursing room, at Seoul National University Hospital. The laughter never stops. "Aren't they so lovely?" Lee Im-sun, who prescribes laughter ceaselessly, came to talk to CP reporter. She gave a hint that most of the people here are liver cancer patients. Now, let's start our new interview with her!

 

☆ How did you start doing smile therapy?
    My story began in 2004. At that time I had a hard time with depression from the after effects of a car accident. One day, I saw an advertisement for a smile therapist. That was the first smile therapy in Korea. After doing the therapy, I thought it was a fun and valuable experience. Most of all, I found the hope that I could start over. while I was recovering, I saw my patients' faces by chance and realized they weren't smiling, especially those suffering from cancer or dementia. So I thought that maybe there is a close connection between laughter and health. I studied this connection with the medical team of Seoul National University for about six months. After finishing the study, I started my smile therapy lecture, with the intention of offering a voluntarily smiling cure for patients in Seoul National University Hospital. 

☆ Haven't you had a hard time because smile therapy lectures were not included among established medial care courses? 
    Most of the diagnosis in Seoul National University Hospital's home-doctoring faculty are finished by 5 o'clock. However, we can't start smile therapy lectures when there are emergency patients or diagnoses take longer than usual.
    Doctors study a lot. They finish their work at 5 and then they have a short break before they start a conference. This lecture can be just noise to them, but they have never said "No" to me. I'm just thankful for that.
    I didn't expect a special space for smile therapy. I knew about Seoul National University Hospital well. I understand there is no such space for that. I'm also thankful that I can use a nursing room. One thing, however, makes me sad. During the cold winters, I want to treat cups of hot "smile tea"to my patients. But don't you think that day will come someday? Hohohohoho! 

☆  What is the difference between the smile therapy which is held by social welfare organizations and by medical personnel?
    We both use smiles as a tool. However, the social welfare organizations' smile therapy is more like recreations, while medical personnel's smile therapy has to be a "treatment." If medical personnel do smile therapy, it has to be for patients, and so they have to be will-aware of their patients' states.
    Even though smile therapy is not a universal remedy, many therapists explain it as being so. Honestly, as a smile therapist, I am against that. If a therapist uses smile therapy with no information about the patients, some my experience side effects. Also, patients must not stop other remedies just because they have had smile therapy. Smile therapy is only an aid for the real remedies. 

☆ What exactly then are smile therapy's effects?
    First, it gives patients hope and desire to live. When they hear that they have cancer, many patients give up very quickly. As they laugh a lot, they feel happiness and hope. After smile therapy lectures, some of my patients have told me that they don't feel ill at all while they laugh so hard through this therapy.
    I told you already that almost all of my patients have a liver cancer. There is an expression, "Laughing so hard, your bellybutton will fall out." Don't you think if you laugh joyfully maybe one day cancer will fall out of your body? 
    Also, smile therapy improves peoples' relationships. When we laugh hard with someone, we naturally feel closer to them. Laughter is like an embryo. It connects people to people.

☆ Would it be helpful even if smile therapy induces fake laughter? 
    In my lectures, the smiles are not fake ones, but are genuine. I create funny situations on purpose but I don't make people laugh without reason.
    Once, when I had just started smile therapy, I tried doing fake laughing without any reason. My son came up to me and said "Mom, I think that sort of fake smile is not good. I hope you never do that again." A forced smile makes people who see it feel sad. Above all, after fake laughter, one feel emptiness instead of happiness. So I don't want my parents to be forced to laugh. 

☆ Do you think you have changed through smile therapy?
    I have less stressful moments. I used to get depressed sometimes when I had to face patients. Now, in those moments, I just smile. Then, I have less daily irritations and my negative thoughts have changed to positive one.
    Next, my past-oriented thoughts have changed to future oriented ones. Above all, however, the most different thing is "self-confidence." I was a nurse who blushed very often. I couldn't stand in front of people at all before. But look at me now. For example, I had to make a speech on CBS several days ago. The CBS workers thought I would freeze in front of the camera, so they started to relax me and use smile therapy with me. However, I did so well that they were surprised. 

☆ Lastly, please give some advice to Chungdaites.
    Enjoy your campus life with a smile. Our ancients said we can die happily if we have happy memories. Make more happy memories. Even though you are only university students, please take care of your health. If people are happy enough, they don't look for alcohol or cigarettes. They look for those things just because they think they lack something, and are not happy enough.
    Smiles are trapped in the same situation as water these days. No one expected that the world would have to buy water, but now it's natural to buy water. Now we're buying smiles. The youth don't smile often these days. They don't smile for more than 20 hours a year. In contrast, they take on cellular phones for more than 20 hours a year. From now on why don't you smile when you touch a cellular phone? Instead of just saying "Hello," laugh out loud first! Smiling is not a privilege that comes with success, it's a required subject for success. 

 

By  Cho Eun-su CP  Reporter  
ssu6013@naver.com

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