Literal Laughter Medicine

As an intended neuroscience major and psychology enthusiast I am going to take a different approach on this blog post. Recently there has been a growing interest in the clinical uses of humor and laughter. In application to psychotherapy, humor is used to alleviate anxiety, pressure, increase feelings of positivity and motivation, and can aid in creating bonds between doctors and their patients. The man, Freud himself, attributed comedy to being a form of catharsis for the human conscious, allowing topics that we tend to dodge around to be addressed head-on by biting sarcasm and light fluffy humor.

Here are some exercises and activities that I discovered:

The "I Don't Know Why I am Laughing" Trick
Any type of laughter can be good laughter, even if it is forced. Individuals may stand in front of a mirror or choose to do this easy exercise in a group. As the title suggests, participants plaster a cheesy grin on their faces, not stimulated by a given event or joke, and just laugh. Circulation in the body will temporarily increase, releasing stress that is weighing the body down both consciously and unconsciously.

Open Ended Cartoons
Much like inkblot tests, therapists reveal a set of cartoons to their patients. These cartoons, specifically chosen for each individual patient is meant to somehow relate to a struggle that the patient is currently experiencing, without being blunt. At the end of the session, the images are discussed and if perceived correctly the patient is able to use this form of therapy to put their problems in perspective, and eventually draw them to the conclusion to why they cannot make light out of their own predicaments.