‘I’m a laughter therapist – after coming out at 45, laughing at traffic lights and at my reflection transformed my life’

A laughter therapist who had not “properly” laughed for 20 years said the practice – involving giggling in the mirror and chortling at red traffic lights – transformed her mental health after coming out at 45.

Sunny Turner, 58, who lives in Manchester, came out as a lesbian in 2013 and divorced her husband – with whom she shares two children – the following year and said “not being true” to herself took a “serious toll”.

She began having counselling in February 2016 and, later that year, discovered laughter therapy – her first session involved giggling “without any stimulation”, which she said felt like a “huge cathartic release” of emotion.

She trained as a laughter yoga teacher – combining laughter techniques with yogic breathing – in October 2016, encouraging others to chortle and even “shake their empty pockets” to laugh away money troubles.

Sunny then “practised laughter” daily – from chuckling to herself on the school run to joining group calls where dozens of people would “just laugh” together, which she said helped her process any regrets about coming out later in life.

In 2025, she also changed her name by deed poll from Sara to Sunny, and got a tattoo to mark the occasion and reflect her “brighter” identity.

Sunny told PA Real Life: “Making the decision to live fully as my authentic self took about a year of real inner strength.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but ultimately the only way forward.

“Not being true to who I am was taking a serious toll on me.

“Reactions from loved ones were mixed – some were shocked, and some were wonderfully supportive.

“Laughter yoga has been a good coping tool, and I’m much calmer now, I used to be a real stress bunny and now I sleep like a log and hardly ever get poorly!”

Sunny began struggling with her mental health and came out as a lesbian in 2013, at age 45, and got divorced the following year.

In January 2016, she started taking antidepressants and in February 2016, she began talking therapy.

At the time, she was “under a lot of stress”, with “busy mum life as a single parent” while working a “very lonely job” running an online accessories business, on top of processing her divorce and identity.

Her therapist recommended she find a “wellbeing tool” for herself, and Sunny came across a laughter therapy event run by an LGBT+ charity.

During her first session, in March 2016, she recalled being told to sit in silence and wait for laughter to “naturally” emerge.

“I was pretty sceptical about it, but it was a huge cathartic release of stress,” she explained.

“I didn’t think any laughter would come out of me but it did, and laughter is contagious.

“I was on antidepressants and they dulled me, so to laugh like that was wonderful.

“I felt so light after it and when I look back, it was about 20 years since I had laughed properly – that was when I saw Victoria Wood in Sheffield City Hall with my family!”

Sunny then went on to attend monthly laughter yoga sessions, from July 2016.

Laughter yoga is a therapeutic exercise programme that combines laughter with yogic breathing, rather than traditional yoga poses.

In October 2016, Sunny decided to train as a laughter yoga teacher, which involved “learning the benefits” of laughter yoga, how to deliver sessions, its background, and its foundational exercises.

She has “practised laughter” every day since becoming a qualified laughter yoga teacher, even purposefully giggling when looking in the mirror and while in the shower.

She even took part in phone calls, where dozens of people would join and “just laugh” together for around 10 minutes at a time.

“My children were teenagers at the time and thought it was a load of rubbish,” she added.

“I’d hide in the garage to do my laughter calls, and when they had their headphones in on the way to school, I’d do my laughter exercises – I’d have no stimulation and laugh.

“My mum was very supportive and she saw how much it benefited me, and my dad’s a natural laugher anyway!”

Sunny believes it has improved her mental health, sleep quality and made her more confident, and she even claims it can have physical benefits.

She added: “Coming out later in life, you can have a lot of regrets, and it’s helped dissolve those a lot.”

According to the British Heart Foundation, research has shown that laughter releases endorphins, known as “feel-good hormones”.

It increases the intake of oxygen-rich air and reduces stress hormones, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, while helping muscles to relax, their website reads.

They add that one small study showed laughter therapy led to improvements in heart health and circulation.

In January 2017, she ran a weekly laughter club to gain experience, with members of her community, friends and family taking part.

She also held sessions at a care home, and corporate and educational events, as well as online sessions during the pandemic.

From 2022, she began running regular in-person laughter yoga sessions, each lasting around an hour.

Sunny starts with a warm-up, encouraging people to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.

She then leads “laughter warm-ups and exercises”, involving “funny movements” such as miming “making milkshakes and drinking them” while laughing.

She added: “We imagine that we’re driving a car and laughing more when there are red traffic lights – all these exercises create that prolonged laughter and resilience to cope with unexpected life challenges.

“If people remember that from the session, they might laugh when they come across a red traffic light and not get as annoyed!

“We even have an exercise called ‘no money laughter’ where we shake our empty pockets, laughing off the problem – ideal for the cost-of-living crisis!

“In between we do clapping and pranayama, which is deep breathing.

“We then do yoga nidra where your body goes into a deep meditative state to ground and rejuvenate energy levels.”

Since running these sessions, she has received feedback from participants who say it has helped them with their mental health, mood, grief, sleep, being more present, and improving their self-esteem.

She said: “A lot of people immediately say, ‘I didn’t even know it was a thing and it’s incredible!’”

When she tells strangers what she does, they’re “curious but sceptical” but when she demonstrates an exercise to them, they always “end up laughing” with her.

In 2025, she decided to change her name by deed poll from Sara to Sunny, to avoid having to explain its pronunciation and to mark her new identity.

She said: “It represents who I am today, and I got a tattoo of my new name as a Christmas present from my mum – she was really supportive.

“She’s 87 but she understood my reasoning.”

To those who might be interested in laughter yoga therapy, she said: “All you need is a willingness to try it!”