Humour in Therapy
The old saying is that laughter is the best medicine. And I have to admit in many cases this is true. Humour eventhough people will have their preferences as to what makes them laugh, is a universal truism. Humour is what connects us with the people around us. Humour is also a great way to convey a message in a manner with is acceptable and almost unarguable with.
Many of my students would attest that I use humour a lot when I am teaching. I will use it especially to convey sometimes very difficult of uncomoforatble subjects. This does not mean I do not talke seriously what I am talking about, but rather I am trying to displace some of the discomfort people may be feeling by using humour as a vehicle.
The same is true in therapy, though not used with such frequency. Sometimes clients will use humour as a resistance to their issue because they are not comfortable talking about it. Other times, a therapist can use it to move the session along. However humour is used in therapy it should be noted that it needs to be like salt. A little brings up the flavour of the moment, too much makes it unpalatable.
