Last week, I shared information about “therapy” and discussed different options available to you. I hope you consider these suggestions as you develop a mental wellness plan. I have been in therapy to manage different life challenges as well as to figure out things I didn’t even realize I was working on. Depending on the culture, the environment, the family experiences, and sometimes religion, this all dedicates and often contributes to the stigma associated with therapy. Keep in mind that therapy is a place for you, just you, to give time to yourself to explore what you need to figure out, so be strong, be unique, be different, and get the support now.
That brings me to one of my favorites, “A” for animals. Although I knew animals were important, and I saw for myself the changes pets made in people’s lives, I wasn’t sure if it was necessary. Animals can be supportive; this part is true, but there is another meaning for “A” for animals. It is finding the deeper part of you, the playful inner health, that allows and supports healing. This will be the focus of this episode.
So, what does “playful inner health” mean. Let me break it down into two components.
If we look at the definition of “playful,” it means to be full of fun. As a verb, it is used to amuse oneself or others, participate in a game, dramatize, or perform in some way. As a noun, it is used to participate in a recreational activity or any activity that brings about pleasure. Other words that mean the same as playful are cheerful, merry, joyous, frisky, kittenish, gay, flirtatious, and good-natured.
To explore this further. Think about a time, possibly in childhood, when you laughed so hard, your stomach hurt. When it was so funny, your body let loose, and you felt sensations of joy, pleasure, and even relaxation. True story. My mom worked early mornings into the evenings when I was a teenager because she had three jobs. She would drop me off at my best friend’s house around 4 am. When I arrived, my friend was always up, and we watched MTV. We watched so many MTV videos I think she knew everything there was to know about music. We laughed so much during these moments, and because it was so early in the morning, this made the time even more precious. I probably laughed more because not only was her knowledge about music amazing her spirit, compassion, and love made you feel joy. This was the type of laughter where you can’t stop, your stomach hurts, and you fall on the ground. That was the good stuff. So, thank you to my dear friend. As an adult, this type of playfulness you must reconnect with. As an adult, I have another dear friend. We met in a stressful and unhealthy environment. This environment was easy to get your spirits down and move you towards illness. As an adult, having my dear friend around changed all of this. Our interactions to this day are filled with lots of exchanges of love and compassion with each other, and boy, do we spend a lot of time laughing. Sometimes laughing so much that it draws the attention of others nearby. It is absolutely fun when we are with each other. As we move away from childhood, there are many opportunities still to keep playfulness as part of our personality. I recall family experiences with game night, teaching others to swim, and simply cooking a meal together. It is joyful, and the feelings bring happiness and a sense of warmness, comfort, and familiarity for me. Can you relate? Are there times in your own life in which there were moments of joy when your spirit was elated?
As we grow older, we often lose this sense of pleasure. We get caught up in adult roles and responsibilities, and being playful gets lost. Then a part of us gets lost, sometimes we lose this in adulthood, and for some, they lose it in childhood. This is the inner part. The inner part of who we are at the core, our personality, changes because it gets distracted with life.
So, part of the Octaves method is getting back this playful inner part of who we truly are before all the drama, before the trauma, when we just laughed and played. So, although “A” is for animals, it is truly the rediscovering of the playful inner part of ourselves.
Research confirms that laughter therapy improves physical, social, psychological parts of the personality. In general, it improves one’s overall quality of life. The best part is, it’s free, it’s natural, it’s accessible, and a way to strengthen your immune system health without medications. An article published in 2016 confirmed, “Laughter decreases serum levels of cortisol, epinephrine, growth hormone..(dopamine levels) indicating a reversal of the stress response. Laughter can alter dopamine and serotonin activity.” (1). In a study in 2010, the decrease in laughter frequency is a symptom of disease, frequently associated with depression. This study reported laughter improves mood related to stressful events. Laughter stimulates cerebral areas in the brain associated with depression. Lastly, laughter has positive outcomes on social relationships and physical health. (2) In 2017, a research report examined how laughter impacted caseworkers who serviced HIV-affected families. This work is known to impact one’s stress, anxiety, and depression significantly. As laughter therapy was applied, caseworkers reported “positive emotions, positive coping, improved interpersonal relationships, and improvement in their casework after exposure to laughter therapy. (3) This is the type of therapeutic support we need. This type of playfulness addresses the playful inner part of our wellness.
For me, in practice with patients, it can be simple. We just laugh, then we laugh more, and more and more. Laughter is known to be contagious. So, I welcome you to join me for a short practice. Visit podcast “Trauma and Social Work” season three “A” for animals and enjoy.
Citation:
1. Yim J. Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter in Mental Health: A Theoretical Review. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2016 Jul;239(3):243-9. doi: 10.1620/tjem.239.243. PMID: 27439375.
2. Fonzi L, Matteucci G, Bersani G. Riso e depressione: ipotesi di rapporto patogenetico e terapeutico [Laughter and depression: hypothesis of pathogenic and therapeutic correlation]. Riv Psichiatr. 2010 Jan-Feb;45(1):1-6. Italian. PMID: 20380236.
3. Hatzipapas I, Visser MJ, Janse van Rensburg E. Laughter therapy as an intervention to promote psychological well-being of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families. SAHARA J. 2017 Dec;14(1):202-212. doi: 10.1080/17290376.2017.1402696. PMID: 29169302; PMCID: PMC5706473.
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