Laughter Therapy - Coping in Stressful Situations
Robin Williams was asked in a recent interview, in the April 2006 Reader’s Digest, “Do you ever use humor as a weapon?” His response was, “Oh, big time. It’s a great defense and an offense too. Usually the recipient isn’t too happy about it, but the people around are laughing.”
Humor can be used as a weapon. As much as we would like to believe that old saying when we were kids, “Sticks and Stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” The truth of the matter is words can be very hurtful, not only can humor be used to embarrass someone, but can also undermine one’s credibility. Please be very careful when using humor. Just like a comedian should know his audience so should anyone using humor. Know the person you are using humor with. With certain friends putdown humor is perfectly acceptable, but with others it may not be. They may take offence to it.
When Reader’s Digest asked Robin Williams about humor having healing powers, he replied, “Healing isn’t the word. Therapeutic maybe, or cathartic. After being in extreme situations, it kind of brings you back to life.” I have a friend that works for a non-profit agency. Just working for this organization one would consider giving back to the community, but J.J. does much more. He volunteers much of his vacation time every year to help children at camp. Some camps host cancer kids, some host burn victim children and other kids with challenges. This can’t be an easy thing to do. Many of these kids have very special needs that J.J. and the other volunteers have to cater to, and yet make these kids camp experience as normal as possible. At the end of the week when the kids have left camp J.J. and his buddies get together to smoke a cigar, possibly have an adult beverage and joke about some of the things that had happened over the last week. Much of the humor is very dark or morbid; a lot of it is put down humor. They start making fun of each other all in jest and not used as a “weapon” but as a coping device. Meanwhile there is another group of volunteers that sit around and share touching stories, making each other cry. This is their way of coping with working with special needs kids. Once the group that shares the touching stories finally made J.J.’s group sit with them. This was a big mistake. The touchy feely group was a little offended by the humor that they used. Was the humor meant to be hurtful? NO. Everyone has their own way of coping with stressful situations and one should not be forced to participate in a way that is not therapeutic to them.
Both groups of people help these kids. Both make a difference in the lives of these kids. But each group has their way of coping. We should not judge the ones that use dark humor for coping after all they care just as much as the other group. Many people that deal with life and death on a daily basis develop a “Dark” or “Morbid” sense of humor. The Paramedics, the doctors and nurses, police officers, firefighter, and military personnel quite often use humor that would offend someone that doesn’t have to deal with the tragedy’s that they deal with on an hourly basis. I once attended a police officers briefing before they went out on patrol. The sergeant was poking fun at the way one of his officers found a dead body. To many this might have seamed insensitive but they see this kind of tragedy everyday. Humor reduces the stress of their everyday lives.