Comedy is Therapy

There are plenty of well-adjusted, functional people who use their mental health issues as fuel and motivation.   Baring one’s soul through comedy can be a wonderful addition to therapy, as they say…..laughter is the best medicine.   There is a popular belief, that humor make others laugh as a means of treating the pain they feel inside; the depression, the childhood issues, the worry, the guilt one experiences when they feel like they can’t take it anymore.  Is this true?  For some, the answer is yes.” While not every person is motivated by this same thing, depression and social anxiety are things that many of us have in common.

Some of the most revered comedians of all-time, like Richard Pryor and Joan Rivers, found strength in tackling their demons through comedy.  It is extremely therapeutic to work through struggles, issues, and battles with laughter.  Kevin Hart’s Laugh at My Pain, became one of the most successful stand-up movies of all-time. Laugh at My Pain tackles personal issues. Kevin chose to address his pain head on and not to keep his feelings bottled up.

Don’t wait until it’s too late!  Open yourself up to new experiences by sharing your story and seeking the help you need.  The sooner you get honest with yourself about working through your issues and realize that you can use comedy as therapy for relationships, drugs, depression, confusion, stress, and anxiety; the sooner you can be on the path to a different point of view, new energy, and a fresh start at life.

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As she bursts into the spotlight Tiffany Haddish road to success has been a harrowing one.  She found her calling after her social worker gave her the ultimatum of going to psychiatric therapy or attending the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp and pushed her to attend a comedy camp that she discovered her passion for performing.  She chose the latter, and from that point on, she was motivated to make comedy her career.  “Going to that comedy camp and having all those men tell me, ‘You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You’re talented.’ Like, for somebody to tell me that, even if they didn’t believe it or mean it, it was enough,” she said. “It was enough to light a fire.”

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Comedy Therapy provides happiness and can make you feel better.  Getting therapy for thirty minutes twice a week can help you stop taking the stress of life so seriously and work on solutions to your pain and suffering.

 

Celebrities in Therapy

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"Asking for help is always a sign of strength." ~ Michelle Obama

In an interview with Prevention magazine in 2016, the former FLOTUS praised the power of seeking help ― especially for veterans who may be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I kept meeting service members and military spouses who were hesitant to ask for help because they thought they should be able to handle it themselves or that seeking help meant they were weak or broken,” she told Prevention. “But of course that couldn’t be further from the truth ... Our service members, veterans and their families are some of the most courageous, resilient folks I have ever met, and asking for help is always a sign of strength.”

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Halle Berry told Hello! magazine she has been in therapy since childhood due to abuse from her alcoholic father

"I've done therapy on an as-needed basis since I was probably ten years old. My father was an alcoholic and a very abusive one, and my mother knew the value of providing me with the outlet of an unbiased person to talk to, so I've done that all my life when times get stressful. It really helps me deal with stuff."

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“It’s extremely important that every time something comes up, I reach out and let someone in.” ―Brandon Marshall

Marshall, who co-founded the mental health organization Project 375, has previously discussed his experience with borderline personality disorder. In May, the NFL star talked with the Child Mind Institute about the importance of reaching out to a support system during low mental health points.  “It’s extremely important that every time something comes up, I reach out to someone and let someone in, no matter how hard it is or difficult it is to express those feelings,” he said.

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Gwyneth Paltrow spoke to Good Housekeeping about attending therapy for her postpartum depression

"I felt like a zombie. I couldn't access my heart. I couldn't access my emotions. I couldn't connect ... The hardest part for me was acknowledging the problem. I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child. But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it's so important for women to talk about."

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Catherine Zeta-Jones spoke to People magazine about her bipolar disorder

"This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them. If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help."

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“It’s a really wonderful thing to be able to talk to someone who doesn’t judge you.” ―Katy Perry

The artist recently live streamed a session with her therapist on YouTube, where she opened up about her struggle with suicidal thoughts. She discussed the decision to publicize the session with Australian radio station KIIS FM and explained that therapy was an excellent tool for her emotional wellness.

“I’ve been going to therapy for about five years and I think it has really helped my mental health incredibly,” she said. “And it’s a really wonderful thing to be able to talk to someone who doesn’t judge you, because I don’t think a lot of people have that. I encourage it.”