The Best Medicine? Psychotherapists’ Experience Of The Impact Of Humour On The Process Of Psychotherapy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65828/cee5p953Keywords:
Humour, ambiguity, tragi-comic, paradox, catalyst, power, processAbstract
Although afforded very little, if any, attention in formal psychotherapy training and literature, humour is a ubiquitous and central existential expression; a powerful and fundamental relational phenomenon significant to the practice of psychotherapy. We report a qualitative study on the use of humour in therapy. The findings confirm the double-edged nature of humour that emerged in our study of the humour literature (Gibson & Tantam, 2017). Used judiciously in practice, humour can reveal and help develop an existential maturity, a tragi-comic attitude in which a creative acceptance of limitations and paradox is possible. But if the timing is off, or the therapist uses humour defensively, it can inhibit the psychotherapeutic process.
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