Up An Exploration of Comedy, Laughter, and Treating Trauma Among Adolescents

Shannon Zogran

shannonzogran@gmail.com

Introduction: Trauma Defined

“He that conceals his grief finds no remedy for it”, (Understanding substance abuse, 2008). As the mental health field continues to voice the large body of old and new research which shows the lifelong, life altering impact trauma has on one’s livelihood, there is hope more people will understand the importance of this Turkish proverb. A traumatic event is any event, such as abuse, a natural disaster, accident, which induces a sense of distress, horror, helplessness, injury, or threat of injury or death. Trauma is the emotional response one feels after experiencing a traumatic event.

A trauma response typically involves emotional effects, such as anxiety and panic attacks, and physical effects, such as fatigue, poor concentration, and body pains. What is currently known about trauma among adolescents is traumatic events impact an adolescents’ mental and physical health for years following the traumatic experience. Although trauma is in many ways an emotional response, the effects of trauma are no different from “the effects of physical lesions like strokes” on the human body (Van Der Kold, 2015). While a whole book may be written solely on different kinds of traumatic events and how various people experience trauma, this article will focus on how trauma impacts adolescents and evidence-based interventions for adolescents. A basic understanding of the biological and psychological manifestations of trauma aids in the understanding and application of this paper. It is recommended that readers preemptively review the core concepts and topics found in Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book

The Body Keeps the Score (2015).

Trauma Among Adolescents

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) released a comprehensive article highlighting how adolescents experience trauma (2008). The review focuses on the association between adolescent trauma and future substance abuse. Adolescents who experience trauma will not automatically become future substance abusers. Yet, the correlation between ineffective coping among adolescents and future drug use is one that cannot and should not be ignored. Thus, school counselors must understand how trauma symptoms present in teens and have hope that there are effective, evidence-based interventions.

NCTSN describes teens who experience trauma as responding recklessly by “taking more risks” than they normally would prior to the traumatic event, withdrawing from their normal activities, fear of “going crazy” due to their strong reaction to the event or triggers, and feeling stigmatized and that they cannot talk about the traumatic event. Adolescents also experience “unexplained physical symptoms, difficulty regulating emotions, poor impulse control, sleep disturbances, and low self-esteem”. The statistics on teens experiencing traumatic events is disheartening and reaffirms the priority trauma-informed practices must take in schools. “Four out of ten adolescents have witnessed violence, seventeen percent have been physically assaulted, and eight percent have experienced sexual assault”. Without having someone to help them navigate their trauma and learn healthy coping mechanisms, many teens turn to substance abuse.

Following a traumatic event, between 25%-76% of teens turn to substance abuse. Although trauma, especially trauma among adolescents, is a difficult topic to

Trauma is not funny. Comedy is funny, or at least good comedy is supposed to be funny. Why on earth are comedy and trauma being discussed in the same article? It may make sense to begin by defining comedy and discussing its origins. According to the oxford dictionary, comedy is a form of entertainment with the intent of making people laugh. Oxford dictionary also describes humor as both a noun, a state of mind, and a verb, complying with one’s wishes. The overall purpose of comedy and humor is to make people laugh and to bring about a light, silly feeling. A misconception of comedy is that it must always be happy. On the contrary, some of the best comedic moments come from some of the most intense, serious times in life.

The first known use of comedy took place in fourth century B.C.E. when Aristotle described comedy’s important role in connecting “humans as social beings, rather than as private persons, and that its function is frankly corrective” (Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., n.d.). Aristotle cited comedy’s purpose as to “hold a mirror up to society to reflect its follies and vices, in the hope that [it] will, as a result, [mend].” While one may not anticipate such a deep purpose behind comedy, it is profound to learn that comedy’s original purpose is almost identical to the purpose of counseling interventions in trauma therapy. Both areas ask a traumatized person to look at themselves, to reflect on their experiences, and to share in that emotion with their community. After this is all said and done, the outcome is corrective, or in other words, healing. Profound, right? Additionally, much literature around trauma, the arts, and community support this sentiment comparing trauma interventions and the purpose of comedy. Van Der Kolk (2015) explains that community experiences and music help “create meaning beyond

Coping with Comedy: Military Veterans and Stand-Up

A basic understanding of the history of comedy and its connection to healing provides the framework needed to explore how comedy can help adolescents cope with trauma. This section of the paper will focus on a study published in 2022 titled “Comedy Bootcamp: stand-up comedy as humor training for military populations” (Olah et al.). Limitations of focusing on this article include the focus on an adult population rather than adolescents and the interventions did not take place in a school setting. Nonetheless, the results are important to note when using comedy as an intervention for trauma and the interventions can be adapted to other populations.

Olah et al. (2022) gathered data on a 72-person, stand-up comedy bootcamp which is specifically geared to military services members to build community, teach them stand-up comedy, and allow them to learn how to cope with their trauma through humor. The seven-week course involves teaching service members the basics of standup comedy and ends with a public performance where each participant gives a fiveminute stand-up set. The course follows the seven humor habits framework which includes: “(1) surround yourself with humor and reflect on your own sense of humor, (2) cultivate a playful attitude, (3) laugh more often and more heartily, (4) create your own verbal humor, (5) look for humor in everyday life, (6) take yourself lightly and learn to laugh at yourself, and (7) find humor in the midst of stress.” The immediate results indicated a significant difference among participants including increased self-esteem, less depression and stress, and greater resilience upon program completion. These results were consistent three and six months after the class completed.

Application for Adolescents

When considering what is known about trauma, comedy, and stand-up comedy as an intervention for veterans, there are a few different ways school counselors can incorporate comedic interventions in the school setting to support students who experience trauma. The main intervention coming from this research is the implementation of a small group which learns and practices some form of comedy. This can include stand-up comedy, improv comedy, or theatrical comedy. It would be important for the small group leader to be a trained counselor, to have experience in leading small groups, have some experience in comedy, and to be able to identify and recruit appropriate group members.

Overall, school counselors should consider the therapeutic benefits of comedy when supporting students who have experienced a traumatic event. The benefits of building a community, learning a new skill, and finding humor within life’s darkest moments can increase self-esteem, decrease stress, and decrease feelings of depression. Research is limited and counselors must understand their own limitations when supporting traumatized students. Yet, the implications give an excellent foundation for future use of comedy in the school setting and in supporting adolescents impacted by trauma.

This paper ends with a simple reflection and call to action. How can we endure life’s travesties without trying to find moments of joy? Counselors cannot solve their clients’ and students’ problems, but they can teach them ways to find joy on their journey and purpose in their life. Comedy and humor may be an effective treatment to achieve this goal and counselors have ignored this potential treatment for far too long.

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I, myself, prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”

-Kurt Vongett

References

Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Comedy: Literature and Performance. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/art/comedy

Olah, A., Junkin, J., Ford, T. & Pressler, S. (2022). Comedy Bootcamp: stand-up comedy as humor training for military populations. HUMOR, 35(4), 587-616. https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2022-0007

Understanding substance abuse in adolescents: A Primer for Mental Health Profesffdionals. (2008). PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e738852011001

Van Der Kolk, Besser. (2015). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma. Penguin Books.